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Luftwaffe: A History
Luftwaffe: A History
Author: Harold and editor Faber
Condition: Good
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Luftwaffe: A History traces the rise and fall of Germany’s air arm from its clandestine rebirth after Versailles through the Nazi public unveiling in 1935 and its early, fear‑inducing triumphs in the Munich crisis and the 1939–1940 campaigns in Poland, Norway, the Low Countries and France. Drawing on post‑war analyses, the book argues that the Luftwaffe was fundamentally a tactical force—highly effective in short‑range, battlefield support and political intimidation under Hermann Göring—but fatally lacking strategic reach, equipment depth and coherent leadership once the war extended into the Soviet Union and the Western Front, transforming a brief period of dominance into rapid decline.
Edited and condensed by Harold Faber with an introduction by Telford Taylor, this 1977 Times Books hardcover (267 pp.; ISBN‑13 9780812907254, ISBN‑10 0812907256) is an accessible, secondary‑source synthesis of official studies prepared for the U.S. Air Force Historical Division and contributions by former high‑ranking Luftwaffe officers; it emphasizes doctrinal, operational and leadership themes across interwar rearmament, WWII campaigns and post‑war evaluation. Bibliographic data and scope are well documented in the volume; specific illustrative content (maps or photographs) is not specified in the provided bibliographic summary.
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Keywords, content and topics in this Book
Keywords, content and topics in this Book
Basic Bibliographic Data
Luftwaffe: A History
Editor: Harold Faber
Introduction: Telford Taylor
Publisher: Times Books, New York
Publication year: 1977
Format: Hardcover
Length: 267 pages
ISBN-10: 0812907256
Type of Book / Nature of Work
Military history
Air power history
Edited volume based on official studies
Non‑fiction
Secondary source (post‑war analysis)
Chronological Scope
Interwar period (Weimar Republic, 1919–1933)
Nazi rearmament period (1933–1939)
Second World War (1939–1945)
Post‑war evaluation of Luftwaffe performance
Geographical / Theater Focus
Germany (Third Reich)
Western Front air war (including France and the Low Countries)
Eastern Front / Russian Front air operations
European theater of operations (general)
Home Front – German air defense and leadership
Subject Focus
Luftwaffe (German Air Force) – organizational history
Luftwaffe high command and leadership
Tactical versus strategic air power doctrine
German rearmament in violation of the Treaty of Versailles
Nazi propaganda and the public unveiling of the Luftwaffe (1935)
Operational effectiveness and limitations of the Luftwaffe
Decline and failure of the Luftwaffe in the later war
Campaigns / Phases Covered (as explicitly indicated)
Pre‑war intimidation and “bloodless conquest” at Munich (1938)
Campaign in Poland (1939)
Campaign in Norway (1940)
Campaign in Holland / the Low Countries (1940)
Campaign against France (1940)
Operations on the Eastern Front / advance into Russia (from 1941)
Western Front air war and decline of Luftwaffe effectiveness
Main Nations / Belligerents Involved
Germany (Third Reich)
Soviet Union (USSR) – Eastern Front opponent
Western Allies (implicitly France, Britain, others on Western Front)
Axis (Germany) versus Allies (collective opposition)
Leadership / Key Figures (as explicitly referenced)
Former high‑ranking Luftwaffe officers – authors of the original official studies used in this volume
Operational / Doctrinal Themes
Development of the Luftwaffe from clandestine force to major air arm (1919–1939)
Impact of the Treaty of Versailles on German aviation
Use of air power as a tool of political intimidation (e.g., Munich)
Tactical air force orientation (close support, battlefield operations)
Lack of strategic bombing capability (“no reach” into enemy production centers) in the Soviet campaign
Deficiencies in equipment and leadership on the Western Front
Reasons for Luftwaffe defeat and “short‑lived glory” followed by rapid decline
Weapons / Technology (only where clearly indicated)
Luftwaffe bombers (as instruments of intimidation and early victories)
Strategic bombers – examined as a deficient capability area
Jet fighters – discussed in official studies summarized in the book
Visual / Illustrative Content
Perspective and Source Base
Post‑war German perspective filtered through former high‑ranking Luftwaffe officers
Studies originally written for the USAF Historical Division (U.S. Air Force Historical Division)
Edited and condensed into accessible, popular narrative form by Harold Faber
Descriptive / Thematic Keywords
Luftwaffe history
German air force
Third Reich military aviation
Nazi rearmament
Nazi propaganda
Munich crisis (1938) – “bloodless conquest” through airpower intimidation
Blitzkrieg air support (Poland, Norway, Holland, France)
Eastern Front air war
Western Front air war
Tactical air doctrine
Strategic bombing debate
Air superiority and its limits
Operational failure in Russia due to limited range
Deficiencies in Luftwaffe leadership
Deficiencies in Luftwaffe equipment
Rise and decline of the Luftwaffe
German military decision‑making
Hitler’s war strategy (as it relates to air power)
Weimar to Nazi transition in military aviation
USAF Historical Division studies
Post‑war German officer analyses
World War II air war – Europe
Classification Suggestions (Library / Archival Use)
World War II – air operations – Germany
Germany – armed forces – Luftwaffe – history
Germany – history – 1918–1945 – military aspects
Air power – doctrinal history – 20th century
Military leadership – Germany – Second World War
Official military studies – edited volumes
Book Condition: Good
Book Condition: Good
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