One of the most significant innovations in modern warfare has been the appearance and development of air power, a technology which demanded technical and financial investment on a whole new scale and which ultimately changed the fundamental nature of war itself. This book covers the history and development of the German air force from 1935 to 1945, with descriptions and illustrations of almost all of the Luftwaffe's airplanes, including fighters, jet fighters, dive-bombers, ground attackers, medium and heavy bombers, jet bombers, seaplanes, flying boats and carrier planes, transport and gliders, reconnaissance and training aircrafts, helicopters, and many futuristic projects and other rarities.

Much has been written about the Luftwaffe, but no aspect has been more controversial than the question of camouflage and markings of the aircraft. Here, author Michael Ullmann follows the development and use of many colors and establishes the links betwen the then-standard RAL colors and those adopted by the German Air Ministry. He reveals how and why these finishes were developed and applied to both military and Lufthansa aircraft. Supplemented by more than 300 photographs, drawings, detailed color aircraft profiles, and a highly accurate chart of real paint chips, Luftwaffe Colours 1935-1945 presents a remarkable insight into the art of World War II German camouflage markings.

This latest two-part work provides a study of another significant arm of the Luftwaffe, the Aufklarungsflieger or reconnaissance units. Although such operations are sometimes erroneously perceived as being of secondary importance due to their lack of offensive function, the Luftwaffe was very advanced in understanding the benefits of reconnaissance. In fact no single arm of the Luftwaffe operated at such a wide number of aircraft types and many of the operations conducted by the Aufklarungsflieger units were of vital importance. This first volume will cover the aircraft and operations of the reconnaissance units from their origins in clandestine survey and photographic work over Poland and the United Kingdom in the late 1930s through to their first operational use during the Spanish Civil War. They were active in the skies across Europe, from Poland in the east to Britain in the west. They also played their part in the invasions of the Balkans and Russia. On the Russian and Mediterranean fronts, short-range reconnaissance usually involved low-level missions over enemy territory using the Fieseler Fi156 Storch and Hs126 biplanes, though Bf109s and Fw190s were also employed on such activities. Also included in this book will be an overview of the related "Wekusta" or weather reconnaissance units, responsible for the collection of meteorological data where, because of the proximity of the enemy, normal land-based observation was not available. These units were assigned directly to the Meteorological Service of the Luftwaffe High Command and were considered very valuable assets.

This eagerly awaited companion volume to the enormously popular volume on fighters looks at the might-have-been strategic German bombers. Filled with transatlantic jets and projects that were on the drawing board or in prototype form at the war's end. Full color action illustrations in contemporary markings and performance data tables show vividly what might have been achieved had the war continued beyond 1945.

8= x 11 150 b&w photos 110 color illustrations The two previous volumes in this hugely popular series have covered Fighters 1939-1945 and Strategic Bombers 1935-1945. This new addition takes a close look at a varied range of aircraft types, principally described as ground-attack and special-purpose types, but which includes Kampfzerstvrer (multi-purpose combat aircraft), multi-purpose and fast bombers, explosive-carrying aircraft intended to attack other aircraft, air-to-air ramming vehicles, bomb-carrying gliders and towed fighters, and airborne weapons and special devices (rockets, cannons, flame-throwers, etc.) As in the first two volumes, the technical descriptions and histories of about 140 aircraft types are brought to life by many specially created full-color artworks, showing the projects, often in unit markings, as they might have appeared if they had come to fruition and/or if the war had continued beyond 1945. This series has proven indispensable for historians and notably for modelers, whose imaginations are fired up by these revelations.

An insightful and informative new study of the maritime aircraft and operations of the Luftwaffe during World War Two.

A comprehensive survey of the interiors of German fighters and rocket intereceptors of WW2. Instruments, gun sights, weapons, engines and crew stations are shown in detail.