Strategic Culture in the Luftwaffe – Did it Exist in World War II?

[Broncazonk]

Full academic research paper:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full...43042000344803

This work may create serious consternation with some...

Bronc

[Chris Goss]

Not an academic paper as such but an Advanced Staff College paper

[VtwinVince]

I started reading this thing, but it lost credibility with me when the author claimed that Luftwaffe flying leaders early in the war commanded from the comfort of headquarters. A ridiculous and erroneous statement, as evidenced by the fact that my uncle, and many of his colleagues, flew combat at an 'advanced' age and always led from the front.

[richdlc]

er, there's a strategic culture in all airforces surely

[MW Giles]

It is a meaningless concept, by this definition all organisations have a strategic culture

I would also suggest that each unit within an Air Force will also have a similar, but subtly different culture.

You may have the most brilliant strategic culture but will still fail miserably if you have worse aircraft, tactics or numbers

Utterly pointless

[edwest2]

The word Strategic in the title does not belong there. This is more like an anthropological study along the lines of 'Certain Lost Tribes of the Amazon: Their Leaders, Culture, Rituals, and Symbols with Related Commentary.'

It reduces the wartime Luftwaffe to a series of formulas and borders on the mathematical. A list of the activities of these people, read as inputs, and the results. It lacks sufficient examples to place all persons, events
and activities mentioned into meaningful contexts which would provide enough information to prove the writer's points/conclusions, and increase the knowledge of the reader. It has little evidentiary value.

To put it another way, it is a look back at the wartime Luftwaffe and how they failed at efficient business management.

[Broncazonk]

Agreed. Beyond a few interesting anecdotes:

Originally Posted by edwest2

It has little evidentiary value.

But, I would be interested in reading other Luftwaffe research if anyone has a link to it.

Bronc

[egbert]

The Jagdflieger had a love of good food and of quality wine and spirits. Whenever poor weather or the operational tempo permitted, pilots would frequent high quality restaurants, eat expensive local delicacies and drink the best alcohol available.
Many of the less successful ‘flirters’ used prostitutes as a source of entertainment........Contemporary German aircrew share many of their forefathers’ traits and characteristics

Well I am a former wing commander Lw and certainly address my RAF colleague as biased, unfair and not applying the principles of scientific work codes while on staff college. I have serious comments on every para I actually wanted to stop at first page when he states the Lw was founded in 1954 (it was actually Jan 1956). It is not worthy a wing commander RAF to blubber such sociopathy nonsense and claiming unproven, unfounded bs. Most likely he was an exchange pilot with a Lw unit and could not cope with the pace of life, thus-----revenge 2006.

[Chris Goss]

Dean is a Tornado Navigator and yes, did an exchange tour at Lechfeld. He is now an Air Cdre

[ChristianK]

I did stop after the first two paragraphs.

First, the author suggests that there was some official "Experten"-designation in the Luftwaffe, which is not true (and also: I encounter the "Experten"-term much much more in English-language publications than in contemporary German texts or documents. In German, "Experte" ("expert") is used in very much the same way and in the same instances as in the English language. There is no particular meaning to it in the context of the former Luftwaffe)


Secondly: "Legion Condor" is spelled wrong.


Thirdly: Hartmann was not credited with 354 victories, but with 352. Also, no mentioning of the debate concerning the validity of these numbers.


These three things alone in the first two paragraphs tell me everything about this article I need to know. I wonder if "Defence Studies" is peer-reviewed at all..