Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe (German: Air Force Literally "air gun") officially Deutsche Luftwaffe, Is the term generally used to designate the Air Force German since its creation (in 1935 by Adolf Hitler being led by Hermann Göring) And still used after WWII. Generally, the word Luftwaffe is not specific to a particular country, so being "Britische Luftwaffe" would mean "the British Air Force." The history of German military aviation forces began in 1910 with the establishment of air service and the army German Empire however was not continuous because Germany lost both world wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945). Therefore, Germany had no military air force between 1918 and 1935 and again between 1945 and 1956.

During the WWII, The Luftwaffe played a key role in the rapid achievement of Eastern Europe and Western, And the creation of the concept of Blitzkrieg. Later, despite his best efforts could not prevent the defeat of Germany, as the Luftwaffe fought on two fronts, and the lack of replacement aircraft, thanks to constant Allied bombing of German cities and factories, and fight an enemy with greater numerical strength.

Between 1956 and 1990 tere were two air forces in Germany, due to the rupture of two of Germany defeated in 1945. After reunification the Air Force East Germany was dissolved and its structure was built by the Luftwaffe. In 1999 at Kosovo, The Luftwaffe had noticed in his first action since the end of war WWII.

WWI
The forerunner of the Luftwaffe was founded in 1910 before the disruption of WWI and was used as an Army Air Service German Empire. The Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial Air Service). As the use of aircraft for military purposes was recent, this service was used primarily for reconnaissance and support the army on land, and before the plane, was used balloons for this purpose, as happened in Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).

During the WWI, the Air Service Imperial Army used a variety of aircraft ranging from fighters (manufactured by Albatros Flugzeugwerke and Fokker), Reconnaissance aircraft (Aviatik and DFW) and Bombers heavy (Gothaer Waggonfabrik, Zeppelin-Staaken).

However, the fighters received more attention in the annals of military aviation, since it produced "aces" as Manfred von Richthofen, Popularly known in English as Red Baron (Red Baron), and German as Der Rote Kampfflieger (flying red-warrior), and other great drivers such as Ernst Udet, Hermann Göring, Oswald Boelcke, Max Immelmann (The first airman to win the Pour le Mérite, The highest award of the German Empire), and Werner Voss. To improve German Navy and the German Army, was also used Airships for military and civilian targets in the bombing of France, Of Belgium and United Kingdom. All military aircraft and German Austro-Hungarian in service used the emblem Iron Cross until 1918, when it was replaced by Balkenkreuz, A Greek cross, black and white. After the war ended in German defeat, the service was dissolved completely under the conditions of Versailles Treaty, Which demanded that its planes were completely destroyed. As a result of this act, the Luftwaffe is not considered the oldest independent air force in the world, while the Royal Air Force of United Kingdom is older, having been founded in April 1 of 1918.

Period between the wars
Since the ban imposed on Germany by Versailles Treaty, was prohibited the formation of an air force, but the need to train pilots for a possible future war was great. So, training was done in secret initially using schools Civil Aviation. In order to train its pilots on most modern combat aircraft, Germany requested the help of USSR. A aerodrome Secret Training was established in Lipetsk in 1924 and operated for approximately nine years, using mostly Netherlands, Russian and Germans to be closed 1933.

This base was officially known as the 4th squadron of the 40th wing of the Red Army. In February 26 of 1935, Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring ordered to restore the Luftwaffe, breaking the Treaty of Versailles signed on 1919. Germany broke the treaty without the sanction of United Kingdom, Of France and League of Nations. However neither of the two nations, neither the League, did anything to oppose this or any other action that broke the predictions of the treaty. However, it is worth noting that before the official promulgation, the Luftwaffe was operating as a paramilitary force known as air Deutscher Luftverband (Union of the German air) and Ernst Udet as commander. Fritz Todt, The engineer who founded the Organisation Todt, Was appointed to the rank of General in the Luftwaffe. It was not, strictly speaking, an airman, although he had served in an observation squadron during WWI, Gaining Iron Cross. He died in an air strike in February 1942.

It is said that Hermann Göring personally chose an emblem for the Luftwaffe, which was different from that of other armed branches. The eagle, An old symbol of German Empire, Remained, but with a different posture. Göring refused the old heraldic eagle that seemed very stylized and static, and chose something else again, an eagle more natural and clearer, with wings spread in the position of the flight, which was more appropriate for an air force. Since 1933, when National Socialist Party of Hitler rose to power, the eagle held between his claws the symbol of the party, swastika, With two claws, while the Luftwaffe eagle held the swastika only with one claw while the other was bent in a threatening gesture.

The Luftwaffe had the ideal opportunity to test its pilots, aircraft and tactics in Spanish Civil War, when in July of 1936 Hitler orders the Legion Condor to General Francisco Franco, Spanish nationalist leader, to counter the Republicans and Communists. Modern machines included names which would become world famous: the dive bomber Junkers Ju 87, Better known as Stuka, and the hunting Messerschmitt Bf 109. A systematic bombing of cities during World War II came April of 1937, when a combined force of German bombers and Italian under Spanish command destroyed most of the national Basque town of Guernica, In Spain. This bombing was condemned by everybody, and the collective memory of the horror of the bombing of civilians has ever since become most acute via the famous painting, named after the city name, by the Cubist artist Pablo Picasso. Many feared that this would be the way that future air wars would be conducted, and since the Italian strategist, the general Giulio Douhet, Had formulated theories regarding what would be a "strategic bombing", the idea that wars would be won by striking the air in the heart of the industrial muscle of a nation, and thus demoralizing the civilian population to the point where the government of that nation would be forced to surrender.

WWII
Since its formation before the war, the Luftwaffe was one of the most modern air forces, more powerful and experienced in the world, dominating the skies over Europe with aircraft that were more advanced than their counterparts initials. The Luftwaffe was central to the doctrine of German Blitzkrieg, because the close air support provided by dive bombers Stuka overwhelming force and a fighter for the defense were the keys to several successes later. After Battle of Britain, however, the Luftwaffe went into a steady decline, gradual. By the end of the war the Luftwaffe was no longer a major factor, and despite the advances in the field of aviation as Me 262, Was weakened by shortages of fuel, by insufficient production capacity and lack of trained pilots.

Cold War
After the war, German aviation in general was cut severely, and military aviation was forbidden when the Luftwaffe was officially disbanded by the Allies in August of 1946. This changed when West Germany joined NATO in 1955, because the Western allies believe that Germany needed to have an air force in view of the growing military threat from USSR and its allies Warsaw Pact. Every plane continued to have Iron Cross the fuselage, inheritance from the days of WWI.

Many well-known fighter pilots, who had fought in the Luftwaffe in WWII, Joined the new Air Force post-war and underwent refresher training in USA before returning to West Germany. These included Erich Hartmann, The Luftwaffe pilot who shot down as many enemy planes (352), and other pilots as Gerhard Barkhorn (301) Günther Rall (275) and Johannes Steinhoff (176). Steinhoff, Suffered an air attack on a Messerschmitt Me 262 just before the war, which resulted in large scars on his face and other parts of your body. Josef Kammhuber also served with the post-war Luftwaffe, retiring in 1962 as Inspekteur der Bundesluftwaffe.