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Hitler’s Eagles: The Luftwaffe 1933–45
At the beginning of World War II, the Luftwaffe was the world's most advanced air force. With superior tactics, aircraft and training, it cut through the air forces of Poland and Western Europe in 1939 and 1940, and those of the Soviet Union in 1941.
Despite this auspicious beginning, by 1945 the Luftwaffe was a dying force. The Allies were destroying German aircraft at unequal rates, and Luftwaffe aviators were dying in their thousands in an unbalanced battle to save Germany from destruction. The Luftwaffe's lack of a convincing long-range bomber force also meant that it could not return strategic devastation upon its enemies. In the words of one historian, the Luftwaffe had a 'strategy for defeat'.
Hitler's Eagles - The Luftwaffe 1933-45 charts the turbulent history of the Luftwaffe from its earliest days to its downfall. It explores the secretive development of German air power during the 1920s and early 1930s, and the training of a new generation of aviators, including combat experience in the Spanish Civil War. Once Hitler was in power, the Luftwaffe came out of the shadows and expanded under a massive rearmament programme, then embarked upon the war that would define its existence. Hitler's Eagles explains the Luftwaffe's operations in every theatre of the war - Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Eastern Front. As well as providing a detailed history of the Luftwaffe's history and combat experience, the book also expands on its human and material aspects. Aces and commanders are profiled, uniforms and equipment are explained, and aircraft ranging from the Fiesler Storch to the Fw 200 Condor are described both technologically and tactically. The book conveys all the drama of the Luftwaffe's existence, from bombing raids over London to jet-fighter dogfights over Berlin, with Osprey's famous aviation artwork and more than 150 photos bringing the story incomparably to life.
Despite this auspicious beginning, by 1945 the Luftwaffe was a dying force. The Allies were destroying German aircraft at unequal rates, and Luftwaffe aviators were dying in their thousands in an unbalanced battle to save Germany from destruction. The Luftwaffe's lack of a convincing long-range bomber force also meant that it could not return strategic devastation upon its enemies. In the words of one historian, the Luftwaffe had a 'strategy for defeat'.
Hitler's Eagles - The Luftwaffe 1933-45 charts the turbulent history of the Luftwaffe from its earliest days to its downfall. It explores the secretive development of German air power during the 1920s and early 1930s, and the training of a new generation of aviators, including combat experience in the Spanish Civil War. Once Hitler was in power, the Luftwaffe came out of the shadows and expanded under a massive rearmament programme, then embarked upon the war that would define its existence. Hitler's Eagles explains the Luftwaffe's operations in every theatre of the war - Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Eastern Front. As well as providing a detailed history of the Luftwaffe's history and combat experience, the book also expands on its human and material aspects. Aces and commanders are profiled, uniforms and equipment are explained, and aircraft ranging from the Fiesler Storch to the Fw 200 Condor are described both technologically and tactically. The book conveys all the drama of the Luftwaffe's existence, from bombing raids over London to jet-fighter dogfights over Berlin, with Osprey's famous aviation artwork and more than 150 photos bringing the story incomparably to life.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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About the author
Chris McNab
374 books56 followersDr Chris McNab has written over a hundred books in a career spanning over two decades. He is a historian with a specialisation in military history.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 27, 2017
Good artwork is the only reason this book got 2 stars. The artwork is excellent, the mistakes throughout this book are inexcusable. Many picture captions misidentify Luftwaffe aircraft and their armaments. Not the book Id use to learn about the Luftwaffe at all.
June 10, 2016
A big disappointment. The air war is painted with the broadest of brushes on one hand while random operations get treated to needless detail including descriptions of individual sorties. This would probably not be a problem in itself if the book left you with a solid sense of understanding of what was going on, but the account is very scattered and inconsistent.
McNab may start a paragraph with lauding Fw 200 and end it with mentioning how RAF slaughtered the aircraft en masse with ease. He spends the majority of the sea aviation part on the Condor, then summarily tells you that Luftwaffe's anti-shipping workhorse was in fact the medium bomber. He returns again and again to the Battle of Britain, while massive air battles over the Kursk offensive receive barely a mention. I certainly did not end up with a good grasp of the German aircraft's merits and weaknesses, nor with an understanding of why their major operations succeeded or failed.
To compound the problem, the book is riddled with errors. These range from obviously silly (eg. there is a quote of an OKW despatch from June 1941 mentioning 'terrible winter battles on the Eastern Front' or a claim that Mölders fought the Spanish Nationalists) to ridiculous, hard to believe statements (eg. a frontline Kampfgeschwader - about 125 aircraft and 2,500 men - consumed 112 tonnes of bread per day?). After you read a couple of these, you'll find it hard to trust anything written in the book.
On the positive side, a large number of good quality photographs accompany the text - and these are probably the best part of Hitler's Eagles. Still, even these are disappointing in a way as they end up raising more questions than they answer. For example, in the introduction you are treated to a picture of Udet and Milch visiting a French airfield in 1937. Germany has already openly violated the Versailles treaty, Luftwaffe is waging a war in Spain and the French invite these two to inspect an airfield? Why? The book won't tell you.
McNab may start a paragraph with lauding Fw 200 and end it with mentioning how RAF slaughtered the aircraft en masse with ease. He spends the majority of the sea aviation part on the Condor, then summarily tells you that Luftwaffe's anti-shipping workhorse was in fact the medium bomber. He returns again and again to the Battle of Britain, while massive air battles over the Kursk offensive receive barely a mention. I certainly did not end up with a good grasp of the German aircraft's merits and weaknesses, nor with an understanding of why their major operations succeeded or failed.
To compound the problem, the book is riddled with errors. These range from obviously silly (eg. there is a quote of an OKW despatch from June 1941 mentioning 'terrible winter battles on the Eastern Front' or a claim that Mölders fought the Spanish Nationalists) to ridiculous, hard to believe statements (eg. a frontline Kampfgeschwader - about 125 aircraft and 2,500 men - consumed 112 tonnes of bread per day?). After you read a couple of these, you'll find it hard to trust anything written in the book.
On the positive side, a large number of good quality photographs accompany the text - and these are probably the best part of Hitler's Eagles. Still, even these are disappointing in a way as they end up raising more questions than they answer. For example, in the introduction you are treated to a picture of Udet and Milch visiting a French airfield in 1937. Germany has already openly violated the Versailles treaty, Luftwaffe is waging a war in Spain and the French invite these two to inspect an airfield? Why? The book won't tell you.
July 1, 2013
A nicely compiled and presented essay about the Nazi/WW2 era Luftwaffe with very good details about the men and machines that made up this fighting force. Excellent photos and illustrations make for an informative and interesting read. There's a good amount of data about the various aircraft types without being a technical discourse, for which there are plenty of other books out there. A recommended book for anyone with and interest in military history and/or aircraft in general.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews