German Luftwaffe
1
9.1
- noun
- /ˈɡɜrmən ˈlʊftˌwɑfə/
:
Luftwaffe alemana
- The German Luftwaffe played a significant role in World War II, executing numerous bombing campaigns across Europe.
- the German Luftwaffe bombed
Examples
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Obviously, they were right to be concerned, as the German Luftwaffe bombed Britain unceasingly during the Blitz—what the Germans termed "blitzkrieg"—from the fall of 1940 through the spring of 1941.
Academic text (2011) -
The German Luftwaffe relentlessly bombards downtown London, while Churchill's Royal Air Force is in a deadly struggle to maintain control of the British skies.
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Guernica, immortalized by Picasso after the German Luftwaffe first tested its terror techniques on a civilian population, is located in the land of the Basques.
Academic text (1999) -
During the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe aimed to achieve air superiority before a potential invasion.
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The modern German Luftwaffe continues to participate in NATO operations and maintain air defense capabilities.
Synonyms
637
2.8
A branch of a country's military that uses planes to fight and protect the country
6
9.5
The air force of Germany, especially during World War II
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'Luftwaffe' denotes an air force and the adjective 'German' specifies its nationality, so a learner who knows both parts will understand this refers to Germany's air force. Although 'Luftwaffe' is a German loanword and historically specific, the national adjective + military-branch pattern is common cross-linguistically and therefore readily interpretable by B1 learners.
Etymology
German Luftwaffe comes from two German words: Luft meaning 'air' and Waffe meaning 'weapon'. It was used to name the military force that fights from the sky, so today German Luftwaffe means Germany's 'air force'.