Aces of the Reich: The Making of a Luftwaffe Fighter-pilot Book

In 1939, The Luftwaffe was arguably the worlds best-equipped and -trained air force. Its fighters were second to none, and their pilots had a tactical system superior to any other in the world. In campaigns over Poland, Norway, the Low Countries and France, they carried all before them. Only in the summer of 1940 did they fail by a narrow margin in achieving air superiority over England. In the West, with a mere holding force, they maintained an enviable kill/loss ratio against the RAF, while elsewhere they swept through the Balkans like a whirlwind, then decimated the numerically formidable Soviet Air Force. Their top scorers set marks in air combat that never have, nor it is likely ever will be, surpassed. Yet within three years, and despite the introduction of the jet Me 262, the worlds most advanced fighter, the Luftwaffe fighter arm, the Jagdwaffe, had been totally defeated.Read More