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Re: Luftwaffe Myths
Hello Ruy
more or less agree. One must anyway to remember that as a continental power Germany had excellent army and thanks to Prussian heritage excellent general staff from which also LW benefit.
On the other hand as a maritime power UK had excellent navy and one cannot built a good navy in couple of years and without it it would have been risky to invade UK. Airpower wasn’t able single-handedly to subdue a major power before the arrival of nuclear weapons. Of course it might have been possible to force UK to compromise peace but IMHO Churchill’s strategy was based on hope that in a long run USA or USSR or both would side UK and so UK’s side would win. Hitler saw this and this was one reason behind Barbarossa, besides the ideological and economic reasons.
One more thing, LW seemed to lack the singlemindness of RAF. BC boundered Germany years even if in times losses were prohibiting. During the BoB LW changed it's targeting often while trying to find the Achille's heel of UK. I'm not sure was the area bombing a right solution but at least BC understood that there was no easy way to subdue a major power.
Juha
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