Ian Allen Publishing Company (Midland)

Luftwaffe at War: Blitzkrieg in the West, 1939-1940

by  E.R. Hooten

Reviewed By  Brian Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $29.95 ISBN: 10: 1-85780-272-1, ISBN 13: 978-1-85780-272-6 Imported by Specialty Press (www.specialtypress.com) Luftwaffe at War, Volume 2: Blitzkrieg in the West 1939-1940 is the second in a series of what promises to be an excellent group of publications aimed not only at modelers but also at those students of history who are interested in finding out what actually happened, and why it happened that way. Although there is some information in the text useful to modelers, such as color profile drawings and photographs, the book's major value is its coverage of the campaigns immediately following the end of the attack on Poland in 1939 up until the eve of the Battle of Britain. Beginning with the Phony War, the text covers the occupation of Denmark, the campaign against Norway, the attacks on Belgium and Holland, and the invasion of France up until their capitulation. The main value of this type of account is in the descriptions of the people involved and how they reacted to the events. Their personalities were examined, and special emphasis has been placed on such issues as supply and logistics, signals, intelligence, and the function of close support aviation in the process of destroying the French as a military power. The result is a fascinating story that I found hard to put down. The descriptions are vivid, and the photos are new and unpublished. Little "cameo" sketches are given for the influential commanders, mainly but not entirely Luftwaffe, and excellently drawn color diagrams and maps outline the main attacks, showing the geographic features that were involved. Lists of statistical data and orders of battle are given repeatedly, and the work is extensively footnoted. The author, journalist E.R. Hooten, is a recognized expert in Luftwaffe history, and his extensive research shows through in his superb day-to-day account of Luftwaffe operations during this period. This is the most complete treatment of this subject that I have seen in a publication of this kind. I've read other books by this author, and his expertise is certainly impressive. I would highly recommend this book and series to anyone who is interested in a detailed account of Luftwaffe operations during World War II. I am anxious to see the next volumes. The books in this series can be ordered from www.specialtypress.com or by phone at 1-800-895-4585 and 651-277-1400, Mailing address is Specialty Press, 39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056. Thanks to Marie Norton at Specialty Press and John Noack for the review copy.

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