The Last Year of the Luftwaffe

The Last Year of the Luftwaffe
Author: Alfred Price
Publisher:
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2001
Genre: History
ISBN:

An insight into the decline and fall of the German air force.

The Last Year of the Luftwaffe

The Last Year of the Luftwaffe
Author: Alfred Price
Publisher: Frontline Books
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2015-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1848328672

A historian analyzes Nazi Germany’s air force during its final year before Allied forces brought an end to World War II in Europe. The Last Year of the Luftwaffe is the story of a once all-conquering force struggling to stave off an inevitable and total defeat. This book gives a complete account of Luftwaffe operations during the last twelve months of the fighting in Europe—including the dramatic Bodenplatte (or “Baseplate”) offensive over the Ardennes in December, 1944. In this comprehensive examination of Hitler’s air force, Dr. Alfred Price examines its state from May, 1944, to May, 1945, analyzing not only the forces available to it, but also the likely potential, and impact, of new aircraft and weapons systems. He also assesses the Luftwaffe’s High Command’s performance and the effect of Allied attacks and operations. In doing so he rejects several long-standing myths, clarifies the impact of the jet and rocket fighters, and demonstrates that the Luftwaffe performed as well as could be expected under the harsh circumstances of fighting a losing war.

Bodenplatte

Bodenplatte
Author: John Manrho
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 590
Release: 2010-07-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 1461750725

Definitive account of the last great Luftwaffe attack of World War II Gripping stories of Fw 190s and Bf 109s in combat Contains hundreds of eyewitness accounts and rare photos In the early morning of January 1, 1945, as the Battle of the Bulge smoldered to an end, the German Luftwaffe--assumed to be starved of fuel and fighting spirit--launched a massive, surprise, low-level strike on Allied airfields throughout France, Belgium, and Holland, an operation code-named Bodenplatte. More than 900 German aircraft took to the skies and attacked the vulnerable fields, destroying 200 Allied aircraft and damaging 150 more. In a pyrrhic victory, the Luftwaffe lost 271 fighters, with many more damaged, and 213 pilots--irreplaceable losses at this stage of the war.

The Luftwaffe, 1933-45

The Luftwaffe, 1933-45
Author: Williamson Murray
Publisher: Brassey's Commemorative Series
Total Pages: 404
Release: 1996
Genre: History
ISBN:

This is comprehensive study of the German Luftwaffe (air force). It is a contribution to the history of World War II, and to strategic thinking about the use and limitations of air power

Last Flight of the Luftwaffe

Last Flight of the Luftwaffe
Author: Adrian Weir
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2013-10-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780227000

The account of one of the most extraordinary stories to come from the closing days of the Second World War. Desperate times drive determined men to desperate measures. In April 1945, their cause already clearly lost, an ill-assorted, ill-equipped group of Luftwaffe crew decided on one final 'death or glory' kamikaze mission - their trage an incoming USAAF Eighth Air Force bomber formation, their only weapons their aircraft. Adrian Weir has researched this remarkable flight to retell it minute by minute: a hopeless gesture of immense courage, thrilling as the reader flies in the cockpit with the German pilots towards the unstoppable aircarft of the Mighty Eighth. Including accounts from the survivors of the mission, this is one of the most extraordinary stories to come from the closing days of the Second World War.

The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe

The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe
Author: Jay A. Stout
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2010
Genre: History
ISBN: 0811706591

Dramatic story of World War II in the air How the U.S. built an air force of 2.3 million men after starting with 45,000 and defeated the world's best air force Vivid accounts of aerial combat Winner, 2011 San Diego Book Awards for Military & Politics In order to defeat Germany in World War II, the Allies needed to destroy the Third Reich's industry and invade its territory, but before they could effectively do either, they had to defeat the Luftwaffe, whose state-of-the-art aircraft and experienced pilots protected German industry and would batter any attempted invasion. This difficult task fell largely to the U.S., which, at the outset, lacked the necessary men, materiel, and training. Over the ensuing years, thanks to visionary leadership and diligent effort, the U.S. Army Air Force developed strategies and tactics and assembled a well-trained force that convincingly defeated the Luftwaffe.

The Little Blitz

The Little Blitz
Author: John Conen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2014
Genre: London (England)
ISBN: 9781781553084

The Little Blitz on London in the early part of 1944 is briefly mentioned in most accounts of the aerial war against the UK during the Second World War but is seldom deemed worthy of more than a few lines. The Little Blitz is the name applied to the air raids on Britain which were the manifestation of the Luftwaffe's Operation Steinbock, planned in the last few months of 1943 and put into effect from the middle of January 1944. The raids, planned as revenge for the destructive RAF raids on Berlin, were mainly targeted London, and after nearly three years of respite from air raids, the Little Blitz was an unwelcome surprise for residents of the Capital. The offensive was largely ineffective but some of the raids caused significant casualties and damage, and some alarm amongst the population and the authorities. This is the first account of the Little Blitz to explore these bombings in detail and assess their impact on London. This book describes the raids, making use of some vivid personal accounts, to give a gripping picture of the effect that these little-known events had on a complacent city.

Arming the Luftwaffe

Arming the Luftwaffe
Author: Daniel Uziel
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2011-11-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 0786488794

During World War II, aviation was among the largest industrial branches of the Third Reich. About 40 percent of total German war production, and two million people, were involved in the manufacture of aircraft and air force equipment. Based on German records, Allied intelligence reports, and eyewitness accounts, this study explores the military, political, scientific and social aspects of Germany's wartime aviation industry: production, research and development, Allied attacks, foreign workers and slave labor, and daily life and working conditions in the factories. Testimony from Holocaust survivors who worked in the factories provides a compelling new perspective on the history of the Third Reich.

Luftwaffe Aces

Luftwaffe Aces
Author: Franz Kurowski
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2004-09-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 0811743306

World War II air war companion to Panzer Aces and Panzer Aces II. In-the-cockpit accounts of aerial dogfights by some of Germany's deadliest pilots ever to take to the skies.