Degtev. Dmitry/Zubov, Dmitry Hitler's Air Bridges. The Luftwaffe's Supply Operations of the Second World War

Much has been written about the famous fighters and bombers of the Luftwaffe which proved so successful in the invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain and in the early operations in Eastern Europe. Little attention, however, has been focused on the Luftwaffes transport aircraft which played a vital role in supplying German forces in every theatre.
In early May 1940, the battle of Norway was nearing its climax, but General Eduard Dietls 3rd Jäger division was blocked by the Allies in the Narvik area. Only the Luftwaffe could provide effective assistance to the encircled troops. The special purpose groups KGr.zbV107 and KGr.zbV108 were ordered to supply the division by air. Transports delivered ammunition, food and even boots for German sailors who found themselves on land.
This was the first of a number of occasions in which the Luftwaffes transport Gruppen, often equipped with the slow, but reliable Junkers 52, created an "air bridge" to supply troops cut off or surrounded by the enemy. The transport Gruppen had previously been involved in supporting the advance of German forces during the Polish campaign, this being followed by the capture of Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Greece.
During Operation Barbarossa, German troops were dispersed over the vast expanses of Russia. It was a country without roads where the normal supply by trucks and trains to the troops was difficult and sometimes impossible. Often, it was only the Luftwaffes transport aircraft that kept the Germans fighting.
But with Hitlers insistence that there should be no retreat despite the overwhelming strength of the Soviet forces, his Germans armies found themselves surrounded and the Luftwaffe had to create air bridges to supply the beleaguered troops. Nowhere was this more evident than the Battle of Stalingrad, Göring having convinced Hitler that the Luftwaffe was capable of keeping the Sixth Army supplied.
As the war increasingly turned against the Third Reich, air bridges were vital in supporting and maintaining its garrisons in places such as Demyansk, Holm, Korsun, Budapest, Breslau and many others. "Hitlers Air Bridges" presents the story of the Luftwaffes transport Gruppen more extensively and in greater detail than ever before.

In practically all theatres of war and in numerous campaigns, the supply of German troops from the air played a not insignificant role. As the war increasingly turned against the German Reich, airlifts were crucial in supporting and maintaining garrisons in places such as Demjansk, Cholm, Korsun, Budapest, Breslau and many others. This book presents a more comprehensive and detailed history of the Luftwaffe's transport groups than ever before.