Luftwaffe Fighter Force (Paperback)
The View from the Cockpit
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This selection of accounts – written the men who did the flying and the fighting – lifts the lid on how the Luftwaffe operated and carried out its missions. Collected by the US Army during briefings shortly after the end of the end of the war, these reports reveal the views of major figures within the German fighter force on everything from their aircraft, operations and tactics, to training, technology, aircrews and reasons for the ultimate failure of the Luftwaffe.
Many of the reports are by the 103-victory ace Adolf Galland, the author of the classic memoir The First and the Last. He discusses, among other things, escort tactics, fighter tactics, bomber tactics and Luftwaffe opinions of Allied aircraft performance. The chief of the ground force attack force, ‘Hitsch’ Hitschhold, shows how his Fw-190s and Stukas accomplished high-risk operations; Heinz Bar, a 240-victory ace, describes how he led fighter missions; and Walter Dahl, ace anti-bomber specialist, explains his tactics against boxes of B-17s.
Brimming with fascinating insights, this is an invaluable source for anyone interested in aviation during the Second World War.
This is a fascinating book, providing us with the immediate post-war views of key Luftwaffe figures (most notably Adolf Galland, Hubertus Hitschhold and Heinrich Bar), written at a period where they were still close to events (and were perhaps still caught up in some of the later wartime arguments).
History of War
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Deep background for modelers of World War II aircraft.
FineScale Modeler, November 22, 2016
As I said at the beginning, Luftwaffe Fighter Force isn’t really a book you can pick up and read from cover to cover. There is just so much information to digest, and it comes thick and fast. You’ll tax your grey matter far less if you search out the relevant sections as a complement to your other reading.
Airscape magazine, February 2017 - reviewed by David Foxx
But in short, if you’re a student of page-turning pilot memoirs from World War 2, this is a vital reference for understanding how the Luftwaffe’s pilots functioned – and why. Regardless of whose story you’re following, knowing how the opposing pilots came into each encounter will only enrich your appreciation of the outcome.
So, admittedly, ‘Worth Reading’ may be a bit of a stretch for this one.
But ‘Worth Having In Your Collection’? — Definitely.
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About David C Isby
David Isby is a renowned military historian. He has edited Greenhill Books titles including Fighting the Invasion, Fighting the Breakout, Fighting in Normandy, Fighting the Bombers and The Luftwaffe Fighter Force.