The Death of Göring and the Victory of the Luftwaffe

[Mr.Bluenote]

After our discussions in the Could Germanny Win WW2 and Top Nazis Killed threads, I thought a bit further on my ideas for a PoD involving Der Dickes premature (in some ways ) death!

Hermann Göring played an essential role in bringing Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP to power. Ironically he is also one of two people, Hitler being the other, who indirectly brought about the downfall of the Nazi regime as he mismanaged Lufwaffe, stole everything that wasn’t bolted down, played destructive political games, did drugs and what not….

Now, what would happen if we remove Göring in late 1935, say, december 20th?! It’s late enough to ensure that Hitler is in power and has a relative stable hold on Germany and the Wehrmacht, but not to late for a lot of things to change! Who would lead the Luftwaffe? Who would be Reichs Luftminister? I btw can’t see the two positions going to the same man again. Who would be President of the Richstag? Ministerpresident of Prussia? Take charge of the Four Year plan? What would happen to the Gestapo? Would they still end up as part of the SS with nearly no restrictions on their use of power?

My view is, that politically and militarily history would more or less run its course up to Czechosloawakia in the grander scheme of things. If Hitler succeeds with his Czechoslawakian gamble, which he might be able to pull it off as OTL, I think, he would decide that he needed to replace some Generals - them not being bloodthirsty enough -, not earlier as in ATL. The Generals might actually unintendedly secure Hitler between Görinsg death and Czechoslowakia as they generally were notoriously conservative and loyal!

Any other comment? I have most of a TL fleshed out, but would like some comments first!

Best regards and all!

- Mr.Bluenote.

[Roland Wolf]

The logical persons to lead the Luftwaffe were either Milch or General Weaver. Milch was a far more practical figure than Goering but Weaver would have been much better. He was pushing for a strategic arm of the Luftwaffe, being behind the Programms that lead to the J89 Bomber.
He would also have cooperated far better with the Navy than Goering ("All what flies belongs to me") A combo of long range bombers and recon planes could have helped the Submarines a lot.
The procurement of the Lufwaffe, especially in the latter days of the war, were a mess too. The Luftwaffe pushed relative loosers (Like the HE 177) ignoring far better proposals (like the HE277, the 4-engined version) and kept obsolecent designs (like the ME109) in service far too long.
All acounts of Weaver (who dies in a flying accident before the war-if he replaces Goering he is less likly to do so) make him out a professional which would not have such mistakes. If he could have kept Hitlers favour for a long time is a different story,.

[Dave Howery]

not to mention that Goering, when the Luftwaffe began to shrink, took the extra men he had standing around and turned them into infantry units, which siphoned away equipment and officers from the Wehrmacht. These units mostly performed dreadfully in combat. If Goering hadn't been around, these extra men would likely have gone straight to the army, although it wouldn't make that much difference in the end....

[Mr.Bluenote]

I can’t complain I’ve made myself a name
I have watched the cities riot
I have seen nations fall
And I have denied my God
While you misled us all
- Pretty Maids, Snake in Eden.

I can’t complain I’ve made myself a name
And all I really want is five minuttes of fame
Some material wealth and a life in good health
'Cos all I really care about is myself!
- Claw Finger, Pay the Bill.

The Luftwaffe – German Air Force - was officialley formed in May of 1935, eventhough it had existed in some form more or less since being banned by the Versailles Treaty as first Freikorps air formations, then later glider plane pirvate clubs and finally as part of a secret setup in the Soviet Union. However, with the enactment of the Law for the Reconstruction of the National Defense Forces, Luftwaffe was officially born together with a standing German army - Heer - and a navy - Kriegsmarine. Hitler’s close ally and stout supporter, WWI fighter ace, Hermann Göring was the mastermind behind the new air force and also served as its head as well as Minister of the civilian Reichsluftfahrtministerium - Reichs Air Ministry. Göring’s influence secured the Luftwaffe massive political backing and lots of resources in its early days.

In late 1935, only some six months after being appointed the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring, who also served as President of the Reichstag and Prime Minister of Prussia, died as a result of the injuries sustained in a tragic trafic accident, where an Opel lorry carrying pigs for slaughter rammed Göring’s Mercedes.

The German Führer, Adolf Hitler, spoke at Göring‘s funeral: “In this sad hour it is very hard for me to think of a man whose deeds speak louder and more impressively than words can do. When we received the terrible news of the misfortune, to which our dear old comrade, General Göring, had fallen victim, many million Germans had the same feeling of emptiness which always occurs when an irreplaceable man is taken from his fellow men! However, the whole German nation knows that the death of this man means an irreplaceable loss for us. It is not only the creative personality which was taken from us, but it is also the loyal man and unforgettable comrade, whose departure touches us so deeply!� Göring’s funeral was as lawish as the dead man’s own lifestyle had been and a testemony to the skills of the organizer, Albert Speer.

The fledgling Luftwaffe’s Chef der Generalstabes der Luftwaffe - Chief of Staff -, Walther Wever, an extremely capable and innovative officer, who once had served in the Heer and as Ludendorff’s adjutant in the Great War, was soon anounced the new Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe - head of the Luftwaffe. Blomberg once said he lost a future C-in-C of the Army when Generalleutnant - Lt.General - Wever began his new career in the Luftwaffe.
General der Luftwaffe - Air General - Albert Kesselring became the new Chief of Staff, while the able administrator, Erhard Milch, became Reichsminister der Luftfahrt – Air Minster- and thus in charge of the civilan side of the German aviation bureaucracy, the Luftwaffe Air Ministry, and amongst other things responsible for air craft production and design.
Wever and Milch respectively cleaned out their two intertwined organizations and was responsible for organizing the rapid build-up of the aircraft industry and training of pilots. Wever, Milch and their advisors soon begun to build a truly modern and balanced air force with focus on air supremacy, interdiction, ground support and strategic bombing in the that order.

On the political front, men like Himmler, Hess, Goebbels, Bormann, Funk and Schacht fought over the remains of the deceased Göring’s political domain. Walther Funk, as Chief Plenipotentiary for Economics, and Hjalmar Schact, as Minister of Economics, President of the Reichsbank and General Plenipotentiary for the War Economy, emerged with near total control over the German economy, while Hess became President of the Reichstag, Joseph Goebbels got to be Prime Minister of Prussia, while Heinrich Himmler was made chief of all German police and security forces and Martin Bormann, the Reichsleiter of the NSDAP and Rudolf Hess’ private secretary, got the Four Year Plan office, which in itself was now subsequent to Hjamar Schacht. Together with Wilhelm Frick, the Minister of the Interior, Goebbles and Himmler would enact the infamous Nurenberg Laws and other anti-semitic laws that in the end would lead to the system of concentration camps which claimed nearly 3 million lives as the inmates worked themselves to death in the service of an ungratefull nation.

[Mr.Bluenote]

Thanks for your feedback and comments guys!

I hope to post a ATL up to and including the Battle of Britain based on this PoD! What do you say? Good idea? Bad idea?

Best regards!

- Mr.Bluenote.

[LordKalvan]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bluenote

Thanks for your feedback and comments guys!

I hope to post a ATL up to and including the Battle of Britain based on this PoD! What do you say? Good idea? Bad idea?

Best regards!

- Mr.Bluenote.

Good idea, Mr. Bluenote.
I always like your TLs.
Actually, I was looking forward to a sequel of Italia Eterna but also this one will do

[Mr.Bluenote]

Originally Posted by LordKalvan

Good idea, Mr. Bluenote. I always like your TLs.

Thank you very much, your lordship! It's good to hear!

Originally Posted by LordKalvan

Actually, I was looking forward to a sequel of Italia Eterna but also this one will do

Yeees, but I kinda ran out of steam with the IETL, but I will finish it soner or later (likewise with the Brits in Space-thingie)! The next Italia Eterna-post is nearly done, so it shouldn't take more than 6 months or so!

My regards!

- Mr.B.

[Redbeard]

Good and interesting TL, but (he-he) do we "risk" that without Göring the Luftwaffe never gets the prominent position the German warmachine it had OTL? Not only regarding resources and political power to override the other services, but it also appears like Göring had an important role in making everybody believe the Luftwaffe was much bigger and more powerful than it really was.

So, even if Luftwaffe by 1940 would not do the mistakes of OTL, it would perhaps never come to a WWII if the French and British in 1938 or 39 has a more accurate image of the Luftwaffe.

Regards

Steffen Redbeard

[Mr.Bluenote]

Weapons of war
You’re the fuel to the fire
You’re the weapons of war
You’re the irony of justice
And the father of law.
- Stone Temple Pilots, Naked Sunday.

The city is closing in on him
And everywhere’s getting smaller
And smaller
And his fingers are getting itchy.....!
– Space, 2 Mister Psycho.

Wever and Milch went about to create a powerfull fighter arm, under Air Generals Hans Jeschonnek and Ernest Udet, that consisted of Me-109 fighters, a strong tactical arm, under Generaloberst Otto Rudel and Air General Hugo Sperrle, that consisted mainly of Ju-87 dive bombers for ground support and He-111 bombers for ordinary tactical attacks and finally a relatively weak strategic bomber force, under Air General Robert Ritter von Greim, that was made up by Do-19 heavy bombers.

Wever and Milch had to make some tough choices in regards to the hasty re-building of a German air force. Without the the political clout of the former boss, they ran into a lot of trouble getting sufficient resources as Schact, as Minister of Economics and General Plenipotentiary for the War, and to a somewhat lesser degree the Chief Plenipotentiary for Economics , Funk, was increasingly against spending absurd amounts of hard-earned Reichsmarks on weapons and the Wehrmacht in general. Strangely enough, the ambitious and generally disliked Chief of the Four Year plan, Reichsleiter of the NSDAP, Martin Bormann, came to their aid and secured the Luftwaffe a decent flow of much needed resources. Later this initial scarceness of resources and means would benefit the duo in charge of the German air force and industry as they learned to do things the most efficient way! As it was Wever and Milch focused nearly entirley on four designs and did their best to streamline the production of these!
Likewise did the trouble with funding help to iron out the differences between Wever, Kesselring and some of the other high ranking officers in regards to strategies and furture goals for the re-surgent Luftwaffe. As it was clear that the Luftwaffe couldn’t do it all, so to speak, it was decided to focus on gaining air superiority and the means to achive that – fighters! Eventhough Hitler and some of the Generals were furious, Wever and Milch held their gound.

The Me-109 was to become one of the best known German fighters because of its early successes in Spain, Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Low Countries, France and especially over Britain. The Me-109 was the backbone of the German fighter command and ruled the skies over Europe from 1938 to late 1940 – where it began to be replaced by the truly deadly FW-190 -, as the German Führer, Adolf Hitler, spread Nazism across the continent of Europe by the force of arms.
The Me-109 was designed by Willie Messerschmitt in 1934 and was first flown in September 1935. In July 1938, the firm that initiated the design - Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG -, was redesignated Messerschmitt AG, so the plane often carried the prefix "Bf" instead of "Me".
In Oberkommando Luft – OKL -, Luftwaffes supreme command, it was from an early stage clear, that the Me-109 had one serious flaw, or more to the point, an Achilles heel; it was very short ranged. In the Spanish Civil War its short range prevented the Me-109 from escorting Luftwaffe bombers, thus contributing the some rather heavy losses among the new Dornier Do-19 four engine heavy bombers that Wever had been a proponent for. The problem was, however, quite cleverly solved with the application of drop tanks – ejectable, aerodynamic fuel containers strapped under the wings of the fighters.
The Me-109s earned the respect of Germany's enemies in every theater of conflict and were greatly feared by the pilots of RAF’s Fighter Command during the Battle for France and later that of Britain itself.

Another of the famous early Luftwaffe designs originated in 1935 and would be one of the leaders of Luftwaffes darlings for years to come. The Junkers Ju-87 Sturzkampfflugzeug – dive bomber -, or Stuka as it was generally called, would become synonymous with the great successes of the Luftwaffe.
The Stuka proved extremely successful in the Spanish Civil War as flying artillery with nearly pin-point accuracy. Stuka’s could dive into a near-vertical dive over its targets and hit them with godlike accuracy time after time, doing as much damage to morale as material. This ability combined with the nerve-wrecking howl of its build-in sirens, made the Stuka as much a destroyer of morale as of material things.
As long as total air supremacy was secured, the Ju-87 would be a formidable plane, but in a contested sky it would prove a death trap. The Stuka got updated several times during the War and continued to serve untill the end of hostilities in 1947.

The third of Lufwaffe’s core designs was the Heinkel He-111. It was originally designed for civilian use in Lufthansa, but had nonetheless provisions for three gun positions and a 1,000kg bomb load. Early versions featured a conventional cockpit and nose section and were used during the Spanish Civil War.
In 1938, a new version of the He-111, the He-111P, began to leave the production lines and featured a completely redesigned wing and nose with extensive glazing and off-set to improve pilot visibility and this was to become the trademark of the type for the remainder of its service. Another feature of the new P-series was its more streamlined look. By the time of the Battle of Britain, yet another variant had seen the light of day. The He-111H was an up-dated version of the He-111P and was equipped with heavier defensive armaments as the plane had proven to vulnerable to fighter attacks in Spain and Poland. Luftwaffe control of the sky wasn’t always complete as command and control facilities were somewhat lacking in the late 30’s. Later the Heinkels would be replaced with Junker Ju-88 medium bombers, which were faster and carried an expanded bomb load.

The last of Luftwaffes so-called core designs of the 30’s was Dornier’s Do-19 heavy bomber. As Wever became Luftwaffe's first Chief of Staff he, and to a lesser extend Milch, was the most persistent advocate of long-range strategic bombers. Both Dornier and Junkers were competitors for the contract, and each received an order for three prototypes in late 1935. The Dornier design was given the project number of Do-19, while the Junkers prototype became the Ju-89.
The design that were picked was Dornier’s. The Do-19 was a innovating design constructed mostly of metal and had retractable landing gear. The Do-19 had a crew of nine - a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, radio operator and five gunners. Its defensive armament consisted of two 7.92mm MG 15 machine guns, one each in nose and tail positions, and two 20mm cannon in ventral and dorsal turrets. The defensive armament would be upgraded after its trial by fire in Spain and later Poland as it too poved to be a relative easy target for enemy fighters. It could only, however, carry some 1600kg of bombs in internal bays.
As the Luftwaffe had to prioritize after Göring’s death, the strategic bombers never showed their real worth in the the early days of the reborn Lufwaffe, but would prove invaluable in the Eastern War!

[Mr.Bluenote]

Hej Steffen!
Good of you to comment! I was hoping for a respons from you!

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Good and interesting TL, but (he-he) do we "risk" that without Göring the Luftwaffe never gets the prominent position the German warmachine it had OTL?

Thank you! I think you're right, which is not necessarily a bad thing as Göring was rather sloppy with his allocated resources, I'd say! So we might actually end up with a leaner more deadly Luftwaffe instead of the chaotic organization in OTL?!

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Not only regarding resources and political power to override the other services(...)

Once again I'm in agreement, which is why I find this PoD so fascinating! There are so many possibilities with the removal of Göring in late '35!

Originally Posted by Redbeard

So, even if Luftwaffe by 1940 would not do the mistakes of OTL, it would perhaps never come to a WWII if the French and British in 1938 or 39 has a more accurate image of the Luftwaffe.

1938 would be the intersting year, wouldn't it? A Luftwaffe seen as weak might inject Chamberlain with some slight amount of spine... or it might not! I'm one of those people who see Chamberlain as a politician who trusted the process of diplomacy, and Hitler, not a devious bugger who sold out the Czechs to gain time for re-armament. Chamberlain wasn't like that - he was a decent, honorable man, who just didn't understand the evil of his fellow men... and a complete disaster for Britain at the time.
Had the British a more accurate view of Luftwaffe's strength would they themselves re-arm as hastily as thy did OTL? Might they not actually gear down a bit; "Oh, they only got 3,000 planes, not 5,000, no need to overdo this re-armament-thingie" etc etc?!

Best regards!

- Bluenote.

[Justin Green]

I know that in previous discussions the He-280 has been proven inferior to the Me-262. I accept this. But the a reliable version of the He-280 would have been available far earlier then the Me-262. The Germans never really evolved from stage 1 jet air to stage 2 jet aircraft. The expeirence learned would have been invaluable.

[LordKalvan]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bluenote

Hej Steffen!

1938 would be the intersting year, wouldn't it? A Luftwaffe seen as weak might inject Chamberlain with some slight amount of spine... or it might not! I'm one of those people who see Chamberlain as a politician who trusted the process of diplomacy, and Hitler, not a devious bugger who sold out the Czechs to gain time for re-armament. Chamberlain wasn't like that - he was a decent, honorable man, who just didn't understand the evil of his fellow men... and a complete disaster for Britain at the time.
Had the British a more accurate view of Luftwaffe's strength would they themselves re-arm as hastily as thy did OTL? Might they not actually gear down a bit; "Oh, they only got 3,000 planes, not 5,000, no need to overdo this re-armament-thingie" etc etc?!

Best regards!

- Bluenote.

I was thinking along the same lines. It does not make any difference on Chamberlain behavior. OTOH, the British might be more reluctant to commit large resources in the moderbization and the beefing up of RAF. And if they loose the opportunity window....

[Grey Wolf]

I don't see the removal of Goering equalling a nice and comfortable apportioning of his OTL offices amongst people who were OTL power players anyway.

This is for 2 reasons

1. People can rise very quickly in the Nazi regime - Ribbentrop, Speer etc show that to be so

2. Some of these titles would not have been held by Goering on his ATL death, so instead of being up for auction or succession would have been open to infighting at the level of succession to it, and people we don't consider automatically would rise

Grey Wolf

[Fearless Leader]

I'm likin' this TL keep it coming and good work...

Just a quick question...how will jet/rocket research be carried out in this timeline?

[Redbeard]

Regarding the British rearmament my impression is that the British set "volume" as high as possible, and would have done so no matter what, but their estimation of the German strength would decide the time they reckoned to be ready for major action. In OTL that time was apparently set at 1941 (until France fell), but with a more accurate image of Luftwaffe that time might be advanced, and allied courage accordingly.

BTW the British rearmament wasn't initiated by the Germans, but the Abyssinian crisis in 1935, when it was found out that the British were very far from ready to even wage a minor war. In 1935 UK had just concluded a naval treaty with Germany, but the actual programmes from 36 and on clearly shows that UK had more than Itlay in her mind. I haven't got the British defence expenditures at hand, but from memory they something like doubled each year from 36 to 39 - when Chamberlain was in charge - the end result being UK by 1941 outproducing Germany, Italy and Japan combined. I simply can't have that coincide with an image of Chamberlain as a man who entirely trusted diplomacy and couldn't see the evil in Hitler. My personal preferences would also point to Churchill's outspokenness (just ask my family, freinds and collegues), but I think Chamberlain is very poorly understood. He might have produced a silly smile in 1938, but he also had ordered and paid for the big stick.

Regards

Steffen Redbeard

[Mr.Bluenote]

Originally Posted by LordKalvan

I was thinking along the same lines. It does not make any difference on Chamberlain behavior. OTOH, the British might be more reluctant to commit large resources in the moderbization and the beefing up of RAF. And if they loose the opportunity window....

I completely agree, Kalvan, which is why I tend to se history as we know it more or less replay itself up until the Battle for France. It's only, in my view, at first Dunkerque and the the BoB that Luftwaffe really is the key player! There are, however, still the purely political aspects...

Originally Posted by Grey Wolf

I don't see the removal of Goering equalling a nice and comfortable apportioning of his OTL offices amongst people who were OTL power players anyway.

You're right, GW, but I'm not sufficiently well-read in regards to the Nazi leaderships second and third tier leaders to make any quesses, qualified or not, as to who might rise and claim some of Göring's responsibility, powerbase and what not!
By the by, Speer didn't actually rise "quickly" as such, since he was a member of Hitler's inner circle for a long time, before getting appointed to replace Dr.Todt! I've just read his memoires - quite fascinating!

Originally Posted by Fearless Leader

I'm likin' this TL keep it coming and good work. (...) how will jet/rocket research be carried out in this timeline?

Thank you very much, FL! Hm,I'm not to sure about jets etc ect. I'm trying very hard not to fall into any of the usual three pittraps of German WW2's What If's; Heydrich, Speer and/or Jets emerges and saves the day!

Originally Posted by Justin Green

I know that in previous discussions the He-280 has been proven inferior to the Me-262. (...) The expeirence learned would have been invaluable.

As I wrote above, I'm not sure about jet and rocket planes. First of all, it's in nearly every German ATL, but also because in this ATL the Luftwaffe is rather strapped for resources, so my counter question is; would Luftwaffe pour respurces into jet and rocket research, if they already have a hard time paying for their "normal" air crafts?

Any ideas as to how the political side of the ATL would develope? The part about planes and warfare are simple enough, so to speak, but the political ramnifications are harder to get a grip on, I'd say!

Once again thank you for your replies and input!

Best regards!

- B.

[Mr.Bluenote]

Hej igen Steffen!
Good of you to comment!

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Regarding the British rearmament my impression is that the British set "volume" as high as possible (...)

Well, they sat the volume, as you say, as high as they could without making any real economic sacrifices! It's my impression that Chamberlain favoured re-armament as long as it didn't hurt Britain's economy, which again gives me the impression, that he didn't quite grasp the seriouness of the situation! Furthermore it's seems that the British leadership, especially in regards to what and how much to produce and how, was nearly as disorganized as the German ditto was.

Originally Posted by Redbeard

but with a more accurate image of Luftwaffe that time might be advanced, and allied courage accordingly.

Yes, if we buy the Chamberalin-sold-the-Czechs-out-to-give-the-British-time-to-prepare, but I don't think so! Again I believe that Chamberlain was a honorable man - he just didn' do things like that - and that he really trusted Hitler and that he furthermore had certain sympathies for the German people who lived outside Germany, which is why he accepted the initial German expansion. Now, when Hitler outright annexed the rump state of Czechoslowakia the scales fell from Chamberlain's eyes, but only then...

Originally Posted by Redbeard

BTW the British rearmament wasn't initiated by the Germans (...)

Really?! Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

Originally Posted by Redbeard

I haven't got the British defence expenditures at hand, but from memory they something like doubled each year from 36 to 39 (...)

I think you're right, but the British forces at the time were rather malnourished, so to speak. Anyway, Chamberlain still favoured the economy over security/re-armament. The Germans probably, but I'm not sure, spent more in terms of precentage of their GDP than the Brits did...

Originally Posted by Redbeard

(...) when Chamberlain was in charge - the end result being UK by 1941 outproducing Germany, Italy and Japan combined. I simply can't have that coincide with an image of Chamberlain as a man who entirely trusted diplomacy and couldn't see the evil in Hitler.

Well, if the German didn't spur the British into rearming ASAP - you mentioned Abyssinia as the real reason -, then its' rather hard to say, wouldn't you agree!? Most of the British re-armament was down to the fact that their armed forces were woefully inadequate for nearly anything else than bombing a village in FarFaraway. With Italy, Japan and Germany rearming, the Brits had to beef up security in general!

Originally Posted by Redbeard

(...) but I think Chamberlain is very poorly understood. He might have produced a silly smile in 1938, but he also had ordered and paid for the big stick.

No, he actually more ordered that there would be a stick, I think! Had he wanted a big stick, the Brits could most likely have had it, when the s hit the fan in '39!

Still, would the Brits see Luftwaffe as weak after they hammered everything into paste in Spain - don't think that'll change much in this ATL? If they do see the Luftwaffe as weak, how will that change their own re-armament programme? Or their politics? Would Chamberlain go to war over Czechoslowakia?
Besides, a leaner Luftwaffe will most likely mean a fatter Heer or Kriegsmarine, unless Schact/Funk restrains Hitler of course...

Btw, I have just started on Alanbrook's War Diaries - took some time, I know, but thanks for pointing me to them! Not sure, however, if my esteem of Alanbrook will recover, though - he seems quite bitter and politically naivé at times!

Best regards!

- Bluenote.

[LordArpad]

So how was the He 178 perceived then? And how did the Navy develop? Graf Zeppelin would likely be finished on time, right?

As the war progresses Germany moves from the Bf109 to the FW190? How about a He 178 descendent?

[Brilliantlight]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bluenote

Thank you! I think you're right, which is not necessarily a bad thing as Göring was rather sloppy with his allocated resources, I'd say! So we might actually end up with a leaner more deadly Luftwaffe instead of the chaotic organization in OTL?!

I think it is quite likely it ends up worse as volume itself not only gives you more numbers but often shows you what can go wrong. With Georing the Luftwafe was plenty deadly between 1939 and 1942. After that the US comes in and I don't think it matters much who is in charge the Luftwaffe will lose effectiveness as American planes pour into England.

[LordArpad]

into where? with a well-led Luftwaffe with heavy bombers the Battle of Britain would likely not have been lost. Where would the US base it's planes?