Kg 200: The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit

by Geoffrey J. Thomas

Shrouded in secrecy and intrigue during its lifetime and myth and legend since its dissolution, the KG 200 still remains for many one of the most fascinating units of the Luftwaffe. Delivering spies while flying captured Allied aircraft, clandestine reconnaissance missions over land and sea, testing new weapons such as the 'Mistel' composite bomber and the piloted V-1, and extremely long-range liaison flights were just some of their tasks. But there was also a more sinister aspect to their operations: men from KG 200 played a significant part in the notorious action against the French Resistance on the Vercors plateau, others were involved in what were effectively suicide missions. Geoff Thomas's deeply researched text throws new light on all aspects of this unit, dispels a number of myths and shows that despite its 'special' status, KG 200 was just as much a prey to the Nazi hierarchy's power politics as every other branch of Wehrmacht, with results that were often tragic but frequently farcical.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2004

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an okay book with some good pictures. The book is not chronologically laid out and the chapters jump around a lot. Although it seems that the author did research, there are probably a lot of records that did not survive the fall of the Reich and these gaps left in the book will therefor never be filled.

[Mike Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, thorough history of one of the Luftwaffe’s most interesting units.