The Luftwaffe

I read in German an article on the Luftwaffe of past and present. I learned that the Luftwaffe was not created until 1933 by Herman Göring, an ace from World War I. Speaking of aces, the most notable ace of Germany is the Red Baron or Manfred von Richthofen. The Red Baron is comically reproduced as Snoopy's enemy in cartoons. The first German air force was created in 1910 called the Luftstreitkräfte. This was nopt separate from the army and served as a reconnaissance role mostly.

However, when the Luftwaffe was established in 1933, this broke the Treaty of Versailles that had forbidden any military aviation in Germany from taking place. Little did the British and League of NAtions know that Germans had been secretly training combat pilots since 1920 with their future enemies the USSR out in Lipetsk. The Luftwaffe reached its fgull potential during World War II. The Luftwaffe was disbanded in 1946.

During the COld War, the Western Allies formed the German Federal AIr Force or the Bundesluftwaffe. This was a process in rebuilding the West German military back into near full strength which would not frighten France but would still protect itself if the USSR ever invaded.

The Luftwaffe is in use today in Germany and primarily enforces no-fly zones or strategic bombing for the United Nations or NATO.