The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

restructured the Luftwaffe in early 1939. Udet had already been made head
of the Technical Department, and he was woefully unsuited for both jobs. A
bon viveur, talented cartoonist, former fighter pilot, colleague of Göring’s
and stunt pilot, Udet was a brilliant aviator but completely, utterly out of his
depth in the dizzy, Machiavellian world of Nazi politics, and had almost no
understanding of complex matters such as procurement, as he had freely
admitted. ‘I’m a flier and nothing else,’ he had told Göring. ‘I don’t know
anything about design and construction.’
‘Neither do I,’ Göring had replied. ‘But when I announce that you’re
head of the Technical Board everyone will be happy and that’s all I want.’
Udet was a close chum of the Commander-in-Chief’s, and that was
qualification enough for Göring.
To make matters worse for Milch, Udet, in his new post, was directly
responsible to Göring. Udet now had under his control five research
establishments, most notably at Rechlin and Peenemünde, and although
Milch was running almost every other aspect of the Luftwaffe, he now had
no direct input on procurement and development whatsoever. Udet was left
largely to his own devices since Göring had little time for offering any kind
of supervision. When the two did meet on rare occasions, they hardly ever
talked shop, instead spending their conferences reminiscing about the old
days.
This breakaway of development and procurement was done purely to
restrict Milch’s power and it was very much to the Luftwaffe’s loss. There
had been big quarrels between Milch and Göring, and several times Milch,
exasperated and at the end of his tether, asked to be relieved of his post, but
this was always refused. Milch threatened to go sick; Göring countered that
he would then be examined and, if fit, would be punished. ‘Then I can
commit suicide,’ Milch threatened. ‘That’s the only thing left to you,’
Göring replied.
Milch and Udet had been friends, however, and there is no doubt that in
his new position Udet could have benefited greatly from Milch’s knowledge
and experience. Yet Udet was an insecure character, and feared that Milch
would undermine him rather than the other way around, which was the
reality. The two men became increasingly estranged.
By May 1940, the original four-engine bomber programme had long
been consigned to dust. Jeschonnek was an ardent advocate of short, sharp
campaigns in which the air force played a tactical role, that is, in direct