 Nevertheless, the ultimate failure of the Kursk offensive, following upon the German defeat in North Africa, caused even Hitler to turn against his Chief of Air Staff.Göring had already suggested to Hitler that Jeschonnek should be replaced as Chief of Air Staff, but Hitler demurred.In 1939 RAF Bomber Command began bombing operations against German ports which set in motion one of the longest wartime campaigns for the "Luftwaffe" — known as the Defence of the Reich ("Reichsverteidigung").