Editing Luftwaffe (section)

===Lack of aerial defence===
The failure of the Luftwaffe in the Defence of the Reich campaign was a result of a number of factors. The Luftwaffe lacked an effective air defence system early in the war. Hitler's foreign policy had pushed Germany into war before these defences could be fully developed. The Luftwaffe was forced to improvise and construct its defences during the war.

The daylight actions over German-controlled territory were sparse in 1939–1940. The responsibility of the defence of German air space fell to the {{lang|de|Luftgaukommandos}} (air district commands). The defence systems relied mostly on the "flak" arm. The defences were not coordinated and communication was poor. This lack of understanding between the flak and flying branches of the defence would plague the Luftwaffe throughout the war.<ref name="Caldwell and Muller 2007, p. 42">{{harvnb|Caldwell|Muller|2007|p=42}}</ref> Hitler, in particular, wanted the defence to rest on anti-aircraft artillery as it gave the civilian population a "psychological crutch" no matter how ineffective the weapons.<ref name="Murray 1983, p. 132">{{harvnb|Murray|1983|p=132}}</ref>

Most of the battles fought by the Luftwaffe on the Western Front were against [[Circus offensive|the RAF's "Circus" raids]] and the occasional daylight raid into German air space. This was a fortunate position since the Luftwaffe's strategy of focusing its striking power on one front started to unravel with the failure of the invasion of the Soviet Union. The "peripheral" strategy of the Luftwaffe between 1939 and 1940 had been to deploy its fighter defences at the edges of Axis occupied territory, with little protecting the inner depths.<ref name="Caldwell and Muller 2007, p. 46">{{harvnb|Caldwell|Muller|2007|p=46}}</ref> Moreover, the front line units in the West were complaining about the poor numbers and performance of aircraft. Units complained of lack of {{lang|de|Zerstörer}} aircraft with all-weather capabilities and the "lack of climbing power of the Bf 109".<ref name="Caldwell and Muller 2007, p. 46" /> The Luftwaffe's technical edge was slipping as the only formidable new aircraft in the German arsenal was the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]]. Milch was to assist Udet with aircraft production increases and the introduction of more modern types of fighter aircraft. However, they explained at a meeting of the Reich Industrial Council on 18 September 1941 that the new next-generation aircraft had failed to materialise, and production of obsolete types had to continue to meet the growing need for replacements.<ref name="Caldwell and Muller 2007, p. 46" />

The buildup of the {{lang|de|[[Jagdwaffe]]}} ("Fighter Force") was too rapid and its quality suffered. It was not put under a unified command until 1943, which also affected the performance of the nine {{lang|de|Jagdgeschwader}} fighter wings in existence in 1939. No further units were formed until 1942, and the years of 1940–1941 were wasted. The OKL failed to construct a strategy; instead, its command style was reactionary, and its measures not as effective without thorough planning. This was particularly apparent with the ''[[Focke-Wulf Fw 190 operational history|Sturmböck]]'' squadrons, formed to replace the increasingly ineffective twin-engined {{lang|de|Zerstörer}} heavy fighter wings as the primary defence against USAAF daylight raids. The {{lang|de|Sturmböcke}} flew Fw 190A fighters armed with heavy 20mm and 30mm cannon to destroy heavy bombers, but this increased the weight and affected the performance of the Fw 190 at a time when the aircraft were meeting large numbers of equal if not superior Allied types.<ref>{{harvnb|Caldwell|Muller|2007|p=286}}</ref>

Daytime aerial defence against the USAAF's strongly defended heavy bomber forces, particularly the [[Eighth Air Force]] and the [[Fifteenth Air Force]], had its successes through the calendar year of 1943. But at the start of 1944, [[Jimmy Doolittle#Escort fighter tactics|Eighth AF commander Jimmy Doolittle made a major change in offensive fighter tactics]], which defeated the Luftwaffe's day fighter force from that time onwards. Steadily increasing numbers of the superlative [[North American P-51 Mustang]] single-engine fighter, leading the USAAF's bombers into German airspace defeated first the {{lang|de|[[Heavy fighter#Germany|Bf 110 Zerstörer]]}} wings, then the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190 operational history#The Sturmböcke|Fw 190A Sturmböcke]].