Paul Zöller, Paul Zöller Luftfahrtarchive, BoD Books on Demand, Norderstedt, Germany, 2024, ISBN 978-3-75-970437-5. Illustrated, softcover, published in German.
Cover image © by Paul Zöller, 2024.
What a remarkable, comprehensive, and absorbing book this is.
Paul Zöller's
Dietrich- Raab-Katzenstein- und Gerner-Flugzeuge sheds a very welcome light on an era of German aviation frequently completely overshadowed by floods of publications on all the popular Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs: the re-emergence of German aircraft design and manufacturing during the interwar period of the 1920s to mid 1930s.
It is of course in many ways far more glamorous and, indeed, more interesting to write about the Bf 109, Me 262, or the Fw 190 to Ta 152 family. But the roots that would eventually lead to these crucial high-tech aircraft were sown during the years after the first world war, when passionate and talented German aviation enthusiasts slowly began rebuilding an initial semblance of a German aircraft industry. Some of these efforts barely made it past an underground barn existence, others managed to exert a notable influence on upcoming German endeavours of the 1930s.
In his meticulous study, Zöller illuminates the many aircraft designs by individuals such as Richard Dietrich, the illustrious Antonius Raab, Kurt Katzenstein, Max Gerner, and others. A number of these aircraft only reached the proposal stage, others were produced and flown, and some even achieved series production to some extent. In several cases, the small, early companies formed by these German aviation pioneers would later be absorbed in one form or another by more powerful companies as political events unfolded in Germany in the 1930s, thus preserving some kind of legacy even as the local aviation landscape changed swiftly and radically.
At 502 pages and a format of 22 x 17 cm, Zöller's
Dietrich- Raab-Katzenstein- und Gerner-Flugzeuge is sumptuously rich with information on both individuals and aircraft involved. The book is also lavishly illustrated, containing 452 photos and thus providing the reader with glimpses of German interwar aircraft otherwise rarely ever seen. As unknown as most of them are, many of them were significant to the overall development of German sporting aviation. Moreover, we are not talking about merely a handful of aircraft; there were hundreds of them (and an airship).
Given that the events covered in this book took place around one hundred years ago and that there are no longer any living participants who could have contributed as firsthand sources, Zöller's book likely compiles as much information as is still reconstructable through material found in archives and contemporary aviation publications. In addition, an appendix of 129 pages (!) adds to the history presented in the book. It compiles the technical data and provides simple side views of all the aircraft covered, an overview of the engines used to power them, and an attempt at a comprehensive (and partially illustrated)
Werknummern list of the aircraft produced by the manufacturers that are subject to this study. This
Werknummern list also provides information on the registrations and eventual fate of the aircraft.
An equally comprehensive index (both by aircraft registration and names/locations) completes this jewel of a book.
All in all, Zöller's
Dietrich- Raab-Katzenstein- und Gerner-Flugzeuge might be seen as an ideal summary and complement to the excellent research and information provided, for example, by ADL (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutsche Luftfahrthistorik), whose members actually contributed to it. Further information may be uncovered in future years, but as of right now, this book is the definitive word on its chosen topic. The only nitpick one could possibly have is that the reproduction quality of the photos provided could at times perhaps be slightly better. This is possibly a result of the "book on demand" system, but the reproduction quality is still good enough to pass as quite decent.
