Table of Contents

Preface..........9

Author's Note..........11

1. The High Command..........13
The Air Ministry..........13
'Robinson'and 'Kudürst'..........13
The Luftflotte..........14
The Luftgau and Fliegerkorps..........14

2. The Flying Units..........16
The Staffel..........16
The Gruppe..........16
The Geschwader..........17
The Kommando..........17
Designations of Flying Units..........17

3. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 2 September 1939..........20

4. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 17 August 1940..........30

5. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 24 June 1941..........42

6. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 27 July 1942..........57

7. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 17 May 1943..........73

8. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 31 May 1944..........92

9. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 10 January 1945..........129

10. Composition of the Main Operational Flying Units, 9 April 1945..........141

11. The Fighter Force..........152
Fighter-versus-Fighter Tactics..........152
Fighter-versus-Bomber Tactics..........153
Night Fighter Tactics..........156
Organisation of Reich Air Defence..........163

12. The Bomber Force..........170
Horizontal Bombing Tactics..........170
Radio Beam Systems..........171
Air-Launched Flying Bombs..........173
Jet Bomber Attacks..........174

13. The Dive-Bomber and Ground-Attack Forces..........175
Dive Bomber Tactics..........175
Nemesis for the 'Stuka'..........178
Ground-Attack Tactics..........178
Heavy Cannon versus Tanks..........179
Late War Fighter-Bombers..........180
Night Ground Attack Operations..........180

14. The Anti-Shipping Forces..........182
Early War Attacks..........182
The Torpedo Bomber Force..........183
New Guided Missiles..........184

15. Airborne Assault Operations..........187
General..........187
Air Landing Operations..........187
Parachute Operations..........188
Glider Operations..........189

16. Reconnaissance Operations..........190
Tactical Reconnaissance Operations..........190
Strategic Reconnaissance Operations..........191
Night Reconnaissance Operations..........192
Jet Reconnaissance Operations..........192

17. Luftwaffe War Diaries..........194
I. Gruppe Sturzkampfgeschwader 1, September 1939...........194
I. Gruppe lagdgeschwader 3, September 1940..........196
III. Gruppe Zerstbrergeschwader 26 Horst Wessel, February and March 1944..........197
Nachtjagdgeschwader 76, March 1944..........201
III. Gruppe Schlachtgeschwader 4, June 1944..........202
9. Staffel Kampfgeschwader 76, December 1944, April and May 1945..........205
III. Gruppe Kampfgeschwader 76, April and May 1945...........208

18. Pilot Training..........226

19. The Flak Arm..........230
Flak Organisation..........230
Heavy Flak, Weapons and Ammunition..........231
'Scarecrows'..........233
Fire Control Equipment for Heavy Flak..........234
Layout of Heavy Flakbatterie..........235
Searchlights Operating with Heavy Flak..........235
Principles of Siting Heavy Flak..........237
Principles of Engagement of High-Flying Aircraft by Flak...........239
Light and Medium Flak Weapons..........239
Principles of Siting Light and Medium Flak Weapons..........240
Principles of Engagement of Low-Flying Aircraft by Light or Medium Flak..........240

20. Vergeltungswaffe 1: The Flying Bomb..........242
The Weapon..........242
The Ground Launching Organisation..........243
The Firing Sequence..........243
Flight of the V.1..........244
The V.1 Summed Up..........245

21. The Luftwaffe Fighter Aces'Victory Scores..........247
Luftwaffe Pilots Credited with More than 100 Victories..........248

22. Biographies of Senior Commanders..........250
Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring..........250
Generalfeldmarschall Robert von Greim..........251
Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring..........251
Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch..........252
Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen...........252
Generalfeldmarschall Hugo Sperrle..........253
Generaloberst Hans Jeschonnek..........253
Generaloberst Günther Korten..........254
Generaloberst Hans-Jurgen Stumpff..........254
Generaloberst Ernst Udet..........255
General der Flieger Josef Kammhuber..........255
General der Flieger Karl Koller..........256
General der Flieger Werner Kreipe..........256
Generalleutnant Adolf Galland..........256
Generalmajor Dietrich Peltz..........257

Literature on the Luftwaffe: A Critical Bibliography...........258

Appendices..........265
Appendix A: Unit Identification Markings Carried by Aircraft..........265
Appendix B: Main Aircraft Types Accepted by the Luftwaffe,
                    January 1939-December 1944...........270
Appendix C: Equivalent Wartime Ranks...........271

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