Figure 1.--This German boy wears a Luftwaffe uniform. The lack of insignias suggests that he is a new recruit. He looks very young to be in the Luftwaffe, suggesting the photograph was taken late in the War.

Personnel was a major issue with the Luftwaffe. The problem was partially solved by the outset of the War by the the Hitler Youth Air Flieger program. Thus acquainted large numbers of young men with the basics of aeronautics. this created a pool of talent that could be utilized for pilot training. Luftwaffe pilots were very good. Luftwaffe Experten (aces) racked up amazing kill tallies, largely in the East. Pilots would be the major problem that Dowding had in the Battle of Britain. He had the planes he needed and Britain by mid-1940 was producing more aircraft than the Germans. The problem was a shortage of pilots. The Luftwaffe had trained more pilots in the pre-War era than the British. An hey gained paractuical expperience in Spain (1936-39). Hitler and Göring had, however, not planned for a long draining war of attrition. America and Britain launched massive training programs while the Germans did not. In addition the Germans had to cut back on the training program, in part bcause of fuel shortages. So a the War progressed the Allies were increasingly facing ill-prepared Luftwaffe pilots flying planes that were falling behind the technology curve. We have little information about Soviet training, but note that when the Luftwaffe destroyed the Red Air Force at the onset of Barbarossa (June 1941), it was largely on the ground. Which meant that relatively few pilots were lost. But personnel was not just the glamorous pilots. Ground technicians were a major part of any air force effectiveness. Planes off-line was the same as not having them. Here the Germans was at an an advantage because Germany was not a higlhy mechanized country, unpromising for a country know fir its manufacturing. Very few Germans owned cars in the city nor were trucks as common in Germany. And very few farmers had tractors or other motor vehicles. This mean that there wee a shortage of men with the skills needed for maintenance and repair. Perhaps this explains while even minor repairs were done in forward air bases, but sent back to the factories in the Reich. In addition there was a lot of personnel in non aviation areas. here was even a Luftwaffe Panzer division--The Herman Göring Division. As well as extensive personnel devoted to base security, anti-aircraft batteries, and radar forward warning systems.

Created: 2:08 PM 8/21/2024
Last updated: 2:09 PM 8/21/2024