A History of Luftwaffe Maritime Operations: Volume Two.
From Seaforth Publishing Information Sheet:
This is the second volume of Lawrence Paterson’s detailed account of all the Luftwaffe’s naval operations during World War II. The first volume took the story up to 1942, and by the end of that year Hermann Göring’s Reich Air Ministry had subsumed nearly every aspect of Wehrmacht maritime aviation. Kriegsmarine attempts to develop an independent Fleet Air Arm had been perpetually frustrated, reflecting the chaotic nature of the Third Reich’s internal military and political mechanics.
Driven more by vanity than operational prudence, the Luftwaffe had continually thwarted the advancement of maritime aviation, and by 1942 began to reap the whirlwind it had created. The U-boat war hung precariously in the balance, the lack of well trained and properly equipped aerial reconnaissance suddenly assuming greater importance than ever before. During 1943 the nature of Germany’s war mutated and by its close the Allies were on the offensive in nearly all theatres. This volume resumes the story with Operation Torch in November 1942, when Germany faced an Allied seaborne invasion of North Africa that it was ill-equipped to counter by land, sea or air; and the spectre of even greater invasion armadas loomed on both the southern and western fronts during the months that followed. Facing the Russians, maritime air units were stripped to the bone, those precious few formations available shunted rapidly between military crisis points until barely able to function. The rise of Luftwaffe maritime operations described in the author’s first volume now became, from the end of 1942 onwards, a fall of catastrophic proportions as frequently undertrained crews flew increasingly obsolete aircraft against odds that had become overwhelming. The Luftwaffe was paying the price for its pre-war lack of cohesive strategic planning, none more so than its beleaguered maritime specialists.
The author covers this story across all the theatres of the war and in doing so gives the reader a complete and coherent picture of all the Luftwaffe’s naval operations. Heavily illustrated throughout, this detailed and exciting narrative will be of huge appeal to both naval and aviation historians and enthusiasts.
Reviews
“This is a very detailed examination of a key part of the German war effort, with excellent material from both sides. We really get a feel for the human cost of the battles described here, both in the air and on the water, as well as the political arguments behind the scenes and the industrial and technical efforts that were made to try and improve the Luftwaffe’s increasingly desperate position.”
History of War
“The author’s research is undoubtedly impressive, and this book will appeal to anyone interested in maritime aviation. It is essentially a chronological history of German maritime aviation and it covers all German theatres of war. For people interested in maritime aviation, World War 2 aviation or just general aviation history this book is essential reading and it should be added to your personal library.”
Dr Stuart C Blank.
“This splendid volume includes a profusion of previously-unpublished photographs, e.g., pictures of Tirpitz’s Arado aircraft being stored in its on-board hangar. This is a book of great scholarship, packed with anecdote and supported with descriptions of the various aircraft mentioned in the text. A comprehensive bibliography and index are included. Together with its preceding volume on the earlier stages of the War, Lawrence Paterson has produced what must surely be the definitive history of Luftwaffe maritime operations.”
Society of Friends of the Fleet Air Arm Museum
“Heavily illustrated throughout, this detailed and exciting narrative will be of huge appeal to both naval and aviation historians and enthusiasts.”
Geoff Coughlin
Scale Modelling Now
“This is a fabulous book. Like its predecessor, it could really use a map or two, but this isn’t a deal-breaker. It complements the first volume well: there are clear themes running between the two books, broadly leaning towards failed relationships in the first and failed strategy in the second. Taken as a pair, they provide a thorough but readable account of the defeat of the Luftwaffe over the sea and expose the reasons – both human and technical – behind it.”
Reviewed by: Chris Melville
THE NAVAL REVIEW
