What was the name of the German air force?

The German air force was called the Luftwaffe. The name means “air weapon” or “air force” in German, and it specifically refers in this context to the air-warfare branch of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht from 1935 to 1945.

The Luftwaffe was created openly after Adolf Hitler’s government rejected the military restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Germany had been forbidden from maintaining an air force, so pilots and aviation personnel had trained covertly or through civilian organizations during the interwar years.

The Luftwaffe played major roles in the invasions of Poland and France, the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, and the Eastern Front. Hermann Göring, a leading Nazi official and former World War I pilot, served as its commander for much of the war.

A common mix-up is confusing the Luftwaffe with the Wehrmacht. The Wehrmacht was Germany’s entire armed forces, while the Luftwaffe was one branch; the other major branches were the Heer, or army, and the Kriegsmarine, or navy. The historic Luftwaffe was disbanded after Germany’s defeat in 1945.