“Everybody to the briefing room”
Hans left the canteen, worried about yesterday’s events. When he returned to the base, without aircraft, the commander chewed him up.
Twice in a row, he nearly got killed because he did not watch his back. What was worse he strayed away from his wingman, who could protect him from attacks in he back. The commander threatened to send him back home if did not improve his behavior.
The commander was waiting for the pilots in the briefing room. Hans took a seat near the back of the room, trying to stay out of sight of the commander.
“All right boys, we got message that one of our cruisers is trying to pass through the Channel. Off course the Brits will want to attack her. The Navy asked the us to provide air cover”.
The commander pointed to a map behind him, where the route of the cruiser was mapped out.
“This area is our zone we have to protect. We have to make sure that as long as the cruiser is in our quadrant not limey bomber can hit it. Boys, good luck and happy hunting”
Everybody stood up and exited the room. As Hans passed the commander he daren’t to look in his eyes, but the commander saw him.
“Oberleutnant.”
“Yes, Sir”
“Show me I am wrong about you, son”
Hans did not now what to answer, simply nodded and hurried out of the room.
An hour later the squadron was circling around the cruiser. Hans got instructions to fly on the outer edges of pattern to look for any attacker.
It was a really boring mission and Hans had difficulty to stay focused. His mind kept wandering back to yesterday’s fights. How could he screw up so big, after being an instructor for two years?
There would depend a lot on his next battles. If he failed he risked being sent back home, loosing face and bringing disgrace to his family.
As he circled in front of the cruiser with his wingman, Hans suddenly noticed strange lines on the water. Perhaps it were British patrol boats making a desperate run on the destroyer?
“Falcke, follow me”
Hans spiraled down to the surface. He wanted to investigate those strange lines.
As Hans got low on the deck, he realized what he had been seeing. Several British beaufighters were skimming the waves. They were so low that the vortex of their propellers created trails in the water. Flying so low, they remained underneath the radar screen.
There were several beaufighters, some equipped with bombs, others with torpedoes.
“Watch out Hans, Spitfires above”
Those were the escorts. But Hans knew there would be no time to deal with the escorts. He had to warn the cruiser and the rest of the squadron of the approaching danger.
“To all fighters, enemy bombers type Beaufighter approaching from the north, escorted by spitfires, bombers are flying at sea level. I am going after the bombers”
Having warned the rest of the squadron, Hans dove right in between the bomber formation.
A Beaufighter passed in front of his nose. Hans could only give a quick burst of his guns, but it was enough to spook the bomber. Several other bombers pulled up and broke of their attack run. By scattering them, he denied them the possibility of a clean torpedo run.
Hans missed another bomber by an inch, scaring the hell out of its pilot. His wingman gave a quick burst, before following Hans again.
One bomber kept going, ignoring the two fighters creating havoc among them. Hans would make them pay dearly for ignoring him. He slipped behind the bomber. Hans noticed the torpedo underneath its body. In the distance he could already make out the cruiser. The bomber was preparing to launch his torpedo! Hans fired with all his guns.
A shell hit the torpedo, which exploded, still attached to the bomber. Hot pieces of the torpedo pierced the fuel tanks, which exploded in a giant fireball. In thousand pieces the bomber fell to the sea, the largest recognizable parts, being the two engines which fell to the sea, trailing a tail of fire.
Now the other fighters joined in the fight. Some went after the spitfires, but most of them went after the Beaufighters.
The Beaufighters circled around, trying to attack the cruiser anyhow. But pinned between the anti aircraft fire from the cruiser and the shells of the fighters, they were in a hopeless situation.
“Falcke, everything clear”
“Your tail is clear”
Hans had learned from his mistakes, he now listened to his wingman and made sure they stayed together. Around him he noticed several black smoke trails plummeting to the sea. The British bombers were pounced bad.
Hans noticed a bomber diving towards the cruiser. Two small dots fell from underneath the bomber. The dots fell faster and faster towards the cruiser. Hans held his breath. The two dots disappeared in a plume of water, just in front of the cruisers bow. Hans immediately went into pursuit of the bomber, which just clear the flak barrage from the cruiser.
Hans cut into the turn of the bomber. It silhouette formed a big target in his crosshairs. Shells and bullets raced towards the bomber. Flames erupted around its tail, as the shells exploded on the aft section. The shells tore the tail section off. Trapped in the cockpit the British pilot and navigator fell to their doom.
“Look at 9 o’clock below, Hans”
Hans look in the direction his wingman pointed. A Focke-Wulf was diving after a lone bomber. Hans recognized the aircraft of the commander, followed by his wingman.
Suddenly Hans realized that the second fighter was not the commander’s wingman. It was a Thunderbolt who had snuck up on him.
Hans did not know from where the Thunderbolt came, but he had to warn the commander.
“Commander, break left”
But the commander did not react. He was so preoccupied with the bomber that he failed to hear the warning. If Hans did not react quickly, the commander would be shot out of the sky.
Together with his wingman he dove after the Thunderbolt. While diving his wingman kept shouting warnings to the commander, but to no avail.
“Falcke, we’ll have get it right in the first pass.”
The commander had finally shot down the bomber, but had still not spotted the Thunderbolt. Just as he pulled up from his dive, he noticed the dark shadow in the corner of his eyes. In a fraction of second he realized he was doomed.
The Thunderbolt pilot prepared to pull the trigger as the world exploded around him, caught in the crossfire of Hans and his wingman. The German shells tore his aircraft apart, sending it into pieces to the sea.
The three Focke-Wulfs formed up. The commander signaled to his headphone. His radio was probably damaged which explained why he did not hear the warnings.
Together the three aircraft headed back to the cruiser. Hans contact the cruiser on the navy radio frequency. No torpedoes had hit it and besides a few scratched from shrapnel she was undamaged.
The fighters had not much fuel left, but with the replacements, a squadron of Me-109’s, arriving it was time to head home.
Hans took the lead while his wingman and the commander formed up behind him.
Back at the base, the commander approached Hans.
“Well flown son, I have to apologize. You are clearly a good pilot”
“Thank you sir, but don’t apologize. I just did what every other man would have done… Protect its comrades”
The commander saluted Hans out of respect and marched away. The mechanics who saw the scene watched at Hans.
“Come on guys, make my aircraft ready. The Amis and Brits won’t wait all day for us”
The mechanics quickly continued reloading his fighter, as Hans walked to the canteen. The fighting had made him hungry and hopefully there was wurst und sauerkraut on the menu.