Author : Alfred Price
Publisher :
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 25,13 MB
Release : 2001
Category : History
ISBN :
An insight into the decline and fall of the German air force.
Author : Alfred Price
Publisher : Frontline Books
Page : 260 pages
File Size : 10,33 MB
Release : 2015-11-30
Category : 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.
Author : John Manrho
Publisher : Stackpole Books
Page : 590 pages
File Size : 27,67 MB
Release : 2010-07-16
Category : 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.
Author : Williamson Murray
Publisher : Brassey's Commemorative Series
Page : 404 pages
File Size : 23,92 MB
Release : 1996
Category : 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
Author : Adrian Weir
Publisher : Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Page : 181 pages
File Size : 35,18 MB
Release : 2013-10-17
Category : 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.
Author : Daniel Uziel
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 313 pages
File Size : 38,41 MB
Release : 2011-11-16
Category : 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.
Author : John Manrho
Publisher : Specialty Press (MN)
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 25,43 MB
Release : 2004
Category : Air bases
ISBN : 9781902109404
8 1/2 x 11, 350 b&w photosIn the early morning of New Year's Day 1945, as the last great German offensive in Ardennes slowly smoldered to an end and the Allies prepared for a final year of war in northwest Europe, against all odds, the Luftwaffe -- assumed to be starved of fuel and fighting spirit -- launched a massive, surprise, low-level strike targeted at Allied tactical airfields throughout France, Belgium, and Holland. Planned under great secrecy, the raid gambled on using the bulk of Luftwaffe fighter assets on the Western Front, with the aim of decimating significant elements of both the British 2nd RAF and the USAAF on the ground. As the winter skies lightened, more than 900 German aircraft, -- most of them Fw 190s and Bf 109s -- swept across vulnerable and unsuspecting airfields, including Brussels and Eindhoven. Altogether, more than 200 Allied aircraft were destroyed, with a further 150 damaged. But for the Luftwaffe it was a pyrrhic victory; 271 fighters were lost and many more damaged. Worse still, of the 213 pilots lost, more than 20 were valuable formation leaders. Using hundreds of eye-witness accounts and rare photographs, this is a definitive study.
Author : Jay A. Stout
Publisher : Stackpole Books
Page : 474 pages
File Size : 47,61 MB
Release : 2010
Category : 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.
Author : Manfred Griehl
Publisher : Frontline Books
Page : 121 pages
File Size : 34,30 MB
Release : 2015-03-25
Category : History
ISBN : 1473896991
This illustrated WWII history reveals the full range of experimental military aircraft that the Third Reich nearly flew into combat. From jet planes and high-altitude aircraft to radar-equipped fighters configured to deliver chemical weapons, numerous secret Luftwaffe planes reached prototype stage during the Second World War. Had these innovative aircraft made it into combat, the course of the war could have gone very differently. Renowned aviation expert Manfred Griehl explores these projects through an informative and fascinating selection of images, including numerous wartime photographs. Despite the Allied authorities' ban on research, countless aircraft were designed and tested by the Luftwaffe and German manufacturers before World War II. The research went ahead at secret evaluation sites in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the USSR. Though this work continued after the outbreak of war, many projects were never completed, often because the developers simply ran out of time. This definitive guide reveals the remarkable range of planes that the Third Reich failed to complete.
Author : Franz Kurowski
Publisher : Stackpole Books
Page : 412 pages
File Size : 23,18 MB
Release : 2004-09-20
Category : 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.
