The Last Flight of the Luftwaffe: The Fate of Schulungslehrgang Elbe

by Adrian Weir

By April 7, 1945, Germany had to struggle to stop the invading enemy forces, relying on small-scale operations that required limited quantities of fuel and weapons, and calling upon relatively inexperienced air crews. How did one of the world's most victorious airforces come to such a crisis? The answer lies in this amazing story, told in minute-by-minute detail, of the Luftwaffe's final flight, and the suicide mission directly into a raiding formation of US bombers.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Aviation, Military Fiction, Military History, War

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last flight of the Luftwaffe by Adrian Weir is a very descriptive, accurate, and interesting something people would expect from an author that has spent so much time researching the event. Though the story is told through the point of view of the German forces the story truly shows how brave, dedicated, and nationalistic people be for their country in a time of war even if the odds are against them and I believe that this is the point of the book and is expressed very well in the book with many pieces of evidence to support this claim. The first quote that outlines the claim is “with the daily battles failing to achieve any measure of success against allied air forces goring was doubtful whether the suitable force of volunteers could be assembled... Hermann was calling for a group of young volunteers, by definition lacking experience in the brutal environment of real combat. would such young pilots come forward, and could goring ask them to risk their very lives in this mission? In answering these questions Oberst Hermann replied with confidence. He was aware of the courage and determination of even the youngest Luftwaffe pilots.”This piece of evidence helps support the claim because it shows that even though they are facing constant losses there are brave men willing to give up their life for a cause that is much bigger than them even though it might be a lost cause. The second quote that outlines the claim is “seeking a method of destroying the tightly packed boxes of bombers, Peterson suggested that a war-weary Ju 88s be packed with explosives and flown into the heart of the American bombers, the explosive charge being detonated by a timed device activated by the pilot, who was to leap from his doomed aircraft at the last instant. The combination of the short fuse, a last-second jump to safety and flying such a lethal bomb in a what would be a hostile environment would limit the survival expectations of the pilot. but it was the chance of survival, however slim…” This quote helps support the claim because these people are so loyal and proud to their country they are willing to risk their lives in a suicide mission that has a very little chance of success and an even smaller chance of living just to help out their country just for a little. Adrian weir has spent a lot of time researching to write this fantastic book about pilots bravery and dedication to their country. I would give this book a grade of five out of five and i would certainly recommend it.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I also find reading books from the axis point of view fascinating. There’s always 2 sides to every story or war if you prefer.
This particular book is about the Luftwaffe and their ill fated last stand against the allied bombers and escort fighters.
The young airmen saw it their duty to defend the Fatherland against the enemy bombers, they achieved some success bringing down the bombers whose crews when captured by angry civilians were shown no mercy.
However it was a vain effort and and allied air superiority reigned supreme with round the clock bombing.
RAF by night USAAF by day.
The fallen from the ELBE squadron had to wait until 1991 until a memorial for the fallen was unveiled in Celle.
Glad I read this book as I really hadn’t heard this story of the Luftwaffe’s last flight.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A final rather ill fated attack by the German airforce on the American bomber groups make for a very sad end to what was at one time a seemingly invincible airforce. Brave young men pitted against each other in the skies over Germany. A very interesting book which seemed to repeat itself in places - still a worthy read.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1997, 'The Last Flight of the Luftwaffe' tells the story of the plan to launch a mass attack against a USAAF bombing raid of April 7, 1945, with the aim of causing the USAAF to pause in in its bombing offensive. The account, told from the German point of view is absolutely fascinating, despite the obvious flaw in the book title.

[Dave Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hard slog at times, as the constant use of acronyms and detailed minutiae stops the flow of this book, and whilst the story itself is fascinating, detailing as it does the last defensive actions of an overwhelmed Luftwaffe in the dying hours of the Second World War, it takes a bit of work to get thru IMHO

[John Ollerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched account of a heroic failure where the inexperienced pilots of the Luftwaffe took on the might of the USAAF 8th Air Force.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

01-02-23

[Felix Sun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldnt finish the book. For an unexplainable reason, i cannot follow the story closely. Could be the style of writing. Promising though. Subitle seems be slightly misleading.

[Tawny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great account of a desperate time for Germany. Reading it, I really felt the sense of how hard it was to assemble the aircraft, fuel and pilots needed for this last assault on the 'Terrorflieger' that was laying waste to their cities. The combat itself is well described, with a real sense of the loss of men on both sides. Fantastic!

[David Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed reconstruction of an obscure but amazing event: a mass use of suicide ramming tactics against bombers. Some of the P-51 v Me-262 combat is astounding. It would make a better air-action movie than some of the rubbish Hollywood has produced recently. Has this been optioned yet?

[Andreas Michaelides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a history lover and especially aircraft lover this book was amazing to me because it showed step by step and with great detail how the once all mighty Hermann Goring's Luftwaffe turned into a miniscule air power and how the Nazis really struggle to maintain an able air defence, good book.