Rybin, Y. Luftwaffe ace Walter Schuck researched / Christer Bergstrom, Yuriy Rybin. - Sweden : [s. l.], 2019. - 190 p. : ill.

WALTER SCHUCK walls which lined each side of the plank covered runway. But Ehrler brushed aside Schuck’s objections. Schuck started the engine of his Messerschmitt, and rolled out on the planks. When the tail of his plane had lifted from the ground, he felt the wind take control of the little aircraft. A few seconds later it veered into the snow wall. Fortunately, Schuck was prepared, so he managed to escape without any other injury than a few bruises. When Ehrler learned of what had happened, he decided to take off himself to show everyone that he had not sent Schuck on an impossible mission. Ten minutes later, everyone watched as the canopy of Ehrler’s Me 109 was closed and the Gruppenkommandeur''s plane rolled out on the plank runway. At first, everything went smoothly. Then a new gush of wind grabbed this Mess­ erschmitt too and caused it to go straight into the snow wall. Ehrler did not come out of the crash as lightly as Schuck, although the severest wounds were dealt against his pride. There would be no rest. On 7 April the next air battle over a German coastal convoy broke out. Early that morning, Schuck led eight Me 109s of the 9th Staffel over the ships, when two formations of enemy aircraft emerged from the haze. During the next min­ utes, Schuck and the other Messerschmitt pilots were fighting for their lives against the numerically superior Soviet fighter escort, which was consisted of eighteen Yak-9s, Airacobras and Kittyhawks. Thus, half a dozen Il-2s could easily break through and perform their attack against the ships. Three hours later, Schuck was in the air again when eight Me 109s covered the con­ voy. Suddenly a gaggle of twenty-four Soviet fighters bounced the Me 109s from above. In another whirl­ ing fighter combat, which raged for over half an hour, Schuck claimed two Airacobras shot down while an Unteroffizier of the 7th Staffel reportedly shot down a third. In actual fact, 255 IAP lost two Airacobras in that melee. The Soviet airmen had reason to celebrate when they returned to base. 255 IAP reported five German fighters shot down. Although JG 5 in fact did not lose any own aircraft, their fighters were effectively kept locked into a fighter combat, enabling the Ilyushins to attack the con­ voy. Six torpedo carrying Il-4s of 9 GMTAP succeeded in damaging a 2,000-BRT transport ship. But there was celebration on the German side too. Having chalked up six victories in a single day, reaching a total tally of 84, Schuck was the “Hero of the day” at Petsamo’s airfield. + On 8 April, Easter Eve, Schuck and several other of III./ JG 5’s men were watching a movie in the mess barrack when suddenly a voice in the loudspeaker announced: “Oberfeldwebel Schuck to the telephone! Ober­ feldwebel Schuck to the telephone!” When he took the receiver in the command post, he and heard a voice telling him: “Herr Oberfeldwebel, please wait. I will connect you to General Kammhuber.” General Kammhuber was the new commanding officer of Luftflotte 5. Then Schuck heard a thin voice, belonging to Kammhuber: “I have the good news that the Ftihrer has awarded you with the Knights Cross!” Although Schuck never had been ambitious or thirsting for honour, he felt a solemn atmosphere. He could not help to admit that the Knight’s Cross had a very special aura. Breathing heavily and feeling fairly confused, he went back to the mess barrack. Schuck had decided not to tell anyone, at least not immediately, but it was impossible. When he opened the door and entered the mess, everyone turned at him and asked what the telephone call was about. So he had to tell them. A loud cheering broke out. Major Ehrler, the Grup­ penkommandeur, shook his hand. Everyone surrounded Schuck and patted his back. Ehrler went over to Jockel Norz, removed his fresh Knight’s Cross and hung it around Schuck’s neck. “Keep it until you’ve got your own,” Jockel Norz said in his broad Bavarian accent. Then the phonograph came forward again. The old German Jazz record “Heimweh nach dir Virgina”, which had become something of the anthem of the “Eismeer- jager” was played, and everybody sang along. The first drinks were emptied. Someone suggested that Schuck would have to drink as many glasses of brandy as his number of victories. Schuck felt anything but fresh when he arrived at Pontsalenjoki the next day for the award ceremony, which was led by General Julius Schulz, the commander of the Luftwaffe forces in Finland. A Hauptmann Jung and a couple of other officers had arrived from Rovaniemi together with General Schulz. After the award cere­ mony, Hauptmann Jung - who proved to be from Saar- briicken, and thus was a Saarlander just like Schuck, took the general aside and said in a serious tone:’ “Herr General, I think that you can see that this man is completely exhausted - vollig abgeflogen! I would advise you to grant him a furlough immediately, or else he will get shot down.” Afterward, Jung told Schuck that General Schulz had agreed. Schuck would follow the officers back to Rovaniemi, where his furlough papers would be arranged. At Rovaniemi’s air base, Schuck had a quite interest­ ing experience. To enter the base was like entering a new world. In reality, it was Schuck who had grown unac­ customed to ordinary military regulations. In any case, he could not stand the base commander. At the evening meal, the base commander had seen to that the table was served according to a strict military hierarchy. General Schulz was placed in the middle of the table. The Gen­ eral, the base commander and the other staff officer, T