Defence of the Reich

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The Defence of the Reich (German: Reichsverteidigung) was the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Germany during World War II against the Allied strategic bombing campaign. Its aim was to prevent the destruction of German civilians, military and civil industries by the Western Allies. The day and night air battles over Germany during the war involved thousands of aircraft, units and aerial engagements to counter the Allied bombing campaigns. The campaign was one of the longest in the history of aerial warfare, running through the entirety of the war in Europe alongside the concurrent Battle of the Atlantic and naval blockade of Germany. The Luftwaffe fighter force defended the airspace of German-occupied Europe against attack, first by the RAF Bomber Command and then against the RAF and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the Combined Bomber Offensive. In the early years, the Luftwaffe was able to inflict a string...

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