The Luftwaffe War Diaries
New York, N.Y. Ballantine Books, 1969. First Printing [Stated]. Mass market paperback. xxiii, [1], 580, [4] pages . Illustrations. Some cover wear. Foreword, Preface, and Translators Note. Chapters on Blitzkrieg on Poland, North Sea Triangle, Assault on the West, The Battle of Britain, Mediterranean Theatre 1941, Night Defence of the Reich, Operation Barbarossa, Mediterranean Theatre 1942, War over the Ocean, Disaster in Russia, and The Battle of Germany. Also includes Appendices on Luftwaffe Order of Battle against Poland on September 1, 1939; Luftwaffe Losses in the Polish Campaign; Strength and Losses of the Polish Air Force in September 1939; Luftwaffe Order of Battle for the Scandinavian Invasion; Luftwaffe Order of Battle against Britain on "Adlertag", August 13, 1940; Operational Orders of 1 Air Corps for the first attack on London, September 7, 1940; Losses of the British Mediterranean Fleet to attack by VIII Air Corps off Crete, May 21 to June 1, 1941; Composition and Losses of German Forces in the Airborne Invasion of Crete, May 20 to June 2, 1941, Progressive Composition of the German Night-Fighter Arm; Luftwaffe Order of Battle at Outset of Russian Campaign, June 22, 1941; Statement Issued on March 17, 1954 by Field-Martial Kesselring on the Subject of Luftwaffe Policy and the Question of a German Four-engined Bomber; Production According to Year and Purpose; German Aircraft Losses on the Russian Front, June 22, 1941 to April 8, 1942, The Stalingrad Air-Lift; German Aircrew Losses, 1939-1944; Specimen Night Combat Report; Victories of German Fighter Pilots in World War II; and Losses of the Civil Population in Air Raids, 1939-1945, Bibliography & Index. The was viewed, when published, as the nearest thing so far to an official German account of the war. Cajus Bekker (born August 12, 1924 in Düsseldorf; † March 10, 1975; actually Hans Dieter Berenbrok) was a German journalist and naval writer. Hans Dieter Berenbrok grew up in Hamburg and joined the Navy in 1943, where he served as a naval intelligence officer (radio officer) and at the end of the war held the rank of senior ensign. After the war, Berenbrok worked as a news editor and reporter for various newspapers and magazines. In 1953 he published his first book, Kampf und Untergang der Kriegsmarine, under the pseudonym Cajus Bekker. A documentary report in words and pictures, the content of which he had compiled from numerous private records and innumerable personal interviews, since German files were still in the custody of the victorious powers at the time. The book was distributed free of charge to 460 youth villages and youth homes in 1956 as part of a propaganda campaign by the Adenauer government, together with other works, in order to “promote the spirit of defense among young people and make them understand how the new German armed forces were included in the defense alliance of the Atlantic Community. " From 1955 Berenbrok was lecturer and editor for the marine program of Gerhard Stalling-Verlag (Oldenburg / Hamburg), where he also remained active as an author Cajus Bekker. Berenbrok also used his reserve exercises (as Korvettenkapitän d. Res.) In the Federal Navy to deal with the German naval files returned by Great Britain in the Military History Research Office and in the Federal Military Archives in Freiburg. According to Jürgen Rohwer, Bekker saw his task in “making the achievements of our seafarers and aviators in the Second World War in front of the largest possible group of readers”. The Luftwaffe War Diaries is the definitive history of the German air force in World War II, from the blitzkrieg on Poland to the last desperate stand over Germany--the only account ever to come from a German source. Its masterfully organized chapters detail, summarize, and evaluate every important strategy and campaign. Cajus Bekker has drawn on official German archives and collections, the combat journals and personal papers of leading officers, and the collated Luftwaffe war diaries, none of which have been published outside Germany, as well as interviews with hundreds of former German airmen. The result is a critical examination of the Luftwaffe's development and command against the vivid background of World War II's greatest air battles. While the author does full justice to the performance of German airmen, he does not embellish it. Thus his chronicle of the deadly struggle of these men is anything but a heroic saga; the exploits of the other side are treated with equal justice. Heroes and villains are not described or eulogized here--only men fighting a war that most of them did not want. With over 100 photographs, numerous maps, and a complete index of personalities, The Luftwaffe War Diaries brings into stunning focus for now and all time the ironic triumph and inevitable tragedy of war. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Luftwaffe, Stuka, Heligoland, Eben Emael, Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, Crete, Kammhuber Line, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of the Atlantic, Demyansk, Night-Fighters, Operation Citadel
[Book #81979]
Price: $20.00