At the end of World War I, the German military lay in ruins, forbidden any attempts to rebuild. But by the dawn of World War II, its army and air forces had both risen phoenix-like to conquer most of Europe. James Corum shows that the Luftwaffe's dramatic resurrection was remarkable and that it emphatically underscored the success of Germany's visionary interwar planning. Corum's study provides an account of the evolution of German military aviation theory, doctrine, war games and operations between the two world wars. It reveals how the Germans, in defiance of Versailles, thoroughly studied and tested the lessons of World War I, analyzed the emerging air doctrines of other nations, and experimented with innovative aviation technology to create the world's most powerful air force by 1940. Drawing heavily upon archival sources, Corum discloses the debates within the General Staff - led by the likes of Hans van Seeckt, Helmuth Wilberg, Wolfram von Richthofen and Walter Wever - about the future role of airpower and the problems of aligning aviation technology with air doctrine. Challenging previous accounts, he demolishes a number of myths.
He demonstrates, for example, that Germany did not dismiss the potential of strategic bombing, did not embrace "terror bombing" of civilian populations, and was not heavily influenced by its popular culture's romance with aviation. Corum also illuminates Germany's comprehensive approach to highly mobile combined arms warfare, its secret research and training in the Soviet Union, and its remarkable successes during the Spanish Civil War. While focusing primarily on the interwar period, he extends his analysis into the early years of the war to examine the Luftwaffe's effectiveness in Poland and France, while exposing its flaws in the Battle of Britain. As a companion to Corum's acclaimed study of the German army between the wars, "The Luftwaffe" widens and deepens our understanding of one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled and reminds us how ideas, as much as men and machines, can alter the fates of nations with stunning results.