The Luftwaffe^{[N 2]} was the aerial warfare branch of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. Germany's military air arms during the First World War, the Luftstreitkräfte of the Army and the Marine-Fliegerabteilung of the Navy, had been disbanded in 1920 as a result of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which stated that Germany was forbidden to have any air force.



During the interwar period, German pilots were trained secretly in

violation of the treaty. With the rise of the Nazi Party and the

repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, the Luftwaffe was established on

26 February 1935. The Luftwaffe‍ '​s Condor Legion fought during the Spanish Civil War,

the conflict became a testing ground for new doctrines and aircraft as a

result the Luftwaffe grew to become one of the most sophisticated,

technologically advanced and battle-experienced air forces in the world,

when war began in Europe in 1939.^[4] By the summer of 1939, the Luftwaffe had twenty-eight Geschwaders (wings)