Brilliant biography of 2 fighter pilots especially from the German side. 7/6/2020
Because the writers grandfather was an American Pilot in WW2 and told great stories he met others who flew and got their stories. He also went to airshows and started a magazine and Tom Brakow who wrote "The Greatest Generation" wrote to him to encourage his good work,
1996 TWA flight 800 crashed on take off and 230 people were lost 16 kids from his school were on it going to do a French course in Paris, he should have been with this group.
He met a fighter pilot Charlie Brown who told him to speak to Franz Stigler who lives today in Canada a German fighter pilot who was involved in a battle against the Americans. Stigler was working as a truck mechanic for loggers in Vancouver.
1946 March, Franz was looking for work as a labourer at Staubing, Bavaria in brick making at a time, this was a place where US bombers tried to hit the train yard and wiped out a third of the city . 7 million Germans were homeless. Of 28000 German fighter pilots 1200 survived the WW2
4 million German soldiers died and over a million civilians.
His father was a reconnaissance pilot in WW1 and devout Catholic and with a friend build a glider and he and brother learned to glide. Because Germany was not allowed to have an Airforce,the government via Lufthansa gave free flying lessons to capable people. He worked as a navigator and created flight plans for all over Europe including Spain during the Civil War.
A letter in 1937 "With Burning Concern" by Munich Cardinal Von Faulhaber and Pope Pius XI explained what Nazism was evil and the letter was banned and people were scared of the Nazis and made very aware of Dachau which opened in 1933.
German Airforce was based in Caen, France and was not supposed to bomb civilians but an oil depo in East London. This resulted in the British bombing civilians in return. The black cross on Nazi planes was a Teutonic knight symbol. Franz was a flying instructor. Pilots were worried that a political spy would check who was loyal as the airforce had a tradition of separation of military from politics. Their officer said shoot the machine not the man. Franz read the Bible and Lives of Catholic saints.
In north Africa at this stage enemy planes were flown by Brits or S. Africans. British treated captures airman well so that their airmen would be treated well. German pilots listened to a phonograph of ramba music that was banned in Germany. German pilots spoke English more than other foreign languages.
Their first base in Libya was Martuba later Tmimi and then Sidi Barrani, then Quotafiya in Egypt all these had been British airforce bases. Their work was escorting Stukas.
Lale Anderson sang Lily Marlene from a Hans Liep WW1 poem.
British ships brought fresh pilots and planes to Alexandre while the Germans flogged the same planes and pilots. Once the Americans landed in Casablanca, Nov 1942 many Germans knew Germany would loose the war.
They were now based in Trapani, Sicily keeping the supply line that they escorted to the doomed Afrika Korps. General Alfred Gallant was in charge of this.Over 30 Ju52 transport planes were being shot down every week. Goering was in charge in Berlin and the airforce men hated him. Goering had been the one in 1933 who led thugs intimidating voters.
1942 June till Feb 1943 White Rose resistance to the Nazi's in Munich by poster, leaflets and graffiti, their arrests and executions by the Gestapo led to a witch hunt in the airforce.
1943 May. The Cape Bon Peninsula was the last German stand in Africa. The remaining 40 JG-77s fighter arrived in Sicily. Leaving most of their mechanic and pilots behind, The Afrika Korps surrendered with 275000 becoming POWs.
1943 July they set up in San Vito, on the Adriatic Sea.
July Hamburg was firebombed in an extremely dry summer it became a firestorm 350,000 civilians killed and 580 big industries destroyed.
1944 July the Claus van Stoffenburg failed attempt to assassinate Hitler resulted in 5000 arrests and 200 executions including Generals Rommel, Ernst Uder and Hans Jeschonnek. The Nazi salute was mandated in the Luftwaffe till then the normal salute was used.
Goering wanted German fighter to keep attacking till they ran out of fuel and ammunition, reservice and keep attacking till the bombers left.
Charley Brown and the Americans. US B17 flying fortresses could not be attacked at the back and the Germans had to figure out how to attacked it from in front.
1943 Oct The US Eigth Airforces lost 60 bombers and 600 men over Schweinfurt, Germany.
They bombed Bremen Submarine pens, later the port of Kiel, Ludwigshafen and Brunswick. US flyers were all volunteers and preferred Europe to fighting in the Pacific.
US fighter went in front of bombers and destroyed most German fighters and pilots. German aviation fuel production was down from 175000 to 5000 tons a month.
A British pilot began combat with 450 flight hours experience, American with 600. New German pilots than 150 hours at this stage and few survived the first sortie.
1944 October Johanes Trauloft an Airforce General heard that 168 Allied airmen were in Buchenwald and had them transferred to a POW camp saving their lives. They had been all captured in France and were trying to get to England.
1945 March last Luftwaffe stand. Germany had Messersmiths 262 which was the earliest form of jet and could move at 575 mph but they were build with scarce material available in German and were dangerous for the pilot. JV44 at Lechfeld near Munich had 50 pilots 25 planes but in reality only managed to have a proper sortie with 15 planes each with the potential of getting 4 allied planes. (Note, I saw 262s at the Johannesburg War Museum) At this stage US planes destroyed all airfields and 1697 parked German planes.
Of 12000 American B-17s (flying fortresses) build 5000 were destroyed during the war.
1950 Allies encouraged German Generals to form a Bundeswehr (army) and became part of NATO in 1955
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