Luftwaffe Bomber Aces: Men, Machines, Methods

by Mike Spick

Overview

The Luftwaffe excelled at ground attack and in doing so helped revolutionised modern warfare. Whether flying in support of panzer columns during the invasion of Poland and the destruction of France, deployed against British airfields and cities, sent against Soviet tanks, or thrown into the defence of the Reich, Germany's bomber and dive-bomber pilots wrought havoc across the face of Europe during the Second World War.Mike Spike, author of a number of acclaimed books on fighter pilots, now turns his attention to outstanding ground-attack pilots. He outlines the Luftwaffe's revolutionary tactics, first tested during the Spanish Civil War, and highlights individual techniques and methods used against specific types of target.Biographical sketches of the leading bombers many of whom were awarded the Knight's Cross allow an insight into the diverse career and backgrounds of Luftwaffe personnel and outline just what it took to be a successful bomber pilot.First-hand accounts add gripping drama to the narrative, and give an unsurpassed appreciation of just what it was like to dive-bomb, come under attack by fighters or brave a barrage of anti-aircraft guns.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848328631
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	27 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Mike Spick is the author of a number of seminal books, including The Complete Fighter Ace (1-85367-231-9) and Allied Fighter Aces (1-85367-282-3).

Table of Contents

List of illustrations and tables 7

Prologue 11

1 The Storm Clouds Gather 15

The Planes in Spain…

Equipment and Organisation

Crises

Level Bombers

Level Bombers/Dive Bombers

Dive Bombers

Organisation

Nomenklatur

2 Blitzkrieg 32

Low-Level Attacks

Assault on Poland

3 Anti-Shipping Operations, 1939-40 42

German Carrier Aviation

Küstenflieger

Trial and Error

Operation 'Weserübung'

4 Victory in the West 55

The Burning of Rotterdam

France

Breakthrough at Sedan

The Race for the Sea

Assault on the Ports

Two Miracles

The Capitulation of France

5 Assault on England, July 1940-May 1941 70

The Channel Battles

Adlerangriff

Bombs on London

The Night Blitz

German Blind Bombing Systems

The Firelighters

Tactics Against the Night Fighters

6 Campaigns in the South 118

Assault in the Balkans

Crete

Malta

North Africa

7 War in the East 132

Leningrad, 1941

The March to the East

The Road to Stalingrad

The Tide Turns

The Long Road Back

8 The Strategic War at Sea 149

The Battle of the Atlantic

Over the Atlantic

Desert Diversion

Fliegerführer Atlantik

Arctic Operations

Guided Missiles

9 Western Front, July 1941-May 1944 173

Stratospheric Strikers

The Baedeker Raids

Angriffsführer England

Operation 'Steinbock'

10 Last Stand in the West 186

Mistel

Doodlebugs

Fighter-Bombers

The German Jets

11 The Bomber Aces 199

12 Stuka and Schlacht Aces 212

Appendix: Main Luftwaffe Bomber and Attack Aircraft 227

Bibliography 235

Index 237