Mitcham Jr, Samuel W. Eagles of the Third Reich: The Men Who Made the Luftwaffe. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1997.

ISBN 0-89141-621-8
356 pages

Acknowledgments; Introduction; photos; maps; orders of battle; Appendices; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Appendices: Table of Equivalent Ranks; Chain of Command of the Luftwaffe Aviation Units; Strengths of Luftwaffe Units; Glossary; Other Leading Luftwaffe Personalties.

This is a softcover reprint of the book originally entitled Men of the Luftwaffe.

Of the German Army, Navy, and Air Force, the Luftwaffe was by far the most thoroughly permeated with men who were early and devoted Nazis. Built up secretly by Hitler and Goering in defiance of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, positions of power and authority were initially filled with men chosen more for their political leanings -- and for being Goering's cohorts from the First World War -- than for competence. While the Luftwaffe was not without large numbers of highly skilled, professional officers, its highest leadership stands unrivaled in the Wehrmacht -- and probably in the entire war -- for drug addition, looting and high living, bitter infighting, utter failure, and suicide.

The author makes it clear in his Introduction that this is not so much a history of the Luftwaffe itself as a history of its leading officers. In this he succeeds admirably, in part because OKL and the upper echelon of air commanders provide such a fascinating cast of characters.

The entire tragi-comedy stems from Hermann Goering -- WWI flying ace, Hitler's closest crony, morphine addict, sybarite -- who was probably about as well-suited to lead the German air force as Amelia Earhart. From the high command reorganizations of 1937 and 1938 onward, the Luftwaffe's structure was completely unworkable and served only to provide multiple layers of scapegoats for Goering's inability and unwillingness to lead his branch of the armed forces. While the organization was unworkable, the men selected to fill the positions were all too often unsuitable.

Of Erhard Milch, State Secretary for Aviation, it was said "When Milch pisses, ice comes out." His father was Jewish, but Goering arranged falsified papers "proving" he was in reality the son of his mother's Aryan lover. Ruthless, shrewd, and ambitious, Milch clashed with everyone but was sufficiently competent to seize and retain power over many departments in both civil and military aviation. He eventually ran afoul of Goering, surreptitiously working for the Reichsmarschall's dismissal. In May 1944, with his influence waning, he took the brunt of Hitler's abuse over the Me-262's inability to carry bombs; now out of Hitler's favor, Goering began to strip Milch of all responsibilities. He was seriously injured in an auto accident in October 1944 and finally dismissed in January 1945.

Walter Wever, first chief of OKL, was a fervent Nazi who took Mein Kampf as his "strategic bible" and firmly believed that four-engined heavy bombers, rather than tactical airpower, would guarantee Germany's access to lebensraum in the east. Competent and skilled at working with all the competing factions in the Luftwaffe hierarchy, he was not much of a pilot and died in the crash of his He-70 during a flight to Berlin in 1936.

Wever was succeeded as chief of OKL by "Smiling" Albert Kesselring. Kesselring had in his youth acceded to a loveless arranged marriage and thereafter expended all his energies on his military career. He soon clashed with Milch and resigned, making his name during the war on the Russian Front and with his stubborn, inspired defense of Italy as overall commander of German forces there.

In 1936 Goering appointed his old flying buddy Ernst Udet to head the Luftwaffe Technical Office. Udet was utterly unsuited for the job and spent his days and nights, like his friend and mentor, with "wild parties, drunken sprees, drug abuse, and womanizing." Eventually he too became rivals with Milch. Development of new aircraft and technology was completely mismanaged. In November 1941, abandoned by his old chum Goering and acutely aware of the deficiencies of the air arm, Udet shot himself after scrawling on his wall "Iron Man [meaning Goering], you deserted me."

Hans Jeschonnek, appointed chief of OKL in 1938, opposed four-engine bombers and endorsed dive-bombing as the true calling of Luftwaffe aircraft. He feuded with Milch and, blindly obedient to the Fuehrer, failed to comprehend the growing dominance of Allied airpower and the need for increased production of German fighters. In August 1943 the Eighth Air Force penetrated deep into Germany and delivered a daylight blow at Schweinfurt and Regensburg. After a furious row with Goering, Jeschonnek shot himself, leaving a note saying "I can no longer work with the Reichsmarschall."

The first commander of the German Condor Legion in Spain during the Civil War was Hugo Sperrle. It is he who is credited with inventing terror bombing with his air attack on the Basque town of Guernica in 1937. This earned him promotion to command the 3rd Air Fleet, with which he remained for the rest of his career. Headquartered in France, he grew increasingly fond of fine food, gambling, and high living and at the same time increasingly disillusioned with his Luftwaffe superiors. With his dwindling air assets totally overwhelmed by the Allies, Sperrle was dismissed and disgraced in August 1944.

Sperrle's chief of staff in Spain was Wolfram von Richthofen, cousin of the Red Baron of WWI fame. With Sperrle he was largely responsible for developing the Luftwaffe's emphasis on tactical support of the army at the expense of strategic bombing, although it was his indiscriminate fire bombing of Warsaw in 1939 (in which incendiaries were scooped out of Ju-52s with potato shovels) that incurred the wrath of General Blaskowitz. He went on to command an air fleet and become a field marshal and one of Hitler's favorites. But as Germany's fortunes declined, so his star declined as it became more and more critical to divert aircraft production from ground support machines to fighters. Late in 1944, with his air command in Italy melted away, he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and retired, dying in July 1945.

After Jeschonnek's suicide Guenther Korten, a strong believer in strategic bombing and increased fighter protection for the Reich, advanced to chief of OKL. Less than a year later he was mortally wounded in the July 20th bomb plot.

Werner Kreipe followed Korten at OKL. Another Goering crony and veteran of the Beer Hall putsch, he was also another victim of growing Allied air superiority. In November, with German cities going up in flames, he was angrily dismissed by Hitler. Kreipe was succeeded in November 1944 by Karl Koller, who could do little more than watch the cities burn.

In April 1945, with Hitler isolated in Berlin, Goering radioed his intention to assume command of all Germany outside the pocket. He was at last dismissed by a raging Hitler who called for Robert von Greim to fly to the besieged capital. This he did in an incredible air journey with Hanna Reitsch, but suffering a serious wound to his foot from flak in the process. In the bunker he was promoted to command the Luftwaffe with rank of field marshal, then ordered to fly out and organize the air support for General Walter Wenck's "relief" of Berlin. Finally captured by the Allies, Greim committed suicide on 24 May 1945.

And the Fat Man himself? Amazingly, Goering in captivity regained his youthful vigor, lost considerable weight, and led an animated defense of himself during the Nuremburg war trials. There he was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. Not to be outdone by Udet, Jeschonnek, and Greim, he committed suicide on 15 October 1946.

The author provides full biographical details on all these characters and many more (such as Moelders, Galland, Rudel, Kammhuber, etc) and includes an appendix with biographical sketches of another three dozen Luftwaffe personalities.

Although somewhat derivative -- Mitcham tends to quote the opinions of David Irving and Matthew Cooper rather than offer his own critical analysis -- and perhaps overly reliant on the post-war texts prepared by Plocher, Suchenwirth, Drum, and the other captured officers under the auspices of the US Air Force, this is an interesting approach to the history of the Luftwaffe and worth reading. The antics of the generals are underlined with quotes and snippets of conversations alternately humorous, unbelievable, and chilling, and all the while the progress of the ongoing air war is described as the final doom draws inexorably near. Useful OBs and tables of aircraft strength, although many of these are taken directly from other readily available sources.

Available from mail order booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Presidio Press.

Thanks to Presidio for providing this review copy.