Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939-1942
This remarkable work pulls the lid off one of the legendary air forces in history at the very peak of its power—unveiling the men and machines as they truly existed day-to-day, underneath the propaganda of their own regime and the scare stories of their enemies.

In Hitler’s Germany, color photography was primarily co-opted for state purposes, such as the military publication Signal, or the Luftwaffe’s own magazine, Der Adler (Eagle). But a number of men had cameras of their own, and in this painstakingly acquired collection, originally published in France, we can witness true life on Germany’s airfields during the period of the Luftwaffe’s ascendancy.

Thus not only do we see famous planes such as the Me-109, Ju-87 or He-111, but the wide variety of more obscure types with which the Germans began the war. The array of Arados, Dorniers, Heinkels—not to mention elegant 4-engine Condors—that were initially employed in the war are here in plain sight and full color, providing not only an insight into WWII history but a model maker’s dream.

Just as fascinating are the shots of the airmen themselves, along with their ground crews—full of confidence and cheer as they bested every other air force in Europe during these years, with the single exception of the RAF’s Fighter Command in late-summer 1940. But that was no big stumbling block to the Luftwaffe, which had bigger fish to fry in Russia and North Africa the following year.

In the authors’ next work, “The Years of Defeat,” we will see how the war turned more grim for the Luftwaffe, even as its expertise and skill at more deadly aircraft designs, increased. In “The Victory Years” we have a uniquely intimate view of an air force at the very apex of its capabilities.
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Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939-1942
This remarkable work pulls the lid off one of the legendary air forces in history at the very peak of its power—unveiling the men and machines as they truly existed day-to-day, underneath the propaganda of their own regime and the scare stories of their enemies.

In Hitler’s Germany, color photography was primarily co-opted for state purposes, such as the military publication Signal, or the Luftwaffe’s own magazine, Der Adler (Eagle). But a number of men had cameras of their own, and in this painstakingly acquired collection, originally published in France, we can witness true life on Germany’s airfields during the period of the Luftwaffe’s ascendancy.

Thus not only do we see famous planes such as the Me-109, Ju-87 or He-111, but the wide variety of more obscure types with which the Germans began the war. The array of Arados, Dorniers, Heinkels—not to mention elegant 4-engine Condors—that were initially employed in the war are here in plain sight and full color, providing not only an insight into WWII history but a model maker’s dream.

Just as fascinating are the shots of the airmen themselves, along with their ground crews—full of confidence and cheer as they bested every other air force in Europe during these years, with the single exception of the RAF’s Fighter Command in late-summer 1940. But that was no big stumbling block to the Luftwaffe, which had bigger fish to fry in Russia and North Africa the following year.

In the authors’ next work, “The Years of Defeat,” we will see how the war turned more grim for the Luftwaffe, even as its expertise and skill at more deadly aircraft designs, increased. In “The Victory Years” we have a uniquely intimate view of an air force at the very apex of its capabilities.
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Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939-1942

Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939-1942

Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939-1942

Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939-1942

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Overview

This remarkable work pulls the lid off one of the legendary air forces in history at the very peak of its power—unveiling the men and machines as they truly existed day-to-day, underneath the propaganda of their own regime and the scare stories of their enemies.

In Hitler’s Germany, color photography was primarily co-opted for state purposes, such as the military publication Signal, or the Luftwaffe’s own magazine, Der Adler (Eagle). But a number of men had cameras of their own, and in this painstakingly acquired collection, originally published in France, we can witness true life on Germany’s airfields during the period of the Luftwaffe’s ascendancy.

Thus not only do we see famous planes such as the Me-109, Ju-87 or He-111, but the wide variety of more obscure types with which the Germans began the war. The array of Arados, Dorniers, Heinkels—not to mention elegant 4-engine Condors—that were initially employed in the war are here in plain sight and full color, providing not only an insight into WWII history but a model maker’s dream.

Just as fascinating are the shots of the airmen themselves, along with their ground crews—full of confidence and cheer as they bested every other air force in Europe during these years, with the single exception of the RAF’s Fighter Command in late-summer 1940. But that was no big stumbling block to the Luftwaffe, which had bigger fish to fry in Russia and North Africa the following year.

In the authors’ next work, “The Years of Defeat,” we will see how the war turned more grim for the Luftwaffe, even as its expertise and skill at more deadly aircraft designs, increased. In “The Victory Years” we have a uniquely intimate view of an air force at the very apex of its capabilities.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781612004082
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Publication date: 11/22/2016
Pages: 160
Product dimensions: 6.90(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Christophe Cony who lives in France is a well-respected World War II aviation historian who has worked on numerous books and magazine articles for the leading French military aviation publisher, Lela Press. He is the co-author of Luftwaffe in Colour Volume 1: The Victory Years 1939-1942

Born in Belgium in 1953, Jean-Louis Roba has a degree in law. Interested in history at an early age, he has met hundreds of Second World War veterans and amassed a large collection of personal accounts, documents and photographs. His numerous visits to archives worldwide have facilitated the writing of some 80 books on this period, mainly related to the war in the air. However, his interest is mainly focused on subjects that are not well known or rarely studied, such as the service history of the Me 323 transport aircraft, the history of JG 53, Beute or captured aircraft in Luftwaffe service and various studies of Belgian pilots in the RAF during the Second World War. He contributed several volumes to the ground-breaking “Luftwaffe in Colour” Casemate series. Neglected theaters of war are also one of his favorite subjects – he has compiled books on the Germans in the Aegean, the air battles over Romania and a multi-volume history of Luftwaffe seaplanes. In addition to these books, Jean-Louis Roba continues to publish articles in specialist journals.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Part I The Pre-War Period 9

Part II From Poland to Sitzkrieg 21

Part III Blitzkrieg in the West 39

Part IV The Battle of Britain and the Blitz 49

Part V Marita and Merkur. Blitz in the Balkans 75

Part VI Operation Barbarossa 89

Part VII African Adventure and the Mediterranean Front 113

Part VIII In the West 133

Part IX The Second Line: Schools, Factories and Training 145

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