Dramatic story of World War II in the air How the U.S. built an air force of 2.3 million men after starting with 45,000 and defeated the world's best air force Vivid accounts of aerial combat Winner, 2011 San Diego Book Awards for Military & Politics In order to defeat Germany in World War II, the Allies needed to destroy the Third Reich's industry and invade its territory, but before they could effectively do either, they had to defeat the Luftwaffe, whose state-of-the-art aircraft and experienced pilots protected German industry and would batter any attempted invasion. This difficult task fell largely to the U.S., which, at the outset, lacked the necessary men, materiel, and training. Over the ensuing years, thanks to visionary leadership and diligent effort, the U.S. Army Air Force developed strategies and tactics and assembled a well-trained force that convincingly defeated the Luftwaffe.

The Life and Death of the Luftwaffe is the story of Germany’s bomber forces in World War II—the counterpart to the story of German fighter forces told by Adolf Galland in The First and the Last. Designated General of the Bombers—the highest post in the Luftwaffe bomber command—Werner Baumbach saw combat as a dive bomber pilot at Narvik and Dunkirk. Later he commanded the Luftwaffe forces in Norway, attacking Allied convoys on the Murmansk run, and led Germany’s bomber fleets on the Russian front and in the Mediterranean. An outspoken critic of the Luftwaffe blunders committed by Göring and Hitler, Baumbach was saved from dismissal only by his extraordinary record of leadership and courage. In The Life and Death of the Luftwaffe, he presents a rare inside view of German decisions and strategy, based on personal combat experience and official Luftwaffe files—from the blitzkrieg in Poland and the fall of France to the Battle of Britain, the siege of Stalingrad, and the collapse of German air power under the torrent of American bombing at the end of World War II.

Jay Stout breaks new ground in World War II aviation history with this gripping account of one of the war's most highly decorated American fighter groups.

The Accused: 13-year-old Derek King and his 12-year-old brother, Alex, Sunday school students with choirboy looks. After midnight on November 26, 2001, someone bludgeoned Terry King to death while he slept, and set his Florida home afire. By the time the firefighters extinguished the blaze, King's sons, Alex, 12, and Derek, 13, were at the home of their forty-year-old friend, Ricky Chavis, a convicted child-molester. By the next afternoon, following confessions, both boys were charged as adults in their father's slaying. Chavis was tried separately for the same crime-incredibly by the same attorney who would prosecute Alex and Derek, and argue two contradictory theories. The Victim: Their own father. When Alex divulged his sexual relationship with Chavis, the trial took a sensational turn. So did Alex and Derek, who recanted their confession and blamed Chavis to no avail. A jury convicted the boys of second-degree murder, but the judge threw the verdict out. Chavis was acquitted. But the case wasn't over. As more disturbing revelations came to light, as criminal motives became more complex, and as the line between guilt and innocence was crossed, a stunned nation watched in disbelief to learn the ultimate fate of the...Angels of Death.The Luftwaffe, the most feared weapon in Hitler’s arsenal, wrought havoc across the fields and skies of Europe. From the London blitz to the air war over Stalingrad, from the destruction of Rotterdam to the ruthless violation of the Maginot Line, World War II brought air warfare to new heights. Colorful, devious, and driven by dreams of glory, Hermann Goering was Hitler’s second-in-command and mastermind behind Germany’s deadliest war machine—the angels of death, the Luftwaffe. Here, is the story of the ultimate military campaign and its leader, Hermann Goering.

A history of Nazi Germany’s air force along with details of some of its most successful pilots. World War II’s air battles were fought ferociously and with extraordinary skill and courage on both fronts. The fighter pilots of Luftwaffe, the jagdflieger, in fact outscored their Allied counterparts by some margin and were some of the highest scoring fighter pilots of all time. More than a hundred recorded a century of aerial successes with two going on to surpass an astonishing 300 victories. In the end, the vast effort required by the Luftwaffe to maintain the air war on so many fronts proved too much. Few jagdflieger survived the last days of the Reich. But their ability was beyond question, and the names of some will live on in the annals of air warfare with their extraordinary achievements never to be surpassed. In Aces of the Luftwaffe, Peter Jacobs examines the many campaigns fought by the Luftwaffe, from its fledgling days during the Spanish Civil War to its last days defending the Reich, and recounts the exploits of Erich Hartmann, the highest scoring fighter pilot of all time; Hans-Joachim Marseille, the Star of Africa; Werner Mölders, the first recipient of the Diamonds; and Adolf Galland, perhaps the most famous of all.