Luftwaffe at War Volume 1: Gathering Storm 1933-1939

In 1933, when Hitler came to power, the German military, as a result of the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, was weak. Yet within six years, a virtually unstoppable war machine was unleashed on Europe. All three elements of the armed forces played their part in the evolution of German strategy, but in terms of the Blitzkrieg, it was the Luftwaffe that had the most important role. This was to obtain air superiority over the theatre of operations and cause as much disruption as possible to the enemy’s ground forces and other assets before the army swept forward. An understanding of how the Luftwaffe developed in the years before 1939 is essential to comprehending its role when war began.
This first title in a new Classic series examines the expansion of the Luftwaffe between 1933 and 1939. Starting with the small air force inherited by the Nazis, the book sets out in detail how the Luftwaffe rapidly expanded and gained combat experience in the Spanish Civil War, before becoming the potent force that spearheaded the blitzkrieg against Poland in the autumn of 1939.