The Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe

by Hauptmann Hermann

Overview

"The Luftwaffe - the German Air Force - will no longer have a decisive influence on the outcome of World War II, no matter how long it takes to beat Hitler. No doubt, we will hear of the Luftwaffe before the war is over. We will hear a lot. But don't let us be deceived. No matter what happens, the Luftwaffe can never be used as a strategic first-line weapon within the Nazi plan. It can play no role but that of a tactical and auxiliary weapon." Can it really be true that in 1941 insiders knew the Luftwaffe was a spent force and a failed organization? This remarkable, but little-known book, first published in 1943, argues how pure incompetence in planning and strategy left the Luftwaffe hopelessly stretched and exposed. The Nazi regime designed its airforce for Blitzkrieg, and Blitzkrieg alone. During the invasion of Poland, 2,500 aircraft were lost on account of a failure to produce any spare parts. When long campaigns set in in Russia, North Africa and Western Europe, the collapse of the Luftwaffe became inevitable. Crammed full of fascinating detail, this prescient book shows how German efficiency was fatally paralyzed by the dead-hand of the corrupt Nazi Party. Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe, was chiefly responsible; his wholesale thefts to fund a lavish lifestyle add particular color to this picture of woeful neglect.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781550069
Publisher:	Fonthill Media
Publication date:	04/02/2015
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)

Table of Contents

Preface to the 2012 Edition 7

Introduction Curt Riess 9

Part I The So-Called Peace 15

1 The Dream of Flying 17

2 The Grand Old Man 27

3 The Other Pioneers 38

4 Collapse and Rebirth of an Industry 47

5 The Fifth Columnist 59

Part II The Luftwaffe is Born 71

6 Göring in the Limelight 73

7 Business Not As Usual 78

8 Secrecy and Bluff 90

9 Air Strategy 98

10 Toward War 105

11 Dress Rehearsal 117

Part III Another Kind of War 129

12 Big Business 131

13 Victory-Through Air Power? 138

14 Trouble In the Air 148

15 Ersatz invasion of an Island 157

16 The Russians Don't Play Ball 163

17 The Receiving End 172

18 Tomorrow 180

Bibliography 190