BOOK REVIEW | Eagles Over the Sea 1935-1942 – A History of Luftwaffe Maritime Operations

The gestation period of Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe maritime arm effectively occurred during the Spanish Civil War as Germany co-operated with General Franco’s forces.

That experience led on to its ultimate use from the invasion of Poland in 1939 through to the end of 1942, the period covered in this book, the first of a two volume series. The Luftwaffe experienced strong rivalry from the Kriegsmarine but, probably due to Germany’s lack of aircraft carriers, remained very much an air force rather than a naval air arm.

Despite the usual bitter inter-service turbulence and poor senior leadership, that was common during the Third Reich, the Luftwaffe was remarkably effective in all theatres of the war in and around Europe.

As this very comprehensive book clearly reveals, the defeat of the Luftwaffe was almost as much the result of internal disputation as of the depredations of Allied air forces and navies.

A very detailed and most informative description of a very important aspect of World War II.

Author: Lawrence Paterson

Available from Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, UK.

Web: www.seaforthpublishing.com