In the first three years of World War II, the Luftwaffe was arguably the most important factor in Germany's success, serving as the advance force in the Blitzkrieg attacks. Essentially a succinct history of the Luftwaffe's combat operations, this insider's view of the organization draws from accounts by the pilots themselves, providing a unique perspective on German victories in Poland and France; the air force's astonishing defeat in the Battle of Britain; and late-war decline. Eye-opening in their own right, the book's 60 black and white illustrations are from Der Adler, the Luftwaffe's propaganda magazine.