In 1920, the German air service was dissolved in accordance with the terms of the post-World War One Versailles Treaty. Within just 13 years however, the Nazi regime had formed a new air force that would quickly become one of the most sophisticated in the world.
Here are 10 facts you may not have known about the Luftwaffe.
1. Hundreds of Luftwaffe pilots and personnel trained in the Soviet Union
Following the end of World War One and the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden from having an air force after 1920 (except for up to 100 seaplanes to work in minesweeping operations). Zeppelins, which had been used in World War One to bomb the UK, were also banned.
Therefore would-be military pilots had to train in secret. Initially this was done at German civil aviation schools, and only light training planes could be used to maintain the façade that the trainees were going to fly with civil airlines. Ultimately these proved insufficient training grounds for military purposes and Germany soon sought help from the Soviet Union, also isolated in Europe at the time.
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