Luftwaffe Codes, Markings & Units 1939 – 1945

With over 1400 photographs, black & white il- lustrations and profiles, Luftwaffe Codes, Markings & Units, 1939-1945, is the most complete and systematic approach to the documentation of Luftwaffe codes and units ever assembled. 

This is truly a master reference work on the Luftwaffe and should be part of every reference library. Rosch identifies and documents thousands of Luftwaffe units broken down to the Stab, Staffel, Kette and Kommando level with dates of formation, disbanding or transfer, and includes the field post numbers assigned to each unit.

There is a detailed explanation of how operational codes evolved and were transferred between units, and there are special sections on gliders, transports, fighter and ground attack units and how they identified and marked their aircraft. Hundreds of photographs and drawings illustrate the operational, training, second line and special purpose units.

A glossary of nearly all the names of Luftwaffe flying units and other of many of the training units. and other terminology is included, along with the locations of many of the training units.

This book is intended for libraries, historians, researchers in the Luftwaffe. 

The Author

Barry Rosch was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1940 during the height of the Battle of Britain. He was raised in the Twin City area and entered the U.S. Navy after graduation from high school.

After serving an enlistment as a Electronic Technician, he then attended and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelors of Arts degree in History.

His professional career has been as an operations staff administrator and a personnel analyst and manager. However, he did take a mid-life break to live aboard and charter a sailing yacht in the Caribbean for three years.

From childhood on he has had a strong interest in history, aircraft and aircraft modeling especially from the World War II period.

This interest led to studying and compiling Luftwaffe codes in order to make more accurate models. Eventually, as the documented information grew, friends suggested that it would make an interesting subject for a book.

This led in turn to four years of intensive research and world wide correspondence which eventually resulted in this volume.