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

WALTER SCHUCK ued to enjoy his delicious breakfast. Time went by. The clock on the wall showed 8:15, then 8:20. Oberfiihrer Muller showed clear signs of growing nervousness. Finally he exclaimed: “Man, I have to report to my boss!” So off they went, by car to the big supply store. At the store’s office, Oberfiihrer Muller ordered the clerks to get him several order books. Schuck asked him to arrange so that he might speak with Oberstleutnant Ehrler, JG 5’s Geschwaderkommodore, on the phone. Oberfiihrer Muller asked a telephone operator to con­ nect to SS Vermittlung Oslo. The receiver was handed to Schuck. “Please connect me with Holmenkollen, Luftwaffen- vorzimmer, General Ritter von Schleich!” After a short while, Schuck heard the voice of Rit­ ter von Schleich’s secretary, one of the women who had been serving the men at Skaugum the previous evening. “Dear lady,” Schuck said. “This is Leutnant Schuck speaking. I think you can remember me from yester­ day evening. Would you please be so kind and connect me with the Geschwaderkommodore of JG 5, Oberst­ leutnant Ehrler?” “Herr Schuck! Just a moment!” The woman sounded joyful. Schuck was lucky, It took no more than a few sec­ onds, then he heard Oberstleutnant Ehrler’s familiar and safe voice. “Herr Oberstleutnant, this is Leutnant Schuck, reporting from Oslo. Yesterday evening we held a small conversation with Reichskommissar Terboven and Herr Oberfiihrer Miiller. These gentlemen claim that our Geschwader in recent time has been supplied with German Atikah cigarettes, Puma cigarettes, red wine, brandy, and all sorts of luxury goods. I took the liberty to give the gentlemen the truth. I also told them the truth about how we always are fighting from a position of numerical inferiority, and that our losses are severe. Here is Herr Oberfiihrer Miiller who would like to be informed as to the real truth on these two issues.” With those words, Schuck handed over the receiver to Oberfiihrer Muller. This time, Schuck had reason to be confident. By the fall of 1944, the “Eismeerjager” had grown fairly oppositional, and Ehrler not only tol­ erated that they were so outspoken; he also encouraged them to be straightforward. Moreover, Ehrler always stood firmly behind his men whenever one of them got into trouble. Schuck listened carefully and was able to overhear Ehrler’s voice as he spoke very slowly with Oberfiihrer Miiller: “Herr Oberfrtihrer, it’s good that you have listened to Leutnant Schuck, whom I regard as one of my most reliable men. You want to know what we have actually received? Well, I can inform you that it’s been long since we received anything good. The Herr Reichskommis­ sar already has been here up North to visit us once, and we flew to escort his aircraft on that occasion. I think we came along quite well on that occasion. I remember that we played chess together. However, that was quite some time ago. Please tell Herr Reichskommissar that he should come and visit us a second time. We will fly escort to him when he flies here. We won’t have to divert any fighters to escort him on a return flight, for there will be no return flight. The enemy will surely shoot him down before that.” Oberfiihrer Miiller made wide eyes and his face turned absolutely pale. He found the words which he heard from Oberstleutnant Ehrler totally outrageous, absolutely incredible. That this daring Oberstleutnant could speak in such manners about the feared Reich­ skommissar Terboven! That his high boss should fly to the front so that he would be shot down by the enemy! Almost without speaking a word, Muller went back to Oslo together with Schuck. They drove straight up to the parliament building, Terboven’s headquarters. With Schuck close behind, Muller ran up the stairs and entered an antechamber next to Terboven’s office. The two sec­ retaries who had served them the previous evening, were in the antechamber, and they looked very distressed. Something serious clearly was happening. They looked at Schuck with both great worry and pity in their eyes. Then a third secretary opened the large, double doors and let Oberfiihrer Miiller in. As the Oberfiihrer entered the large room, Schuck peeked in and could see Ter­ boven sitting behind a gigantic desk. As soon as the doors had closed behind Oberfiihrer Muller, Miss Hettich and a Miss Graf approached Schuck. They took out a pot with coffee and three cups. They drank to Schuck’s fortune and kissed him on his forehead. “Oh, young flier,” they said, “if this only goes well!” Schuck frowned and asked, quite astonished: “Why? What do you mean?” Then they explained: “The man who sat next to the Reichskommissar yes­ terday, the man you brought down, he is the personal representative of SS-Reichsfiihrer Himmler, commander of the SS!” Then everything dawned to Schuck - the terri­ ble mistake he had committed by opening his stupid mouth, and the trouble he was in. The two women con­ tinued: “We have seen many men pass through here, bearded U-boat captains who have refused to set to sea because they would only get sunk, men with Knight’s Crosses, and how they have been demoted and sent to the front­ line, and then never been heard from again!” Schuck felt despair, but then he resigned and said to himself: “Well, it really doesn’t matter whether you get shot down at the front or if something happens to you here!” After about fifteen to twenty minutes, the door to Terboven’s office was opened again. Muller stood in the door and said: “Herr Schuck!” T