"A distinguished and provocative book that makes a major contribution to the fields of air power history and German military history."—Dennis Showalter, author of Tannenburg: Clash of Empires

"A first-rate, convincing, and impeccably researched account of the forging of the Luftwaffe's operational doctrine that carried it through the opening campaigns of the Second World War."—Richard R. Muller, author of The German Air War in Russia

"A great achievement that impresses by the author's comprehensive grasp of his subject.—Horst Boog, editor of The Conduct of the Air War in the Second World War

"Against the dogma that the Luftwaffe was merely a 'tactical air force,' Corum provides some powerful arguments. His work is a necessary correction to the historical record."—Klaus A. Maier, coauthor of the multivolume Germany and the Second World War

"The best account of the development of the Luftwaffe's operational doctrine and theory to appear in any language."—Edward L. Homze, author of Arming the Luftwaffe: The Reich Air Ministry and the German Aircraft Industry

"This lucid and vigorously argued volume can be warmly recommended to everyone interested in the history of air power in the first half of the twentieth century."—Brian Bond, author of The Pursuit of Victory and War and Society in Europe, 1870-1970

Author Biography: James S. Corum is professor of comparative military studies at the School of Advanced Airpower Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base and the author of The Roots of Blitzkrieg: Hans von Seeckt and German Military Reform.