TY  - BOOK
AU  - Caldwell, Donald L.
AU  - Muller, Richard,
TI  - The Luftwaffe over Germany: defense of the Reich 
SN  - 9781853677120
AV  - D787 .C36 2007
U1  - 940.544943 22
PY  - 2007///
CY  - London, St Paul
PB  - Greenhill, MBI Publishing
KW  - Germany
KW  - Luftwaffe
KW  - History
KW  - 20th century
KW  - World War (1939-1945)
KW  - fast
KW  - World War, 1939-1945
KW  - Aerial operations, German
KW  - Military operations, Aerial
KW  - German
N1  - Includes bibliographical references and index
N2  - The Luftwaffe over Germany tells the story of one of the longest and most intense air battles in history. The daylight air struggles over Germany during World War II involved thousands of aircraft, dozens of units, and hundreds of aerial engagements. Until now, there has been no single book that covers the complete story, from the highest levels of air strategy to the individual tales of Fw 190s, Bf 109s and Me 262s in air combat against the American bomber streams. This work explores the German air defense system until its collapse in 1945. It examines the detrimental effect of Luftwaffe theory and doctrine on the German air arms ability to defend the homeland once the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive began in earnest. The hard-pressed Luftwaffe leadership attempted to cobble together an air-defense network while at the same time tending to the combat fronts in Russia and the Mediterranean. Units developed specialized tactics and weapons for dealing with heavily defended bomber formations, while senior commanders sought to construct an elaborate command and control system integrating radar, observers, anti-aircraft guns, and fighters. By mid-1944, they had lost the battle - but had exacted a terrible price from the Americans in the process. 650 4 Air forces & warfare
ER  -