Blog - Air War Publications

The Liberator Debuts with the Mighty Eighth Air Force – 9 October 1942

by Andrew Arthy | Aug 17, 2020 | 9 October 1942 Raid on Lille, 93rd BG, B-24 Liberator, eArticles, Frontline, Pilots, Publications, Research, USAAF, USAAF Units, Western Front

The 93rd Bombardment Group (93rd BG) had the distinction of taking the Consolidated B-24 Liberator into combat with the Eighth Air Force on 9 October 1942, during a mission by 108 American heavy bombers against industrial targets in the French city of Lille. However,...

Interview with Doug Stankey

by Andrew Arthy | Aug 3, 2020 | A Little Bit of Everything, Books, Publications, Research

Earlier this year we posted our interview with long-time Luftwaffe researcher and author Larry deZeng. Now, we are happy to present our interview with his co-author, Canadian researcher Doug Stankey, who has also been studying different aspects of the Luftwaffe for...

The Weird Things You Come Across

by Adam Thompson | Jul 3, 2020 | A Little Bit of Everything, I. Jagdkorps, Jagdgeschwader 3, Jagdgeschwader 300, Jagdgeschwader 5, Jagdgeschwader 53, Research, Schlachtgeschwader 2

Invariably when researching any topic, you are bound to come across some oddities that remind you that the men and women whose lives you are looking into often were no different to ourselves. They had ordinary needs, sometimes made mistakes, or used their positions to...

Bf 110 gunner eArticle now available

by Adam Thompson | Jun 21, 2020 | A Little Bit of Everything, Bf 110, eArticles, Publications, Zerstörergeschwader 1

A portrait of Oberfeldwebel Martin Heinze wearing his awards. Our latest eArticle is now available, and it is a story about a category of Luftwaffe personnel that is often ignored: a gunner from a Zerstörergeschwader. It is called The Life of Martin Heinze - Stories...

How We Met

by Andrew Arthy | Jun 7, 2020 | A Little Bit of Everything, Publications, Research

Andrew and Morten, October 2006, prior to heading out to the annual Fliegertreff south of Köln, where they would meet Heribert Koller (JG 54), Gustav Drees (JG 54), Hugo Broch (JG 52), Günther Rall (JG 52) and a handful other interesting people. Thanks to Jan Bobek...

Otto Kittel eArticle available

by Andrew Arthy | May 22, 2020 | Aces, Bf 109, Courland, eArticles, Eastern Front, Fw 190, Jagdgeschwader 54, Kursk, Leningrad, Luftwaffe, Pilots, Publications

The latest Air War Publications eArticle to be released is Evgeny Velichko's biography of Jagdgeschwader 54's leading ace, Otto Kittel. Evgeny has done some extensive research into Kittel's life, and has produced a most interesting story. The article begins with...

The Crusader Project

by Andrew Arthy | May 13, 2020 | A Little Bit of Everything, Luftwaffe, North Africa, RAF, Regia Aeronautica, Research

An overview map of Operation CRUSADER, showing the confused early fighting, and the eventual Axis retreat across the desert. (Wikimedia Commons) Air War Publications has released several articles that feature the British Operation CRUSADER ground offensive in the...

Air War Courland – Writing has Begun!

by Andrew Arthy | May 2, 2020 | Courland, Eastern Front, Fw 190, Il-2 Sturmovik, Jagdgeschwader 54, Luftwaffe, Nahaufklärungsgruppe 5, Publications, Research, Schlachtgeschwader 3, VVS

Today we are happy to share some very exciting news: after eighteen years of research and material-gathering, Andrew started writing the Air War Courland book! It’s been a lengthy process to get to this point, involving a huge amount of research, many trips to...

Interview with Donald Caldwell

by Morten Jessen | Apr 23, 2020 | Books, D-Day, Fw 190, Jagdgeschwader 26, Luftwaffe, Pilots, Publications, Research, Western Front

Throughout the period the Air War Publications team has been researching and writing about Second World War aviation history, Donald Caldwell has been an established and respected researcher and author, who has helped us with information or photographs on several...

A Reluctant Airman eArticle available

by Adam Thompson | Apr 11, 2020 | 2.(H)/14, Bf 109, Bf 110, eArticles, Fi 156, Hs 126, Italy, Luftwaffe, Mediterranean, North Africa, Pilots, Publications, Research, Sicily, Western Front

Portrait of Günter Schultze-Quentell taken during his service with the German army before the Second World War. Hundreds of famous fighter aces, Stuka pilots and bomber leaders served in the Luftwaffe, but the vast majority of its flying personnel comprised anonymous...