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Luftwaffe

American  
[looft-vahf-uh] / ˈlʊftˌvɑf ə /

noun

German.
  1. air force.


Luftwaffe British  
/ ˈlʊftvafə /

noun

  1. the German Air Force

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Luftwaffe Cultural  
  1. The German air force in World War II. (See blitzkrieg and Battle of Britain.)


Etymology

Origin of Luftwaffe

C20: German, literally: air weapon

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His coverage of the Luftwaffe bombings and of a nation ever more tightening its belt is memorable and, in places, quite lovely and moving.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

In September 1938, just as the Munich crisis was heating up, he told the French government that the Luftwaffe possessed 8,000 aircraft and could produce 1,500 per month.

From Salon • Sep. 21, 2024

One B-17 survives Luftwaffe attacks and crash-lands in Northern Africa.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2024

This kind of siren, so strongly associated in Britain with World War Two, is actually more than a century old, and has been used for all kinds of emergencies - not just Luftwaffe bombing raids.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2024

Maddie listened as the wireless operator made her first radio call, in German, as cool and crisp as if she’d been giving radio instructions to Luftwaffe bombers all her life.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

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