The Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force: The History and Legacy of Nazi Germany and Great Britain’s Air Forces in World War II
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Arthur Armstrong
5/5
()
About this audiobook
“My Luftwaffe is invincible…And so now we turn to England. How long will this one last — two, three weeks?” – Hermann Göring, June 1940
Given its unique strengths and distinctive weaknesses by the personal quirks of the men who developed it, the Luftwaffe initially overwhelmed the more conservative, outdated military aviation of other countries. Its leaders embraced such concepts as the dive-bomber, which proved both utterly devastating and extremely useful for supporting the sweeping, powerful movements of Blitzkrieg, while other martial establishments rejected dive-bombers as impractical or even impossible. Though the superb fighting qualities of highly trained and motivated German soldiers, and the Third Reich's technological superiority in tank and weapon design, also had crucial roles to play, the Luftwaffe represented the key element making the successes of all other branches possible.
Ultimately, the loss of the Luftwaffe's domination was due in most part to the efforts of Britain's Royal Air Force, which prevented Nazi Germany from conquering Britain on their own. The Battle of Britain, fought throughout the summer and early autumn of 1940, was unquestionably epic in scope. The largest air campaign in history at the time, the vaunted Nazi Luftwaffe sought to smash the RAF as a prelude to German invasion, leaving the British public and its pilots engaged in what they believed was a desperate fight for national survival. The fate of the free world, at least as Europe knew it, hung in the balance over the skies of Britain.
Of course, the RAF was instrumental in other ways during the war. The RAF supported Allied forces all over the world, from Norway to Burma to Tunisia, and the RAF conducted devastating bombing campaigns against German industry and cities. In the end, the Allies emerged victorious, even as Britain fell behind other leading nations in air technology.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJ. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle of Hamburger Hill: The History and Legacy of One of the Vietnam War's Most Controversial Battles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung: The Pioneering Lives and Works of History’s Most Influential Psychologists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo's First Prime Minister Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force
Related audiobooks
German and Allied Air Forces in World War I: The History and Legacy of the Rivals in the Sky during the Great War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Middle East in World War I: The History and Legacy of the Biggest Campaigns in the Great War’s Forgotten Theater Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMechanized Death: The History and Legacy of the First Machine Guns Used in War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNapoleon’s Worst Defeats: The History and Legacy of the Battles that Stalled France’s Expansion and Forced the Emperor’s Abdication Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlames in the Sky Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The History and Legacy of the Greatest Battles of the Napoleonic Wars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImperial Germany’s Invasions of France: The History of the German Invasions in the Franco-Prussian War and World War I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe First Battle of the Marne: The History and Legacy of the First Major Allied Victory in World War I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The First Battle of Heligoland Bight: The History and Legacy of the Royal Navy's Greatest Victory in World War I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe German Invasions of France during the World Wars: The History of Germany’s Campaigns in World War I and World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hurricats: The Incredible True Story of Britain's 'Kamikaze' Pilots of World War Tw Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Occupation and Liberation of France during World War II: The History of the Decisive Campaigns in 1940 and 1944 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStuG III Brigade 191, 1940-1945: The Buffalo Brigade in Action in the Balkans, Greece and from Moscow to Kursk and Sevastopol Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsErich Hartmann: The Life and Legacy of the Luftwaffe’s Top Fighter Ace during World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No End Save Victory Volume 2: Perspectives on World War II Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Battle of Monte Cassino: The History of the Battle for Rome during World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Otto Kretschmer: The Life of Germany's Highest Scoring U-Boat Commander Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Incredible Weapons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Marne: The History and Legacy of the Two Major Battles Fought along the Marne River during World War I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front, 1941-1942: Schwerpunkt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFallschirm-Panzer Division 'Hermann Göring': A History of the Luftwaffe's Only Armoured Division 1933-1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInstruments of Darkness: The History of Electronic Warfare, 1939-1945 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Tulip: The Life and Myth of Erich Hartmann, the World's Top Fighter Ace Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Battle of Cape Matapan: The History of the Biggest Naval Battle in the Mediterranean during World War II Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Wars & Military For You
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Five Rings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/577 Days of February: Living and Dying in Ukraine, Told by the Nation’s Own Journalists Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Palestine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diary of Anne Frank Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Watchmaker's Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kill Anything That Moves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Korean War: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unbroken Bonds of Battle: A Modern Warriors Book of Heroism, Patriotism, and Friendship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Founding Mothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America's First Black Generals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force
1 rating0 reviews