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Bob Carruthers

Der Adler was the official magazine of the Luftwaffe in World War II. In the years before Hitler declared war on America an English language edition of Der Adler costing eight cents was published and widely sold in the USA. The magazine was available on American news stands and the surviving English language editions provide readers who do not speak German with a fascinating primary source from inside the Third Reich. The magazine was at its best and most interesting during the years of German ascendancy between 1940 and 1942. From that point onwards the Luftwaffe had less and less to celebrate and Der Adler tended to concentrate on the exploits of the Luftwaffe ground forces especially the burgeoning Falshirmjaeger divisions. This selection of the best of the English language articles from Der Adler provides a privileged glimpse inside the Luftwaffe during its years of triumph between 1940 and 1942.

Pen & Sword Military

Luftwaffe in Combat 1939–45

Der Adler: The Official Nazi Luftwaffe Magazine: The English Language Editions

This WWII oral history tells the story of the Luftwaffe through the eyes of those who served in combat—illustrated with wartime propaganda.

 Drawing on extensive interviews with Luftwaffe, Emmy Award–winning historian Bob Carruthers traces its rise from the ashes of the Great War to its fearsome height and ultimate downfall. Here are the personal memories and perspectives of young volunteers seeking adventure who would soon face the grim realities of their service. Here too is the propaganda machine that glorified the Nazi cause and perpetuated the charade that this was a civilian undertaking.

 With vivid detail and revealing candor, readers experience how the stunning successes of the Blitzkrieg era are quickly overshadowed by the grim experiences of the Battle of Britain and the life-or-death fight for the skies over Germany. The book is illustrated throughout with extensive selections from Der Adler, the wartime Luftwaffe propaganda magazine.

Pen & Sword Aviation

Voices from the Luftwaffe