About the Author

Author James Neal Harvey has been a pilot for more than 40 years and has owned a dozen aircraft (including a De Havilland Tiger Moth built for the RAF, a Stinson V-77 that flew in the Royal Navy, and a Messerschmitt Bf-108 that served in the Luftwaffe). Author of six previous books, his grasp of aero-dynamics informs the narrative, as he examines how Messerschmitt might well have changed the course of the Second World War.

Reviews

It is interesting in its coverage of the famous designer and his problems with the authorities.
*Aeroplane*

Well researched and written with verve.
*Publisher’s Weekly*

Gear head’s history at heart, spiced with bracing air battle accounts of Willy’s planes in action and an adulterous affair with a baroness.
*World War II Magazine*

James Neal Harvey uses his 40 years of flying experience and experience of aviation to tell the fascinating story of Messerschmitt and how, given the right conditions, Messerschmitt and other German aircraft designers could have changed the course of WWII.
*Military in Scale*

Only an author with 40 years' flying experience and a connoisseur's appreciation of World War II vintage aircraft could have written such a fine book... the dramatic writing style makes Harvey's effort a definite winner for all World War II military history buffs.
*Library Journal*

This book is a remarkable journey for the reader, giving them a front-row seat within the heart of Germany"s aviation industry.
*Airfix Model World*

The book uncovers several seldom before covered aspects of the aeronautical genius"s life such as his intense rivalries with other designers and his illicit affair with the Baroness Rolino that led her to leaving her husband to live with Messerschmitt. This is a fascinating book, an insight into the life of a man who played a role in the Nazi war machine, but is not defined by it.
*Scale Aircraft Modelling*

In chronicling Messerschmitt and his era, Harvey also exposes the cutthroat politics among top Nazi officials, all jockeying to be Hitler's favorite. With all of the political intrigues and maneuvering, it is no surprise that the "1000-year Reich" lasted only 12 years. Well researched and written with verve.
*Publisher’s Weekly*