Bojová letadla Luftwaffe – Donald David (2014)

1939: When Hitler launched his "blitzkrieg" against European nations, the world was surprised by the number of technologically advanced aircraft available to the German Air Force, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, which outperformed similar machines of all opponents. Numerous fleets of robust and elegant Heinkels He 111 and Dornier Do17s began the devastation of armies and densely populated cities. The dive-bombing Junkers Ju 87s, with the wail of sirens, brought the enemy to its knees. Yet just six years earlier, the German war machine barely existed. The aircraft filling the skies over Europe were designed, tested, and produced by the Germans during one of the greatest revolutionary industrial expansions in history. From 1933 until the end of World War II, the German aviation industry held a significant place at the forefront of design skills and technical innovation, despite the interventions of politicians and the influence of wartime events. Several classic designs, such as the Focke-Wulf 190 and Junkers Ju 88, formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe throughout the war, evolving in such a way that the final variants were almost unrecognizable from the originals. However, truly revolutionary projects, such as the Messerschmitt Me 262 and 163, utilizing new...