Goss, Chris, with Bernd Rauchbach. Luftwaffe Seaplanes 1939-1945.

Crecy Publishing (UK). Distributed in the U.S. by Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Rd., Annapolis, MD 21402-5034. 2002. 200 pp. Ill. $29.95.

This photo album gives a detailed look at one of the most overlooked subjects in WW II aviation. Nazi Germany fielded an active maritime air force equipped with a wide array of floatplanes and flying boats. This book collection includes black-and-white and a few color views of such aircraft as the Arado 196, one of the war's most capable floatplanes, the Blohm & Voss BV 138 maritime patrol flying boat, and the huge BV 222 Viking. The Heinkel series of large floatplanes, such as the He. 115 and He. 59, as well as the Dornier parasol-wing flying boats are also featured.

There are people pictures, but the short captions leave the reader wanting more details. Often, the photo reproduction is muddy, while at other times the details show up better. When a book is designed as a photo album, high-quality paper and printing are essential.

Crecy enjoys a well-deserved reputation in Europe for exploring many of the lesser known areas of aviation publishing, but he is little known in the United States.

All in all, this book is a fascinating assembly of images.