Luftwaffe referred to the German aircraft prior to and during the Second World War. The word “luftwaffe” in German means “air-force or air weapon.” History shows that German military aviation forces commenced in 1910 with the inception of Imperial German Army Air Service. However Germany was in dearth of military air force between 1918 and 1935 and between 1945 and 1956, because of the failure in both the World Wars.

In the period 1939-1940, The Luftwaffe aided German military Airforce to conquer Eastern and Western Europe but failed to take control of the British skies. Despite every strategy put into use by the Luftwaffe, it could not prevent the defeat of Germany by the bombing of allied nations in the German cities and factories. The English bombers and the Soviet Aircraft proved to be too strong for the Luftwaffe. However the German Airforce is credited with launching the world’s first jet fighter and the world’s first and only rocket-propelled fighter during the war. The German Air Force was also split following the division of Germany after the World War II.

The Luftwaffe has been seen after a long time since the end of World War in Kosovo in the year 1999. The Deutsche Luftwaffe means “German Air-force.” However the word Luftwaffe is not confined to a particular country. For example, “Britische Luftwaffe" means “British Air Force.”