Luftwaffe The illustrated history of the German Air Force in WWII
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Biographical note
Dr John Pimlott was Head of the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK until his death in 1997. His books include Guerrilla Warfare, Vietnam: The History and Tactics and the Guinness History of the British Army.The German Luftwaffe reigned supreme in the early years of World War II, developing new combined-arms tactics to produce the Blitzkrieg (‘Lightning War’) that quickly conquered Poland, the Low Countries and France. German ground attack aircraft and light bombers, such as the Ju 87 Stuka, Ju 88 fighter-bomber and He 111, provided close support for swift-moving German armoured formations. However, in the Battle of Britain the Luftwaffe failed to achieve supremacy over the British Royal Air Force; and once the American USAAF began extensive bombing campaigns against the Reich from 1943, the Luftwaffe had to develop new fighters – such as the jet fighter Me 252 and He 163 – to counter the bomber threat.
Luftwaffe provides a full pictorial record of the German Air Force, from the testing ground of the Spanish Civil War to the final days of the Reich. Key figures, such as Hitler himself, Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goering, as well as many Luftwaffe pilots and aces, are also featured.
With over 200 photos, Luftwaffe provides a full pictorial history of the aircraft and key figures of the German Air Force in WWII, from the Blitzkrieg invasions of Poland and France to the defence of Germany.
Chapter 1: Growing Pains
Chapter 2: Spain – the Testing Ground
Chapter 3: Blitzkrieg!
Chapter 4: First Setback – the Battle of Britain
Chapter 5: The Desert War
Chapter 6: Storm in the East
Chapter 7: The Faltering Grip – Russia 1942–43
Chapter 8: Defending the Reich’s Skies
Chapter 9: Red Storm
Chapter 10: Western Onslaught
Chapter 11: Too Little, Too Late
Index