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

WALTER SCHUCK with thousands going east and thousands going west. German army motorcycles were scooting up and down the roads trying to establish some order but were completely helpless. We ended up at a POW camp at Liickenwalde Stalag 3 near Berlin where most of the prisoners were Russian and Scandinavian as well as Captain Dick Tracy. To my great surprise he arrived at Stalag 3 shortly after being shot down. He told me he was in the river the entire period that I was attacking the airfield. After the Germans pulled him out of the river, Goring showed up really mad and he thought they were going to shoot him. After intense interrogation and a short stay at Tempelhof airfield he was shipped off to Liickenwalde. Within about a week Tracy and I along with a couple of air force sergeants (later to find out were Frank E. Lewis and Paul Krup) escaped (security was practically non-existent) and joined a Russian tank unit. After getting with the Russians we entered the town of Jiiterbug. It was a nice little town with some fine apartment complexes. We (about ten Russian soldiers and I) went into one of the apartments that was furnished really nice and the Russians were making a real fuss. One of them positioned himself in the middle of the room. He took his burp gun and started spraying the room destroying everything in sight and laughing like a maniac. 1thought it weird but said nothing. As we were moving from Jiiterbug to Wittenberg on the Elbe we were preceded by Shturmovik planes doing close air support for the lead elements of the Russian force. There were some fierce battles and we had a couple of minor skirmishes in our unit. We were passing hundreds of dead German soldiers along the way. At one point during the journey we stopped at a German farm, the Russians had slaughtered a cow and some poultry and were in the process of preparing a great feast. That evening we sat outside at a huge table seating over twenty people and ate raw hamburger, steak, duck, potatoes, etc. With lots of wine and vodka. During and after the meal they kept toasting and filling me with alcohol. I don’t think I was ever so drunk in my entire life. There were Russian dances and singing and a real roughhouse affair to put it mildly. The next day one of the Russian officers talked me into giving him my wrist watch, which he had been admiring for a couple of days. One time we came across a Russian soldier on a bicycle that was broken - they asked me if I could help fix the bike (this is where the experience of my youth came in handy). The problem was fairly simple for me and I fixed it in about a half hour. After receiving hugs, kisses and thanks we were on our way to Wittenberg on Elbe. There were a couple days of fighting at Wittenberg before the Germans caved. An American infantry squad had crossed the Elbe to make contact with the Russians and I went back with them. They were stationed at Halle and were doing mop up operations. It was during this time that I picked up my sword and other souvenirs including several guns. I had a couple of Lugers that the Army guys swindled me out by filling me with booze while playing poker. After a few days with the Army I took off on my own. Bumped into a C-47 in a field carrying released prisoners back to Paris. I bummed a ride with them and spent a couple of days in Paris. I eventually ended up at Le Havre, Camp Lucky Strike - a POW redistribution centre. A friend of mine and I took a side trip back to England for a few days. When I returned the ship I was to be on had already pulled out so they put me in a speedboat and took me out to the ship. The ship was in the last convoy to leave Europe and it took seven days to get to New York arriving on 1 June 1945. From New York to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, by train, for processing and then back to Milwaukee for rest, recuperation and marriage.. Josephine and I were married on 13 June 1945 and after all I had been through I had to get legal permission from my Mum because I was not yet 21 years old.” T