Aviation technology progressed by leaps and bounds during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Although much of this was due to advances in airframe design, much less appreciated is the role of aero engine development. This book focuses on this aspect, particularly German piston aero engine design and development, which has been generally under researched and under published compared to Allied piston aero engines. It covers key piston aero engines such as those produced by Daimler-Benz, BMW, and Junkers, as well as less well appreciated engines such as those produced by Siemens, Argus, and Hirth. It also covers turbojets and rockets, particularly the Junkers Jumo 004 and Walter 109-509 that powered the infamous Messerschmitt Me 262 and Me 163 jet and rocket fighters. Finally, the book concludes with tables comparing Allied and German piston engines, a glossary of key terms, and a bibliography....

Includes the Aerial Warfare In Europe During World War II illustrations pack with over 200 maps, plans, and photos. This book is a comprehensive analysis of an air force, the Luftwaffe, in World War II. It follows the Germans from their prewar preparations to their final defeat. There are many disturbing parallels with our current situation. I urge every student of military science to read it carefully. The lessons of the nature of warfare and the application of airpower can provide the guidance to develop our fighting forces and employment concepts to meet the significant challenges we are certain to face in the future.

Warfare in the first half of the 20th century was fundamentally and irrovocably altered by the birth and subsequent development of air power. This work assesses the role of air power in changing the face of battle on land and sea. Utilizing late-1990s research, the author demonstrates that the phenomenon of air power was both a cause and a crucial accelerating factor contributing to the theory and practice of total war. For instance, the expansion of warfare to the homefront was a direct result of bombing and indirectly due to the extent of national economic mobilization required to support first rate air power status. In addition, the move away from the principle of total war with the onset of the Cold War and the replacement of air power by ICBMs is thoroughly examined. This work should provide students of international history, war studies, defence and strategic studies with an insight into 20th-century warfare.

Book illustrated with photos and cutaways of all types of German aircraft form the Second World War.

There has not been an in-depth history of the Luftwaffe published for many years and and this scholarly one-volume survey of the history of the Luftwaffe will become the leading reference work on the subject. The author is a well-respected military, aviation and naval historian, who has been researching this subject for many years in order to bring the latest information on and analysis of the Luftwaffe together in this work of reference. The book covers the history, campaigns, strategies, commanders and personalities of the Luftwaffe in depth as well as looking at the aircraft, although it does not cover aircraft types in detail. It covers the following specific areas: the prewar development of the Luftwaffe from its beginnings in the early 1930s, the attack on Poland, 1939, the campaigns in the West, 1940, the Battle of Britain, the Mediterranean and North African campaigns up to 1942/3 and the Eastern Front to Stalingrad, the Eastern Front to the end of the war, the defence of the Reich, the war against Allied shipping and the last days of the war. This history of the Luftwaffe gives a fresh and detailed insight into the dramatic rise and fall of one the world's most formidable air forces. Alongside the detailed analysis of campaigns and strategies, the role of significant individuals in shaping the Luftwaffe's destiny is also followed so that human side of the story is given due prominence in this history.

This collection of essays reflects the proceedings of a 1991 conference on "The United States Air Force: Aerospace Challenges and Missions in the 1990s," sponsored by the USAF and Tufts University. The 20 contributors comment on the pivotal role of airpower in the war with Iraq and address issues and choices facing the USAF, such as the factors that are reshaping strategies and missions, the future role and structure of airpower as an element of US power projection, and the aerospace industry's views on what the Air Force of the future will set as its acquisition priorities and strategies. The authors agree that aerospace forces will be an essential and formidable tool in US security policies into the next century. The contributors include academics, high-level military leaders, government officials, journalists, and top executives from aerospace and defense contractors.