A scholar's eye-opening appraisal of Germany's air forces from the
post-WW I era through the early stages of WW II. Wryly noting that
the victors in any conflict get to write its history, Corum
(Comparative Military Studies/Maxwell Air Force Base's School of
Advanced Airpower) offers a persuasive, against-the-grain briefing
on the Luftwaffe, long dismissed by mainstream annalists as an
essentially tactical force geared to support Wehrmacht ground
operations. In fact, he observes, archival sources disclose that
the Luftwaffe drew resourcefully upon the lessons of WW I and the
Spanish Civil War to create a coherent and practicable doctrine of
aerial warfare. Nor, the author shows, were the Luftwaffe's
strengths or weaknesses attributable in any great measure to its
nominal leader, Hermann Goring ("a man who actually knew very
little about air power"). The greatest contributions to what in
1939 ranked as the world's most combat-effective air force, Corum
documents, were made by General Walter Wever, Field Marshal Wolfram
von Richthofen, and other of the air staff's unsung theorists.
Corum goes on to address the ways in which the Luftwaffe evaluated
innovations in aircraft technology, developed the infrastructure
required to sustain farflung aerial units, endlessly debated the
future role of air power, and generally steered clear of the Third
Reich's political ideologues. Covered as well are the Luftwaffe's
alleged dismissal of strategic bombing, lack of long-distance
escort fighters, and bent for terror raids. While the Luftwaffe had
lost the production battle by 1942 and fought outnumbered on all
fronts, the author points out that it remained a formidable foe
through 1944. As for its defeat in the 1940 Battle of Britain,
Corum argues that the Luftwaffe was damaged by poor intelligence.
Revisionist military history of a high order. (Kirkus Reviews)
At the end of World War I, the German military machine lay
devastated, forbidden any attempt to rebuild. But by the dawn of
World War II, its army and air forces had both been rejuvenated to
sufficient vigor to conquer most of Europe. As James Corum shows,
the Luftwaffe's dramatic resurrection underscored the remarkable
success of Germany's visionary interwar planning.
A superb example of both military and intellectual history,
Corum's study provides a complete and accurate account of the
evolution of German military aviation theory, doctrine, war games,
and operations between the two world wars. It reveals how the
Germans, in defiance of Versailles, thoroughly studied and tested
the lessons of World War I, analyzed the emerging air doctrines of
other nations, and experimented with innovative aviation technology
to create the world's most powerful air force by 1940.
Drawing heavily upon archival sources, Corum discloses the
debates within the General Staff-led by the likes of Hans van
Seeckt, Helmuth Wilberg, Wolfram von Richthofen, and Walter
Wever-about the future role of airpower and the problems of
aligning aviation technology with air doctrine. He challenges
previous accounts and demolishes a number of myths, for example
demonstrating that Germany did not dismiss the potential of
strategic bombing or embrace terror bombing of civilian
populations, and was not heavily influenced by its popular
culture's romance with aviation.
Corum also illuminates Germany's comprehensive approach to
highly mobile combined-arms warfare, its secret research and
training in the Soviet Union, and its remarkable successes during
the Spanish Civil War. While focusing primarily on the interwar
period, he extends his analysis into the early years of World War
II to examine the Luftwaffe's effectiveness in Poland and France,
and expose its flaws in the Battle of Britain.
As a companion to Corum's acclaimed study of the German army
between the wars, "The Luftwaffe" reminds us how operational
doctrine, combined with one of the greatest fighting forces ever
assembled, indelibly altered the fate of nations.
General
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