Customer Reviews

Luftwaffe: The Allied Intelligence Files

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It appears the the release of previously secret information from World War II will never end. In this book, the authors have examined the files of the British Air Intelligence (AI) for every scrap of information they could find on every airplane that the Germans had.

Then they organized this information so that each airplane has a chronological report of what the British learned, when, and from what source. The main sources are photo recon (PR), prisoner interrogation, and examination of crashed planes.

From a standpoint of studying the planes themselves, there are only a few tidbits of new data (and some of the things that the Brits learned were wrong and didn't show up until later). From the view of trying to see what the British were learning and how they learned it it is a fascinating piece of work.

It gives an insight into how intelligence is gathered. It makes it much easier to understand about how big intelligence lapses (Pearl Harbour, 9/11) can happen.

A specialized book, but very interesting.

Collaboratively researched and written by military historian Christopher Staerck and military aviation expert Paul Sinnott, Luftwaffe: The Allied Intelligence Files provides the reader with an amazing behind-the-scenes tour of the Allied intelligence service's struggle against the German air force in World War II. Drawing upon once-secret dossiers used to gauge enemy aircraft, and incorporating what is today known of the Luftwaffe, while utilizing black-and-white photographs of captured and deserted aircraft (including some never-before-published pictures), Luftwaffe additionally benefits from a straightforward and detailed narration. Presenting as it does the underside of one, critical piece of that global struggle, Luftwaffe is a very strongly recommended addition to World War II history and military aviation collections.

As a Luftwaffe enthusiast I greatly enjoyed this book. There's a lot of fresh information and photos I'd never seen before.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. As someone with a long time interest in the Luftwaffe this book adds a new angle. There's a lot of detail and photgraphs I hadn't seen anywhere else before. The intelligence histories take you back to WWII real time information.

Overall a fresh take on a fascinating subject.

The authors ask the reader to imagine working in the British Air Ministry during the war. The book then provides photos and drawings of specific German aircraft and brief bits of intelligence, each entry following the other in chronological order as new information became available, to piece together the development and use of the aircraft. The problem is the information was often fragmentary or incorrect, being limited to the time period in question. The book also gives a behind the scenes look at the way the Air Ministry collected intelligence. As a Luftwaffe enthusiast, I found a few obscure items worthy of note, such as the locations of crashed German aircraft. I don't believe the public would find this book interesting at all since much better books with accurate information have been published. And if you are interested in a specific aircraft, buy another book about it.