Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

660 DER FUEHRERand sham tanks in the autumn maneuvers of 1933. Goring and Milchdisplayed tremendous energy in building an air fleet, but even theirwork was limited for the present to the building or remodeling offactories.The German Luftwaffe was long a menacing legend before it becameserious reality. Reports on feverish German plane construction spreadabroad, and were presumably inspired by the German government inorder to spread fear at a time when reality was none too impressive.From the start the strongest element in German aviation was its humanmaterial, a young generation filled with enthusiasm for flying, whichhad learned a primitive flying technique in great 'air-sport associations.'Already, before 1933, these air-sport associations, in some waysresembling the combat leagues, had been a part of the German politicalpicture. Even the Social Democratic movement and the trade unions hadhad their flying associations with membership numbering tens ofthousands. In the western countries there were no comparableorganizations; they existed only in the Soviet Union, and it seems thatGoring, the aviator, took Russia seriously as a military power longbefore Hitler. A special skill, widespread among the younger Germanfliers, was that of gliding. Gliders made use of the rising columns of airwhich the science of aerodynamics had discovered in the vicinity ofmountains, cloud formations, and even cities, with their steep walls.Springing from column to column, these fliers could drift and glide forhundreds of miles. The art of gliding was perfected in Germany whenthe restrictions of Versailles made it impossible for the air-mindedyouth to fly motored planes — one more example of how obstaclesproduce great accomplishments; in this way large numbers of youngmen had achieved a knowledge of winds, clouds, and weather whichlater proved of immense benefit to motorized aviation.To create an adequate air fleet for these young men was an undertakingthat took time; German industry, though highly efficient in mostfields, was backward in motor production; plane construction on a largescale would require a great improvement in quality as well as quantity.The most ambitious effort of German aviation up to that time, theconstruction in 1929-30 of a plane capable of cross-