Luftwaffe

The Luftwaffe was the German Air Force during the Third Reich. Unlike the German Army (Heer) and Navy (Kriegsmarine), it was created exclusively by the Nazi government in the 1930s. Since the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to have an air force and combat aircraft, the Third Reich disguised the emerging air force under civil sport gliders competitions, which was an excuse to train the future pilots. They would also make use of the Lufthansa airliner aircraft to train military pilots.

This is how the Nationalsocialistische Fliegerkorps, a civil flight group, was created in early 1930s. When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, he incorporated all existing aviation, ballooning and gliding clubs to the Flieggerkorps. Then he appointed Hermann Göring as chief of this organization. Next, he secretly signed contracts with big German aviation firms, such as Junkers, Messerschmitt, Heinkel, Henschel, and Arado. Many World War I ace pilots, such as Ernst Udet and Bruno Lörzer, also joined the Fliegerkorps.

By 1936, three combat aircraft were already part of the arsenal of the Third Reich, the Henschel Hs 123 and Hs 126, and the renowned Junkers Ju-87 Stuka. As they could no longer hide the new force, they officially called the Fliegerkorps "Luftwaffe", with Luft- meaning 'air', and -waffe, 'weapon'. In 1937, a new and more modern fighter would enter service, the Messerschmitt Bf 110, and the Bf 109, a fast and maneuverable fighter would immediately follow suit and become part of the Luftwaffe.

Luftwaffe in Action (Video)