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John Killen
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The Luftwaffe: A History (Pen & Sword Military Classics) Kindle Edition

by John Killen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
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An extensive history of the rise and fall of Nazi Germany’s air force.

In his thoroughly researched study, John Killen examines German air power between 1914 and 1945, from the early days of flying when Immelmann, Boelke, Richtofen, and other First World War aces fought and died to give Germany air supremacy, to the nightmare existence of the Luftwaffe as the Third Reich plunged headlong to destruction.

Here are the aircraft: the frail biplanes and triplanes of the Kaiser’s war; the great Lufthansa aircraft and airships of the turbulent Thirties; the monoplanes designed to help Hitler in his conquest of Europe. Here are the generals who forged the air weapon of the Luftwaffe: the swaggering Goering, the playboy Udet, the ebullient Kesselring, and the scapegoat Jeschonnek. Here, too, are the pilots who tried to keep faith with their Fatherland despite overwhelming odds: Adolf Galland, Werner Molders, Joachim Marseille, and Hanna Reitsch. Not least are the actions fought by the Luftwaffe from the Spanish Civil War to the Battle of Britain, through the bloody struggle for Crete, and the siege of Stalingrad to the fearful twilight over Berlin.

“A good, readable account of the rise and fall of the Luftwaffe that covers all of the main fronts on which it fought, and examines the reasons for the eventual failure as well as providing a readable narrative.” —History of War
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  1. Print length
    428 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Aviation
  4. Publication date
    June 12, 2013
  5. File size
    10.2 MB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JOHN KILLEN was born in Belfast and, up until his retirement in 2014, he was Deputy Librarian and then Librarian of The Linen Hall Library. He is the author of many books, including The Irish Christmas Book and The Unkindest Cut: A Cartoon History of Ulster 1900–2000, as well as books on the Irish Famine and the United Irishmen. St Patrick – his life, writings and legacy – is a long-term interest.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KTM7JKI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Aviation; 2nd edition (June 12, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 12, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 428 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 36 ratings

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John Killen

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3.9 out of 5 stars
36 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • traves
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for aviation history buffs
    Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I'm not done with it yet and I've been casually reading for a couple weeks now. Great book. Lots of details about the models used from the beginning of aviation on up. I'm at 1940 so far. I had to look up a few models because I had no idea what they were. I'm a geek like that.
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  • JOHN HARRIS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Pen & Sword
    Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2018
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    Just completeing the series. Know of 54 books, so far.
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  • Amazon Customer
    2.0 out of 5 stars Far too much bending history to justify stupid British decision
    Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Lousy: Far too much bending history to justify stupid British decision making
    One person found this helpful
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  • Peter B. Mason
    4.0 out of 5 stars Short History on the Luftwaffe Lands on the Mark
    Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    John Killen's "The Luftwaffe: A History" is a brief but satisfying overview of the German Luftwaffe. German military personalities who helped create and then doom the German air force, strategic and tactical blunders on the part of Hitler, Goering, Miich and others, as well as the history of the individual planes which comprised the backbone of this formidable force are evenly presented and fairly balanced.

    While no means an exhaustive history of the Luftwaffe, Killen's book is an excellent introductory history. It moves right along from the flying aces of WWI, the rebuilding of the German air arm after the Versailles Treaty through to the end of WW II. While told from a British view, Killen is even-handed in his appraisal of the adversaries strategies and key figures.

    As with all aspects of the German Wehrmacht, The success of the Luftwaffe was fatally compromised by Hitler's military amateurism and impatience, and an intoxication with tactical Blitzkrieg tactics over more sober strategic considerations. The most startling thing I learned was the insistence by Goering and Odet (the Luftwaffe's chief technical guru) on having every plane in the Luftwaffe, even a planned strategic bomber, being capable of acting as dive bombers!
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  • jo
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Luftwaffe
    Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a wonderful history of the development of aircraft. I loved it.
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  • Jamie H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Helped get an a on my college paper
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  • Amazon Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars A serious reader would do better buying a newer publication
    Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2015
    This book is written in the old style of inter-war histories. Lots of old world British opinions on German national character and what the author thought the foreigners were thinking without any factual based conclusions. There are not any references, just a bibliography - presumably what the author read before writing this book. I think this book is a history introduction for juvenile readers - not for experienced adults who are reading for new information or refreshing insights or observations. A serious reader would do better buying a newer publication. Try Max Hastings publications.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Derek Atkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sowing the Wind, Reaping the Whirlwind
    Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2019
    I just finished reading the 2003 edition of John Killen's book, which was originally published in 1967. While written from a British point of view, this book offers readers an excellent overview of the history of the Luftwaffe from 1915 to 1945. This story is ultimately a tragic tale, culminating in the ultimate destruction of Germany at the hands of Russia, America, and Great Britain. Killen does trace the history of the Luftwaffe during World War I and the 1920s and early 1930s, when far-sighted Germans worked in secrecy to rebuild Germany's air force following the strict terms of the Treaty of Versailles, but the bulk of this book is taken up by the events of World War II, and rightly so, for the Luftwaffe's history is largely defined by its conduct during World War II.

    Killen makes it clear that much of the blame for Germany's defeat and destruction lay at the feet of Adolf Hitler, the all-powerful dictator of the Third Reich, and Herman Goering, the Reichmarshall of the Luftwaffe. Not only did these two men plunge Germany into the cauldron of war, both of them are also heavily responsible for Germany's defeat in World War II due to a number of very poor decisions. Hitler became increasingly resistant to sound military advice, stubbornly insisting that his soldiers and airmen fight to the last man, and refusing to allow them to retreat. Goering, on the other hand, became addicted to a life of luxury, and grew negligent of his responsibilities as the supreme commander of the Luftwaffe, ultimately leading to repeated failure to make decisions in a timely manner -- decisions that could have easily prolonged the war, spared the needless destruction of the Luftwaffe, or possibly even opened the door to a German victory.

    There are technical details about the various aircrafts that made up the Luftwaffe, but don't let these details keep you from reading this well-written, insightful study of German air power in the first half of the 20th Century.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • roy
    5.0 out of 5 stars great detail
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    a very good read, with a great amount of detail. well worth buying.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
    Reviewed in Canada on March 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Great read amazing facts
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