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The first chapter is a recap of the history of and the rebuilding of the Luftwaffe. This is followed by chapters on the role of the Luftwaffe within the German Armed Forces, bomber pilots, fighter pilots, reconnaissance pilots, naval pilots, information about foreign air forces (England, Japan, USA, Italy), Paratrooper training, Flak artillery, the Luftwaffe Signal Corps, the Officer Corps of the Luftwaffe, Luftwaffe ground personnel, Air and Motorized Troops, Luftwaffe engineers, weather personnel and medical personnel, airplane weapons, the Luftwaffe Music Corps, the NSFK and Uniforms and Flags of the Luftwaffe.

Das Buch von der Luftwaffe (The Book of the Air Force) was assembled by Dr. Hans Eichelbaum, a Major in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Nazi Air Ministry) in Berlin. The foreword is by Hermann Göring, and he states that this book was published in the historic year in which the Führer reunited Volksgenossen, ethnic German people of Austria and the Sudetenland, with Nazi Germany. He notes the role the Luftwaffe played in that reunification in the spring of 1938, and that Das Buch von der Luftwaffe was produced to show the necessity of a strong Nazi Air Force to all Germans. A powerful Luftwaffe “that will help bring peace to Europe and the world.”

This is a Second Expanded edition of Das Buch von der Luftwaffe with 185 photos (printed on glossy paper) and with illustrations in the text. The first photo is of Adolf Hitler, Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring and Commander of the Air Force Instruction Troops, Generalmajor Dr. Helmuth Förster, a decorated World War I aviator (and future World War II general). Other pictures show formations of Stukas, fighter pilot crews, airplanes (on the ground and in action) such as the Do 17, Ju 86, Ju 87, He 111, Me 109, Hs 123, Me 110, He 112 and Do 18, Luftwaffe reconnaissance airplanes before take-off and in the clouds, ground crews processing reconnaissance photos (even a mobile dark room in the field), Nazi pilots with all their gear, Fallschirmjäger training, Flak troops and their equipment, radio troops and their equipment, the cockpit of a Ju 52, parts of onboard machine guns (even a MG camera!), miscellaneous bombs and their optical guiding systems, and many more photos not shown in other Third Reich and World War II Luftwaffe publications.

Shown left is a photo of Professor Messerschmitt congratulating famous test pilot Captain Fritz Wendel after his record flight in a Me 109 on 26 April 1939 as the “fastest man in the world” and, although not shown in our photos, the chapter on Luftwaffe uniforms and flags has eight pages of line illustrations on the subject.

This 320-page hardcover edition of Das Buch von der Luftwaffe was published by Verlagshaus Bong & Co. of Berlin in 1939 and measures 6-1/4 x 9-3/8 inches by 1-½ inches thick. It is complete and in very good condition with a the spine is tight and no odor. The 83 year old linen covers are somewhat faded but the rest of the book looks unread.