This remarkable work pulls the lid off one of the legendary air forces in history at the very peak of its power—unveiling the men and machines as they truly existed day-to-day, underneath the propaganda of their own regime and the scare stories of their enemies. In Hitler’s Germany, color photography was primarily co-opted for state purposes, such as the military publication Signal, or the Luftwaffe’s own magazine, Der Adler (Eagle). But a number of men had cameras of their own, and in this painstakingly acquired collection, originally published in France, we can witness true life on Germany’s airfields during the period of the Luftwaffe’s ascendancy. Thus not only do we see famous planes such as the Me-109, Ju-87 or He-111, but the wide variety of more obscure types with which the Germans began the war. The array of Arados, Dorniers, Heinkels—not to mention elegant 4-engine Condors—that were initially employed in the war are here in plain sight and full color, providing not only an insight into WWII history but a model maker’s dream. Just as fascinating are the shots of the airmen themselves, along with their ground crews—full of confidence and cheer as they bested every other air force in Europe during these years, with the single exception of the RAF’s Fighter Command in late-summer 1940. But that was no big stumbling block to the Luftwaffe, which had bigger fish to fry in Russia and North Africa the following year. In the authors’ next work, “The Years of Defeat,” we will see how the war turned more grim for the Luftwaffe, even as its expertise and skill at more deadly aircraft designs, increased. In “The Victory Years” we have a uniquely intimate view of an air force at the very apex of its capabilities. Table of Contents Introduction Part I The Pre-War Period Part II From Poland to Sitzkrieg Part III Blitzkrieg in the West Part IV The Battle of Britain and the Blitz PartV Marita and Merkur: Blitz in the Balkans Part VI Operation Barbarossa Part VII African Adventure and the Mediterranean Front Part VIII In the West Part IX The Second Line: Schools, Factories and Training "An amazing collection of brilliant colour photographs - there have been many part works of the second world war in colour, and there is colour footage on some of the archival newsreels, but this is first-class, and quite unexpected. The quality of the photography is quite stunning!” Books Monthly “...this is a super collection of images and a real pleasure to see them in colour rather than the more common black and white pictures from the period.” Military Modelling “This is a book to keep close to hand for reference, to dip into constantly.” Flightpath Magazine “Highly recommended to Luftwaffe modellers.” Air Modeller "Recommended reading for February 2017." All About History "This book is not only a valuable historical took for WWII historians but also essential for modelers who want to make their scale paint schemes as accurate as possible." Air Classics "I highly recommend Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years to anyone with an interest in the World War II German aircraft. The colour photos are a valuable modelling resource that will also help with the interpretation of black and white images of similar subjects…highly recommended." The Luftwaffe in Colour "This is an essential book to have on your shelf to use for Luftwaffe colour references." Model Builder International “This is a splendid book that gives a great look at history. A resource like this is a model-making hobbyist’s dream come true.” Toy Solder & Model Figure "The authors have done an outstanding job. Both volumes are a fantastic addition to your aviation library. The reproduction quality is superb...these two are up there with the best." War History Online “The colour photos are a valuable modelling resource that will also help with the interpretation of black and white images of similar subjects…highly recommended.” Reale Models "...the photo selections are quite numerous, and all presented in a nice bound format and on good quality gloss stock." Large Scale Planes Christophe Cony who lives in France is a well-respected World War II aviation historian who has worked on numerous books and magazine articles for the leading French military aviation publisher, Lela Press. He is the co-author of Luftwaffe in Colour Volume 1: The Victory Years 1939-1942 Born in Belgium in 1953, Jean-Louis Roba has a degree in law. Interested in history at an early age, he has met hundreds of Second World War veterans and amassed a large collection of personal accounts, documents and photographs. His numerous visits to archives worldwide have facilitated the writing of some 80 books on this period, mainly related to the war in the air. However, his interest is mainly focused on subjects that are not well known or rarely studied, such as the service history of the Me 323 transport aircraft, the history of JG 53, Beute or captured aircraft in