Luftwaffe over America: The Secret Plans to Bomb the United States in World War II (Hardcover)

by Manfred Griehl (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Although the German Air Force of WWII, the Luftwaffe, was almost exclusively a battlefield air force, the historical footnote of German long-range, strategic aircraft is covered in a solid fashion by the prolific Griehl (Luftwaffe at War, etc.). The heart of the book is an accurate history of the development of a plethora of long-range experimental airplanes and the strategic policy decisions that drove this development, such as reconnaissance over the Atlantic Ocean and plans to bomb the U.S. Quotations from conferences of the Luftwaffe high command on the problems of aircraft development and plans for the air war highlight the story. Although few of the aircraft covered had any impact on the air war in Europe, they do make interesting reading as sidebars to the conflict and precursors of postwar developments in jet aircraft and rockets. The latter, such as the well-known V-1 and V-2, are given cursory treatment, but a chapter on ordnance and bombs has been included that nicely complements the aircraft featured. The unique characteristics and performance of the many aircraft covered—from the ME 264 long range bomber designed to bomb American industries to the Raumgleiter, a "rocket bomber" that would fly outside the earth’s atmosphere (a prescursor to America’s Space Shuttle)—are explained in simple terms, suitable for the non-specialist. Little combat action and few flying tales have been included; unusual aircraft are the thrust of the book.
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Product Description
The plans that Nazi Germany had to raid--and bomb--New York and the eastern seaboard are revealed in this book. They were based on the use of transoceanic aircraft planes, such as the six-engine JU 390, ME 264, or TA 400, but the Third Reich was unable to produce such machines in sufficient numbers. If the Soviet Union had been conquered, however, these plans would have become a reality. With the seizure of vital resources from the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht would have had enough fuel and material to mass-produce giant bomber aircraft. The collapse of the Wehrmacht infrastructure and the end of the Thousand-Year Reich ensured that plans for long-range remote-controlled missiles never got off the drawing board and were never manufactured. Manfried Griehl makes it clear that until the collapse, numerous secret research laboratories seemed to have worked in parallel seeking nuclear power and explosives. Only classified material held within British, French, and American archives can prove whether these groups were close to perfecting small atomic explosives. But, without a shadow of doubt, Germany was far more technologically advanced by the end of 1944 than has been previously suspected.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books; First edition (February 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760786976
• ISBN-13: 978-1853676086
• ASIN: 185367608X
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #411,436 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting and Well Written Book!, March 15, 2007

By	Gilberto Villahermosa - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This interesting and well written book examines developments in Nazi Germany to conduct a strategic bombing campaign against the United States following a successful invasion of the Soviet Union. Fortunately for the American people, the German invasion of Russia was not so successful. Had it been, Adolph Hitler would have had the resources available to produce enough long-range strategic bombers to pummel the American east coast.

The style of the book is a bit technologically oriented. Nonetheless, there is a great deal that the reader will find eye-opening.

First, are indications that the Nazis may have detonated two small atomic bombs late in the war, indicating that they were much further along in the development of atomic weapons than has been previously believed.

Certainly the portion of the book devoted to trans-Atlantic bombers is of tremendous interest, especially since the Third Reich's flying wings appear to be precursors of American Stealth aircraft.

The Germans also experimented with mid-air refueling for their bombers and the use of towed, winged fuel tanks.

I found the parts of the book devoted to submarine launched ballistic missiles and even submerged barge-launched ballistic missiles of particular interest, proving that there are few obstacles that human ingenuity and technology cannot overcome.

Finally, the author discusses the threat of Nazi weapons of mass destruction, especially chemical and biological weapons.

It is for good reason, then, that the Americans classified documents discussing all these developments for a period of 100 years following the Second World War.

Particularly disturbing were hints by the author that some of the German WWII underground facilities, which may have numbered in the several hundreds, were never found.

Could there be a Nazi flying wing, loaded with weapons of mass destruction, waiting in some long-forgotten underground hanger?

An interesting read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Look at Nazi Procurement Mess, May 1, 2006

By	Bonner '62 (Virginia) - See all my reviews

First off this is not a book about dangerous flights or shootouts with submarines on the high sea. It is a detailed look at the (thankfully) complex and ever changing priorities of the Nazi aviation R&D establishment. The Germans never bombed the East Coast because they could never decide what aircraft they should concentrate on. Land based or seaplane? Which model? Which engine to choose? None of them worked very well. What materials to use? They were making planes out of iron because they didn't have enough aluminum to go round. In the end the long range bombers were never a priority and none of the endless staff meetings came to anything. The book's text does not jump off the page at you but it is a good look into the inner workings of the German war machine.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why America Wasn't Bombed in WW2, January 9, 2007

By	Jersey Kid (Katy, Texas, America!) - See all my reviews

Manfred Griehl's 'Luftwaffe over America: The Secret Plans to Bomb the United States in World War II' is a well researched documentation of why and how the United States was not subjected to ongoing aerial attack by the Germans during World War Two. This inability on the part of the German war machine stands in stark contrast to US and British efforts both in the European and the Pacific theaters of war.

In point of fact, it is the Pacific analogy - included early efforts in 1943/1944 to bomd Japan from India and China - that is more similar to the challenge facing the Germans: development and production in meaningful quanitites of a long-range, multi-engine bomber with sufficient payload to daamge US industry and population centers. Flying from occupied Europe to England or England to Germany was one thing; flying thousands of miles across an ocean and back was another.

Author Griehl takes a year-by-year chronological appraoch to explaining why Germany was not able to achieve this critical piece of war-making capability. His analysis shows a plethora of reasons, ranging from strategic short-sightedness on the part of the Nazi leadership; battles between aircraft manufacturers over contracts that makes current lobbying int he US look like solidarity; a strong tendency toward poor aircraft design and the inability to produce reliable high-power aircraft engines like those of Rolls-Royce/Packard and Curtiss Wtight, for example.

Along the way, we learn about virtually all efforts at developing a strategic bombing component for the Luftwaffe. Actual aircraft such as the FW-200, HE-177, and the ME-264,among others, are discussed with candor. The book also addresses more heady R&D aircraft that were technologically beyond actualization at the time. As mentioned, Griehl also comments on the difficulties with prop and jet power plants and the somewhat more esoteric issue of weaponry.

Although his European style of writing and command of English is a little bumpy for the American reader, Griehl's work meets its objective on providing an accurate and objective desecription of the Nazi strategic bombing programs, as well as a primer on weapons program R&D activities.