Luftwaffe in Camera 1939 to 1942

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Reichsmarshal Herman Goering's Luftwaffe stood poised on the brink of great conquests. Equipped with the best aircraft designs that German know-how could offer, and flown into battle by highly trained and supremely confident aircrews, the Luftwaffe was arguably the most modern and powerful air force the world had ever seen.
This is the first of two volumes featuring a wide range of fascinating archive photographs of the Luftwaffe taken during the Second World War. It covers the Luftwaffe's first three years of war and depicts its aircraft, operations and men as they supported the German Army in its devastating Blitzkrieg campaign. First to fall to the victorious armies of the Third Reich were Poland, Denmark and Norway, then the Low Countries and France, followed by Yugoslavia and Greece, in a run of spectacular victories.
The only serious setback for the Luftwaffe in this period was during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 when it failed in its bid to gain air superiority in the skies over southern England. Although it suffered serious losses at the hands of RAF Fighter Command, by the spring of 1941 the Luftwaffe was stronger than it had been at the start of the Battle of Britain.
In June 1941 Hitler launched another all-out Blitzkrieg offensive, this time in the East against Russia. With powerful air-support from the Luftwaffe the German Army won battle after battle, but the long-promised collapse of Soviet resistance seemed always to remain out of reach. Then, with the onset of the bitter Russian winter, the scales began to tip in favour of the Russians.
Over several years the author has toured Germany to visit and interview Luftwaffe veterans. The majority of photographs that appear in this book come from their personal albums. Together they provide a unique pictorial record of this crucial phase in twentieth-century history.

by Alfred Price 1997 1st edition. 180pp previous owner's stamp otherwise mint, inc. d/j.






Note:
"Long" descriptions, where shown, may have been taken from the book's dust jacket notes, and as such are relevant to the date of publication (e.g. any references to "new edition" "previously unpublished photographs" etc.) and not the present.

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