In the Skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939-1945 [Hardcover]

Hans Werner Neulen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1861263260 | ISBN-13: 978-1861263261 | Publication Date: August 3, 2000

During WWII the air forces and pilots of the countries allied to Germany played a greater role than historians concede. In this volume, the author has gathered an enormous amount of information on the air forces of eight countries and the various foreign airmen (including Russian) who fought with the Luftwaffe. Their operations, mostly carried out in conditions of numerical inferiority, their successes and failures, as well as the motivation of these aircrew and their often tragic fate are fully incorporated into this comprehensive account.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in 1948, Hans Werner Neulen is a lawyer and historian. In addition to numerous articles and contributions to books on general history and military history, he has written several books on the subject of the Third Reich and the Second World War. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Crowood (August 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861263260
• ISBN-13: 978-1861263261
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,535,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched, balanced study by a German author, March 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939-1945 (Hardcover)

Three parts to this book--(1) Major allies of the Germans (2) Smaller air forces (3) Individuals from other countries in Luftwaffe service. The opening of Eastern European archives allowed the author to give comprehensive coverage of air force histories and operations little known in the west. Interesting anecdotes from pilots. Balanced accounts--author gives credit where it is due, which is unusual for a German author. Good selection of photos. Well-rounded bibliography. I found the Italian contribution to Axis (and Allied) efforts the most interesting, especially raids on Gibraltar. Highly recommended study.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding work of military history, October 25, 2006

By 

S. M. Klauber "a history lover" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In the Skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939-1945 (Paperback)

This is a very readable, valuable, and insightful book. It is very well written (well-translated?), and covers a huge swath of miltary operations. I am amazed and impressed by the range of the author's knowledge, which goes from fascinating stories about Dutch or Estonian fliers with the Luftwaffe, to an excellent little discussion on Syrian- Iraqi operations (oh, how I love every opportunity to show how those Frogs jumped into bed with the Nazis). I was also impressed with how much use was made of obsolete biplanes in WWII, at least on the various Eastern Fronts. Where else could I have learned that it is the WWII Finnish Air Force that has the claim to the "all time" best record of any fighting air corps (I always assumed it was the Israelis). Makes me glad for the time I spent in Helsinki (a beautiful city).

Now, be warned, this is not for the casual WWII fan, and you should come to it with a good amount of knowledge on WWII aircraft & operations. But if you are up to speed on WWII air operations, this book is a must. Trust me- but this book. One little, little criticism. I loved the pictures, but given the number of aircraft types mentioned, even more would have been better.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent coverage of all European air forces allied to the Luftwaffe, January 28, 2010

By 

Walt (Syracuse, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: In the Skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939-1945 (Paperback)

The air forces of Italy (Regia Aeronautica and the ANR), Vichy France, Finland, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria are covered in detail. The Spanish, Estonian, Latvian and Russian formations that flew with the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front are described. There are sections on volunteers from Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands. A good bibliography and plenty of notes make it easy to track down other sources. Not covered are the air forces of Iraq, Japan, or Japanese allies and puppet states. With the low price and excellent readability, this is a great buy, packed with information. There are appendices on aces, aircraft production, etc.