Kagero Publishing Hispano Aviación Ha-1112 Buchon - Monographs #67 (9788366148338)

[Mike]

Hispano Aviación Ha-1112 Buchón - Monographs #67 (9788366148338)

Kagero Publishing via Casemate UK

 

 

The Messerschmitt Bf.109 saw extensive service in Spain during their civil war during the 30s, and served the Reich throughout WWII with continuous upgrades improving it as time went by.  Toward the end of the war, Spanish engineers worked on creating a variant of the airframe that could be made using available materials and taking advantage of improvements made since its original debut.  Hispano Aviación developed the airframe with an indigenous engine replacing the DB605 from the Bf.109G-2 that resulted in various changes to its nose profile, which was changed again when the Ha-1112 was developed with an improved engine and 12.7mm machine guns as armament.  In the early 50s the Spanish authorities negotiated a deal with Rolls Royce to use Merlins, which again changed the nose but brought its well-known advantages to the aircraft.  It soldiered on for 20 years after WWII, with a number of the later models famously used in the film The Battle of Britain, doubling for Bf.109s and even Hurricanes in the background.

 

The Book

This is number 67 in the Monographs series from Kagero, with English used exclusively throughout.  It is perfect-bound in a card cover and 80 pages in colour and black & white.  It is written by Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez.  The first 58 pages are text interspersed with many pictures and their accompanying captions, with the remainder a pictorial section, mostly in colour, some of which is contemporary other current.  The last 5 pages plus the rear cover are devoted to some handsome side profiles of various airframes.  The chapters break down as follows:

 

• Introduction
• Spanish Aviation after the Spanish Civil War
• Spain during World War 2
• Spanish fighter force post WW2
• Looking for engines
• Ha 1109 manufacturing continues
• The Buchón is born
• Sidi Ifni and Sahara
• Return to the action of the Wing 7 Buchones
• A star has (sic) born: The actor Buchón
• The Buchón today
• Spanish made Bf.109G-2 derivatives technical info
• Bf.109G-2 technical info
• Bf.109J (HA-1109 J1L) technical info
• HA-1112K1L or C.4J technical info
• HA-1112M1L or C.4K technical info
• HA-1110K1L or C.4J technical info
• HA-1112M4L or C.4K technical info
• Buchón's camouflage and markings
• Annexes
  • Hispano Aviación
  • Spanish made Bf.109G-2 derivatives production
  • Spanish Air Force ranks and equivalences
• Bibliography
• Photo library
• Colour profiles (5 pages plus rear cover)

 

 

 

There is a substantial amount of text in the first part of the book which gives a lot of detail on the development, entry into service with its subsequent sub-variants.  The photographs are of great interest to anyone with a historical bent, and coupled with the captions there will be plenty of reading time after which you'll be a bit of an instant expert on the type, and ready for the pictorial section to the rear that gives some real world shots including the 2-seat oddity that is the M.4L

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

A lot of folks are fond of the Buchón because of its part in the Battle of Britain movie along with the Spanish built CASA 2.111 doing a very good impression of Heinkel He.111s.  It is a good one-stop-shop if you would like to get to know your crush better, and broaden your knowledge a little bit in the process.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

[John Masters]

That looks like something to add to the library.