The Luftwaffe from 60,000 primary documents The biography of Field Marshal Erhard Milch, drawing upon his personal archive of correspondence and records to document the German air force from secret origins to final destruction. Hardcover edition.
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By David Irving | First published 1973 | Hardcover edition
Erhard Milch served Secretary for Aviation and Deputy Commander of the Luftwaffe, overseeing German air force expansion from a secret organisation of 4,000 men to a force of millions. This biography, first published in 1973, draws upon Milch's extensive personal papers—over 60,000 documents preserved despite Allied confiscation attempts.
The work traces the German air force from its clandestine origins through its zenith over Western Europe to its destruction in the final year of war. Through Milch's documentation, the study examines aircraft production decisions, strategic bombing debates, and the internal politics of Reich military leadership.
Milch preserved carbons of virtually all correspondence passing through his office. Irving gained access to this archive along with Luftwaffe operational records and documentation from Milch's post-war trial. The result is an institutional history of German air power documented from within.
Of particular interest to aviation historians, Luftwaffe researchers, and scholars of wartime industrial production. The primary source documentation makes this a documented study for German air force institutional history.
Hardcover binding with photographic plates. Built for institutional reference and private collection durability.
Published by Focal Point Publications.
Available in the public research corpus
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Author profile
David Irving is a renowned British historian and author of over 30 books. Known for his meticulous primary source research, he has spent decades in archives across the globe, unearthing diaries, documents, and first-hand accounts that have reshaped our understanding of the Second World War and its key figures.
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