Germany's Air Force (1935)
First Edition of Germany's Air Force, 1935,
A Prescient Warning About the Threat Posed by
Germany's Air Force to the Rest of Europe
Lehmann-Russbueldt, Otto. Germany's Air Force. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1935.
Octavo. Paper Wrappers. 1st Edition.
First edition of this insightful warning about the threat of the German Air Force, written just a few years before the Nazi conquest of Europe. Written years before Nazi Germany would begin conquering Europe, Germany's Air Force shows the threat presented by German rearmament in the aviation sphere. German pacifist and activist Lehmann-Russbueldt worried that the Luftwaffe's air superiority would eventually prove devastating to the rest of Europe. At the time, Germany was spending 10% of its GDP on war aviation and anti-aircraft technology and manufacturing. Lehmann-Russbueldt also notes German interest in poison gas and bacterial warfare--methods that were heavily used against the Jewish population and could have been used more extensively elsewhere had Germany won the war. Lehmann-Russbueldt's concerns about German air militarization would ultimately be validated when the Blitz laid waste to cities across the United Kingdom. Withdrawal stamp and shelf markings from the Imperial War Museum, UK. Slight foxing to edges of text block and endpapers, a few spots of soiling and minor wear to wrappers, a bit of toning to spine. A rare copy in near-fine condition.