Air War Over the Atlantic

Late in 1938, the German Navy Supreme Command commissioned a report into the combat effectiveness of its airborne divisions. As a result of its findings, the German High Command instigated a major construction program for planes with a specifically maritime role; carrier-borne, reconnaissance, mine laying and most importantly, long range units were all developed. In Volume 21 of the Luftwaffe at war Series, Manfred Griehl showcases a photo-history of the development of the Kriegsmarine airborne capability, from the early Condor missions, to the introduction of Me 262 A-1a jet fighters in 1944. These previously unpublished pictures illustrate the gradual turning of the tide against Germany in the war for the skies over the Atlantic - as the German war machine struggled to match demand for aircraft, so the pilots attempting to control crucial supply routes struggled to compete with mounting allied technical and numerical superiority.