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

WALTER SCHUCK Walter Schuck in 1944. Walter Schuck in 1944. “If you want to nail him when he is out searching for our convoys, you should do it when he flies Route number one,” said the Leutnant. “But as I told you, it’s impossible,” Schuck replied. “Have you tried?” The Leutnant winked with an eye at Schuck. In that moment, Schuck made up his mind. “You are right,” he said. It’s worth a try!” The two men decided that the next time the photo reconnaissance Spitfire was spotted on “Route Number One”, the Leutnant would immediately alert Schuck. That evening, Schuck initiated his wingman, Leutnant Werner Gayko, in the secret plan. At 0135 hours on 17 June, a Kittyhawk recon­ naissance plane of 118 RAP detected a convoy in the fairwaters of Kongs fiord. The Soviet Northern Fleet despatched all available aircraft against the convoy. At 0733 hours, Oberleutnant Dorr, Schuck, Leutnant Gayko, and three other pilots were scrambled from Petsamo to intercept the enemy. Ten minutes later they ran into the largest formation of enemy aircraft they had ever seen - 110 planes. The six Germans hurled themselves straight into the eighteen Kittyhawk fight­ er-bombers of 27 IAP and 78 IAP which flew at the lead, and within a few minutes, Schuck had claimed two P-40s shot down. When more Me 109s arrived to reinforce the German defence effort, Schuck, Gayko and Linz went down after six Il-2s, which approached the convoy at low level. The first 11-2 was blown to pieces in front o f Linz’s guns. Both men of the Il-2’s crew - pilot Mladshiy Leytenant N. I. Minayev and rear gunner Mladshiy Serzhant A. I. Nasadkin - were killed on their very first combat mission. While Schuck led his Schwarm in a turn to reach a position behind the Il-2s, he spotted a second formation of Il-2s, escorted by Airacobras, which came in from his right hand side. He cried out a warning in the radio, “Pull up!” - and avoided the Soviet attack. Then Schuck and his mates swooped down behind this second formation of Il-2s. Schuck selected one 11-2 which tried to escape in a turning dive. Fired from above at short distance, the 20mm cannon shells exploded in the cockpit of the Shturmovik. As this aircraft fell steeply, Schuck kicked the rudder pedal and forced his Messerschmitt to the right. By sideslipping, he placed himself in position behind another 11-2. A short burst of fire and the Ilyushin burst into flames. Mladshiy Ser­ zhant P. V. Serdyuk, piloting the first 11-2 which Schuck had hit, managed to nurse his crippled plane some six miles to the east before it crashed into the sea. Serdyuk and his rear gunner, Krasnoflotets Yu. G. Anikin were never seen again. The second 11-2 limped fifteen miles before the pilot, Mladshiy Leytenant V. V. Kaminskiy, decided to ditch in the sea. Kaminskiy and his rear gun­ ner, Mladshiy Serzhant V. V. Sinev, went down with the wreck. x