The Rise and Fall of the German Air Force (Air Ministry Pamphlet)

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

So the year (1969) is apparently set. But the people listed are the editors. Tantum was certainly not the author, since he was 18 years old in 1948.

[Nick Beale]

The National Archives lists “The Rise and Fall …” as file AIR 41/10, dated 1948. The catalogue notes that the 2001 book duplicates what is in that file.

[Andy Mitchell]

Andrey,

A pdf copy of the 1948 edition can be downloaded from the AHB.

https://www.raf.mod.uk/what-we-do/ou...rce-1933-1945/

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Hello Nick,

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

The catalogue notes that the 2001 book duplicates what is in that file.

Yes, the 2001 edition is an exact reprint. I bought the book as soon as it appeared on Amazon. But the catalog says about the 1969 edition. Was it freely available? And did it even exist?

Best regards,
Andrey

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by Andrey Kuznetsov

But the catalog says about the 1969 edition. Was it freely available? And did it even exist?

Hi Andrey,

Yes, I have a copy of the 1969 edition. Here are pictures of the cover and title page:




I also have a copy of the 1983 edition:




These two editions are essentially the same book, but with some minor differences:

• The 1983 edition has a new introduction by Air Commodore H.A. Probert, head of the RAF's Air Historical Branch.
• The 1983 edition is physically a bit larger but retains the exact same page layout, so the font is a bit bigger and more readable.
• Some of the maps in the 1983 edition are larger.
• Both contain the same number of photos and all the photo captions are the same, but the 1983 edition features different pictures of some subjects.

I don't have the 2001 edition, but I suspect it might have undergone some similar tweaking.

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter