CONTENTS Foreword Preface About the Author Chapter 1. The First Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff, Walther Wever Wever's Military Background Chief of the Air Command Office Chapter 2. Field Marshal Erhard Milch, State Secretary of Aviation Milch's Early Career Milch as State Secretary of Aviation Chapter 3. Ernst Udet, Chief of Luftwaffe Supply and Procurement Udet's Early Life and Character Chief of the Technical Office The Deterioration of German Air Armament under Udet Reorganization of Udet's Organization Udet's Death Chapter 4. Reichsmarschall Hermann W. Goering The Impact of Goering's Personality upon the Luftwaffe Goering and Hitler Goering's Waning Interest in Work Commander in Chief During Wartime Goering as Chief Legal Authority of the Luftwaffe Wrong Decisions and the Beginning of the End Goering Advises Against the Russian Campaign The Paladin Loses Hitler's Confidence The Decline of the Luftwaffe The Attempts to Overthrow Goering Goering's Overthrow Chapter 5. Hans Jeschonnek, Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff Jeschonnek's Early Life and Career A Youthful Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff Beau-Ideal of a Soldier, but a Mere Soldier Jeschonnek and Germany's Unready Air Arm Did Jeschonnek Inform Hitler about the Luftwaffe's Strength? Jeschonnek's Planning Staff Baptism of Fire War and Brilliant Successes Signs of Weakness Begin to Appear in the Luftwaffe A Farewell to Blitzes Did the General Staff Demand an Effective Strengthening of the Luftwaffe in 1940? A War of Attrition Sets in for the Luftwaffe The Last Chance for Recovery: A Reorganization of the Luftwaffe Germany's Last Great Hopes and Changes in the Fortunes of War Stalingrad Was Jeschonnek a Party to the Decision to Supply Stalingrad by Air? The Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff and the War in the East The Growing Threat to the Home Front Jeschonnek, Milch, and Goering Jeschonnek Between Hitler and Goering Jeschonnek's Suicide Jeschonnek's Memorandum A Child of His Times Footnotes Appendix List of Charts Charts Dr. Richard Suchenwirth, a well-known and somewhat controversial German and Austrian historian, author, teacher and lecturer, was born in Vienna in 1896. A lieutenant in World War I, he served as an aide to an Austrian general and learned much at firsthand concerning the problems of leadership.