History

The aircrew of a Heinkel 111 bomber look out on accompanying plane, circa 1940.

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It was also the official name for the Nazi air force founded in 1935. Led by Hermann Goering, it became the largest and most powerful in Europe by the start of World War Two.


Photo: The aircrew of a Heinkel 111 bomber look out on an accompanying plane, circa 1940. (Roger Viollet/Getty Images)

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The aircrew of a Heinkel 111 bomber look out on accompanying plane, circa 1940. Luftwaffe

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More information about: Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe (German pronunciation: [ˈlʊftvafə] ( listen)) is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.

Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air Force in German. Two other historic German air forces are the World War I-era Luftstreitkräfte of the era of the German Empire, and the Luftstreitkräfte der NVA in the GDR. The air force of Austria is called Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte.

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