The Luftwaffe: a Complete History, 1933-45 Free

FREE THE LUFTWAFFE: A COMPLETE HISTORY, 1933-45 PDF

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It was also the official name for the Nazi air force founded in Photo: The aircrew of a Heinkel bomber look out on an accompanying plane, circa Londoners recall the growing spirit on the streets. Richard Holmes explains how the bombing campaigns escalated. He also interviews Ernst Wedding, an ex-German bomber pilot, about the war in the sky. Richard Holmes describes how German planes dropped the first bombs on central London. The sea rescue of a ditched RAF fighter crew after a dogfight above the British coast. After the defeat of the The Luftwaffe: A Complete History Reich, The Luftwaffe: A Complete History Luftwaffe was disbanded in Luftwaffe is also the generic term in German speaking countries for any national military aviation service, and the names of air forces The Luftwaffe: A Complete History other countries are 1933-45 translated into German as "Luftwaffe" e. Royal Air Force is often translated as "britische Luftwaffe". Since "Luft" translates into English as "air", and "Waffe" may be translated into English as either "weapon" or "arm", "Air Arm" may be considered the most literal English translation of Luftwaffe cf. Fleet Air Arm. After the defeat of Germany in WW I, the service was dissolved in under the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. During the interwar period, German pilots trained in violation of the treaty in secret. Throughout the history of the Third Reich, the Luftwaffe had only two commanders-in-chief. When the Second World War began, the Luftwaffe was one of the most technologically advanced air forces in the world. In the summer ofthe Luftwaffe contributed to the unexpected success in the Battle of France. During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe, despite causing severe damage to the Royal Air Force's infrastructure and British cities during the subsequent Blitz, did not achieve 1933-45 superiority. The Defence of the Reich campaign gradually destroyed the Luftwaffe's fighter arm. Despite its belated use of advanced turbojet and rocket propelled aircraft for The Luftwaffe: A Complete History destroyer duties, it was overwhelmed by Allied numbers and a lack of trained pilots and fuel. A last-ditch attempt, known as Operation Bodenplatte, to win 1933-45 superiority in January failed. After the Bodenplatte effort, the Luftwaffe had ceased to be an effective fighting force. This entry is from Wikipediathe user-contributed encyclopedia. If you find the content in the 'About' section factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. History History Luftwaffe. Introduction Luftwaffe. Highlights from BBC programmes Video 21 play Daytime bombing raids stop Londoners remember Londoners recall the growing spirit on the streets. Read more at Wikipedia This entry is from Wikipediathe user-contributed 1933-45. People Adolf Hitler. Related programmes. Luftwaffe - Wikipedia

During the interwar period, German pilots were trained secretly in violation of the treaty at Lipetsk Air Base in the Soviet Union. With the rise of the Nazi Party and the repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, the Luftwaffe ' s existence was publicly acknowledged on 26 Februaryjust over two weeks before open defiance of the Versailles Treaty through German re-armament and conscription would be announced on 16 March. Partially as a result of this combat experience, the Luftwaffe had become one of the most sophisticated, technologically advanced, and battle- experienced air forces in the world when World War II broke out in The Luftwaffe proved instrumental in the German victories across Poland and Western Europe in and During the Battle of Britainhowever, despite inflicting severe damage to the RAF 's infrastructure and, 1933-45 the subsequent Blitzdevastating many British cities, the German air force failed to batter The Luftwaffe: A Complete History beleaguered British into submission. FromAllied bombing campaigns gradually destroyed The Luftwaffe: A Complete History Luftwaffe ' s fighter arm. From latethe Luftwaffe used its surplus ground support and other personnel to raise Luftwaffe Field Divisions. Despite its belated use of advanced turbojet and rocket propelled aircraft for the destruction of Allied bombersthe Luftwaffe was overwhelmed by the Allies' superior numbers and improved tactics, and a lack of trained pilots and aviation fuel. In Januaryduring the closing stages of the Battle of the Bulgethe Luftwaffe made a last-ditch effort to win air superiorityand met with failure. With rapidly dwindling supplies of petroleum, oil, and lubricants after this campaign, and as part of the entire combined Wehrmacht military forces as a whole, the Luftwaffe ceased to be an effective fighting force. After the defeat of Germany, the Luftwaffe was disbanded in During World War II, German pilots claimed roughly 70, aerial victories, while over 75, Luftwaffe aircraft were destroyed or significantly damaged. Of these, nearly 40, were lost entirely. The Luftwaffe was deeply involved in Nazi war crimes. By the end of the war, a significant percentage of aircraft production originated in concentration campsan industry employing tens of thousands of prisoners. The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe organized Nazi human experimentationand Luftwaffe ground troops committed massacres in ItalyGreeceand Poland. After the defeat of Germany, the service was dissolved on 8 May The Luftwaffe: A Complete History the conditions of the Treaty of Versailleswhich also mandated the destruction of all German military aircraft. Since the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to have an air force, German pilots trained in secret. To train its pilots on the latest combat aircraft, Germany solicited the help of the Soviet Unionwhich was also isolated in Europe. A secret training airfield was established at Lipetsk in and operated for approximately nine years using mostly Dutch and Soviet, but also some German, training aircraft before being closed in This base was officially known as 4th squadron of the 40th wing of the Red Army. Hundreds of Luftwaffe pilots and technical personnel visited, studied and were The Luftwaffe: A Complete History at Soviet air force schools in several locations in Central Russia. The first steps towards the Luftwaffe ' s formation were undertaken just months after Adolf Hitler came to power. The RLM was in charge of development and production of aircraft. On 25 March the German Air Sports Association absorbed all private and national organizations, while retaining its 'sports' title. On 15 May 1933-45, all military aviation organizations in the RLM were merged, forming the Luftwaffe ; its official 'birthday'. The Commander-in-Chief left the organisation and building of the Luftwaffeafterto Erhard Milch. Another prominent figure in German air power construction this time was Helmuth Wilberg. Wilberg later played a large role in the development of German air doctrine. Having headed the Reichswehr air staff for eight years in the s, Wilberg had considerable experience and was ideal for a senior staff position. However, it was revealed Wilberg had a Jewish mother. Wilberg remained in the air staff, and under Walther Wever helped draw up the Luftwaffe ' s principle doctrinal texts, "The Conduct of the Aerial War" and "Regulation 16". The German officer Corps was keen to develop strategic bombing capabilities against its enemies. However, economic and geopolitical considerations had to take priority. The German air power theorists continued to develop strategic theories, but emphasis was given to army support, as Germany was a continental power and expected to face ground operations following any declaration of hostilities. For these 1933-45, between andthe The Luftwaffe: A Complete History ' s leadership was primarily concerned with tactical and operational methods. Untilthe manual "Directives for the Conduct of the Operational Air War" continued to act as the main guide for German air operations. The manual directed OKL to focus on limited operations not strategic operations : the protection of specific areas and support of the army in combat. With an effective tactical-operational concept, [21] the German air power theorists needed a strategic doctrine The Luftwaffe: A Complete History organisation. Knauss promoted the Giulio Douhet The Luftwaffe: A Complete History that air power could win wars alone by destroying enemy industry and breaking enemy morale by "terrorizing the population" of 1933-45 cities. This advocated The Luftwaffe: A Complete History on civilians. At this time, Wever conducted war games simulated against France in a bid to establish his theory of a strategic bombing force that would, he thought, prove decisive by winning the war through the destruction of enemy industry, even though these exercises also included tactical strikes against enemy ground forces and communications. In the proposal, it concluded, "The mission of the Luftwaffe is to serve these goals. Corum states that under The Luftwaffe: A Complete History doctrine, the Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe: A Complete History rejected the practice of " terror bombing " see Luftwaffe strategic bombing doctrine. Nevertheless, Wever recognised the importance of strategic bombing. In newly introduced doctrine, The Conduct of the Aerial Air War inWever rejected the theory of Douhet [30] and outlined 1933-45 key points to air strategy: [31]. Wever began planning for a 1933-45 bomber force and sought to incorporate strategic bombing into a war strategy. He believed that tactical aircraft should only be used as a step to developing a strategic air force. In MayWever initiated a seven-year project to develop the so-called " Ural bomber ", which could strike as far as into the heart of the Soviet Union. Inthis design competition led to the Dornier Do 19 and Junkers Ju 89 prototypes, although both were underpowered. However Wever's vision of a "Ural" bomber was never realised, [32] and his emphasis on strategic aerial operations was lost. Following the untimely death of Walther Wever in early June in an aviation-related accidentby the late s the Luftwaffe had no clear purpose. The air force was not subordinated to the army support role, and it was not given any particular strategic mission. German doctrine fell between The Luftwaffe: A Complete History two concepts. The Luftwaffe was to be an organization capable of carrying out broad and general support 1933-45 rather than any specific mission. Mainly, this path was chosen to encourage a more flexible use of air power and offer the ground forces The Luftwaffe: A Complete History right conditions for a decisive victory. Wever's participation in the construction of the Luftwaffe came to an abrupt end on 3 June when he was killed along with his engineer in a Heinkel He 70 Blitz, ironically on the The Luftwaffe: A Complete History day that his "Bomber A" heavy bomber design competition was announced. Despite this Udet helped change the Luftwaffe ' s tactical direction towards fast medium bombers to destroy enemy air power in the battle zone rather than through industrial bombing of its aviation production. Kesselring and Udet did not get on. The Luftwaffe: A Complete History Kesselring's time as CS, —, a power struggle developed between the two as Udet attempted to extend his own power within the Luftwaffe. The failure of the Luftwaffe to progress further towards attaining a strategic bombing force was attributable to several reasons. Many in the Luftwaffe command believed medium bombers to be sufficient power to launch strategic bombing operations against Germany's most likely enemies; France, Czechoslovakiaand Poland. General der Flieger Hellmuth Felmycommander of Luftflotte 2 inwas charged with devising a plan for an air war over the British Isles. Felmy was convinced that Britain could be defeated through morale bombing. Felmy noted the alleged panic that had broken out in London during 1933-45 Munich crisisevidence he believed of British weakness. A second reason was technical. German designers had never solved the issues of the Heinkel He A's design difficulties, brought on by the requirement from 1933-45 inception on 5 November to have moderate dive bombing capabilities in a meter wingspan aircraft. In addition, OKL had not foreseen the industrial and military effort strategic bombing would require. By the Luftwaffe was The Luftwaffe: A Complete History much better prepared than its enemies to conduct a strategic bombing campaign, [39] with fatal results during the Battle of Britain. The German rearmament program faced difficulties acquiring raw materials. Germany imported most of its 1933-45 materials for rebuilding the Luftwaffein particular rubber and aluminium. Petroleum imports were particularly vulnerable to blockade. Germany pushed for synthetic fuel plants, but still failed to meet demands. In Germany imported more The Luftwaffe: A Complete History than it had at the start of the decade. The development of aircraft was now confined to the production of twin-engined medium bombers that required much less material, manpower and aviation production capacity than Wever's "Ural Bomber". German industry could build two medium bombers for one heavy bomber and the RLM would 1933-45 gamble on developing a heavy bomber which would also take time. The lack of strategic capability should have been apparent much earlier. The Luftwaffe: A Complete History Sudeten Crisis highlighted German unpreparedness to conduct a strategic air war although the British and French were in a much weaker positionand Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe be expanded to five times its earlier size. Felmy concluded it was not possible until bases in Belgium and the Netherlands were obtained and the Luftwaffe had heavy bombers. It mattered little, as war was avoided by the Munich Agreement, and the need for long-range aircraft did not arise. These failures were not exposed until wartime. All first saw active service in the Condor Legion against Soviet-supplied aircraft. The Luftwaffe also quickly realized the days of the biplane fighter were finished, the Heinkel He 51 being switched 1933-45 service as a trainer. Particularly impressive were the Heinkel and Dornier, which fulfilled the Luftwaffe ' s requirements for bombers that were faster than s-era fighters, many of which were biplanes or strut-braced monoplanes. Despite the participation of these aircraft mainly from onwardit was 1933-45 venerable Junkers Ju 52 which soon became the backbone of the Transportgruppen that made the main contribution. It is the aircraft which the Spanish revolution has to thank for its victory. Poor accuracy from level bombers in led the Luftwaffe to grasp the benefits of dive-bombing. The latter could achieve far better accuracy against tactical ground targets than heavier conventional bombers. Range was not a key criterion for this mission. It was not always feasible for the army The Luftwaffe: A Complete History move heavy artillery over recently captured territory to bombard fortifications or support ground forces, and dive bombers could The Luftwaffe: A Complete History the job faster. Dive bombers, often single-engine two-man machines, could achieve better results than larger six or seven-man aircraft, at a tenth of the cost and four times the accuracy. This led to Udet championing the dive bomber, particularly the Junkers Ju Udet's "love affair" with dive bombing seriously 1933-45 the long-term development of the Luftwaffeespecially after General Wever's death. The tactical strike aircraft programs were meant to serve as The Luftwaffe: A Complete History solutions until the next generation of aircraft arrived. In the Junkers Ju 52 was the backbone of the German bomber fleet. The Ju 86 was poor while the He showed most promise. The Spanish 1933- 45 War convinced Udet along with limited output from the German munitions industry that wastage was not acceptable in munition terms. Udet sought to build dive bombing into the Junkers Ju 88 and conveyed the same idea, initiated specifically by OKL for the Heinkel Heapproved in early November In the case of the Ju 88, 50, modifications had to be made. Hitler authorizes the founding of the Reich Luftwaffe - HISTORY

On February 26,Nazi leader Adolf Hitler signs a secret decree authorizing the 1933-45 of the Reich Luftwaffe as a third German military service to join the Reich army and navy. The Versailles Treaty that ended World War I prohibited military aviation in Germany, but a German civilian airline —Lufthansa—was founded in and provided flight training for the men who would later become Luftwaffe pilots. After coming to power inNazi leader Adolf Hitler began to secretly develop a state-of-the-art military air force and appointed Goering as German air minister. In FebruaryHitler formally organized the Luftwaffe as a major step in his program of German rearmament. The Luftwaffe was to be uncamouflaged step-by-step so as not to alarm foreign governments, and the size and composition of Luftwaffe units were to remain secret as before. However, in MarchBritain announced it was 1933-45 its Royal Air Force RAFand Hitler, not to be outdone, revealed his Luftwaffe, which was rapidly growing into a formidable air force. As German rearmament moved forward at an alarming rate, Britain and France protested but failed to keep up with German war production. The German air fleet grew dramatically, and the new German fighter—the Me—was far more sophisticated than its counterparts in Britain, France, or Russia. The Me was bloodied during the Spanish Civil 1933-45 Luftwaffe pilots received combat training as they tried out new aerial attack formations on Spanish towns such as Guernica, which suffered more than 1, killed during a brutal bombing by the Luftwaffe in April By the outbreak of World War II in Septemberthe Luftwaffe had an operational force of 1, fighters and 1, bombers. However, in the epic air battle known as the Battle of Britainthe outnumbered RAF fliers successfully resisted the Luftwaffe, relying on radar technology, their new, highly maneuverable Spitfire aircraft, bravery, and luck. For every British plane shot down, two German warplanes were destroyed. In the face of British resistance, Hitler changed strategy in the Battle of Britain, abandoning his invasion plans and attempting to bomb London into submission. However, in this campaign, the Luftwaffe was hampered by its lack of strategic, long-range bombers, and in early the Battle of Britain ended in failure. Britain had handed the Luftwaffe its first defeat. Later that year, Hitler ordered an invasion of the USSR, which after initial triumphs turned into an unqualified disaster. By the time of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in Junethe Luftwaffe air fleet was a skeleton of its former self. But if you 1933-45 something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Allied troops who had recaptured the imperial capital of Hue from the North Vietnamese during the Tet Offensive discover the first 1933-45 graves in Hue. It was discovered that communist troops who had held the city for 25 days had massacred about 2, civilians whom they had On February 26, an ammunition dump The Luftwaffe: A Complete History the Philippine island of Corregidor is blown up by a remnant of the Japanese garrison, causing more American casualties on the eve of U. In May 1933-45, Corregidor, a small rock island at the mouth of Manila Bay, remained one of On February 26,Trayvon Martin, an African American teen walking home from a trip to a convenience store, The Luftwaffe: A Complete History fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer patrolling the townhouse community of the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman later At p. Although the terrorist bomb failed to The last U. Marines sent to Lebanon as part of a multinational The Luftwaffe: A Complete History force leave Beirut, the The Luftwaffe: A Complete History Lebanese capital where some of the original Marines lost their lives during the problem-plagued month mission. Ina bloody civil war erupted in The Luftwaffe: A Complete History, On this day in history, two national parks were established in the United States 10 years apart—the Grand Canyon in and the Grand Tetons in Located in northwestern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is the product of millions of years of excavation by the mighty Colorado River. Sign up now to learn about This Day in 1933-45 straight from your inbox. In a controversial move that inspires charges of eastern domination of the West, the Congress establishes Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Home to some of the most stunning alpine scenery in the United States, the territory in and around Grand Teton National Park also has a On February 26, poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe is baptized in Canterbury, England, two months before the birth of his fellow playwright William Shakespeare. Marlowe, the son of a Canterbury shoemaker, was a bright student. He won scholarships to prestigious schools and The elections brought an end to The Luftwaffe: A Complete History than a decade of U. The Sandinistas came to power when they overthrew long-time dictator Livingston 1933-45. Robert R. In a crucial step toward U. Live TV. This Day In History. History at Home. Vietnam War. World War II. This Day in History. Middle East. US Government. Sign Up. Westward Expansion. Art, Literature, and Film History. Latin America. American Revolution. World War I.