The contributing authors were involved in all aspects of German attempts to stem the unrelenting bombardment from the RAF and the USAAF, from tactics in the sky to the long-term strategy and planning on the ground. Also examined is the development of the aircraft themselves and the use of sophisticated radio and radar equipment.

These reports were written immediately after the war, in 1945 and 1946, when most of the authors were prisoners of war and, for the most part, were prepared without the aid official documents and records. As such they represent a view not colored by reflection or clouded with postwar politics.

The reports show the development of the Luftwaffe, particularly the tactics and equipment used in night flying, as the war progressed, and they give a clear understanding of the efforts undertaken to defend the Reich from aerial attack.