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

WALTER SCHUCK Steinbach, Ogfr. 7./Jng(3geschwader 5. (Di'enstgratl, Jfarae, 'Prupoentieil) G efechtsstand .den..! § ? $ :$ ? :... Luftzeugenkpmpfhcric h t 1 1 .) Z e it, (Teg, Stunde, Minute) Gegend des Abschusses; Н вЬ е:..!?:?:4?» «. I9s2 ? ?9 3?2»600m 2 .) Тгісѵіеі eigene und fe in d llc h e IPlugzeuge tiind einnend frei а із ab- geschosaen erkannt : »rdo.n;.................................................... ..................................... 3 .) W ieviel elgene und Гв’.*1-:.1'.- he Plug'seuge aind einw andfrei erkannt: etwe STHurricane und Kig 3, 5 Bf 109 4 .) Wodurch i s t der ЛЪзсЬикз erkannt т/orden:.. .£???pW§4iVn4?£................. 5.) Burch wen i s t der At3Chusa e r f p l a : t : ? ? b u c k /# tHkt.ITr.^weifieg 6 .) Standort ties Beobnchtenden;. . . 5QP m, h$5pp]\ )4$ РР.МР $?Р........................ 7 .) G efechtobericht: Walter Schuck after hisfirst victory. Aa 15«5.42 ura 17.42 o ta r te te ich ire Verband a i t 7 ./J .G . 5 und Stnb I I I ./ J .G . 5 sue B egleitschu tz fiir Ju 88 nach Murmansk. Bel der Feinaberuhrung mit etwa 8 H urricanes und Mig 3, ungefJihr 30 kra nordw cctlich Murmansk, onh ich , wie Uffz. Schuck, t-k t. Hr. weifle 6 cine fein d llc h e Maschine vom Muster ’Jig 3 a n g riff und beschoC. Die fein d llc h e ^aschine brannte schon kurz dpraof u i t dunkler Hauchfahne und s tiirz te aus ca. 600 a KcShe senkrecht zu Boden. Ich beobachtete Aufachlagbrand. Eer AbschuS e rfo lg te иш 18.18 Uhr im Quadrat 37 Ost 20 872. ■wi Although it was his first victory, Walter Schuck felt no joy. Instead, he was overwhelmed by agony. “That was close”, he kept repeating to himself, “that was close!” The feeling would not leave him alone, and the agony clung to him at night. That night and the follow­ ing nights he twisted and turned in bed, sleepless, going through the air combat which could have been his last. If it had not been for Steinbach.. . Each morning he woke up, soaking in sweat and dead tired. Schuck had made all the foolish mistakes a begin­ ner can make. He had forgotten to keep a watching eye behind, and he had lost altitude and speed. He promised himself that he would never commit the same mistakes again. He decided that in the future he would always strive to gain altitude as quickly as possible in air combat. He listened to the more experienced pilots, and beheld what they told him: “Speed is a half life insurance!” + On 19 May 1942, Schuck, Kurt Philipp and Richard Steinbach each were awarded with the Iron Cross of the Second Class for their first victories. Meanwhile, the war in the Far North was slowly getting intensified. A new Allied Lend Lease convoy was being prepared, PQ-16. In order to prevent German air attacks against the convoy, the Soviet high command, the Stavka VGK, Richard Steinbach’s written confirmation o f Schuck’s first victory. ordered an air offensive against the German airfields in the region. The order was issued by Stalin personally on 21 May 1942. Seven days later, the turn had come to Petsamo aerodrome. Bomber regiment 137 BAP despatched nine twin-en- gined Tupolev SB bombers, led by Kapitan Plotnikov, to neutralize the German aviation at Petsamo late in the afternoon on 28 May 1942. It was high time to strike against Petsamo. For two days, the Luftwaffe had been in relentless action against PQ-16’s ships, sinking five merchantmen and the antiaircraft ship Empire Lawrence - clearly displaying the Soviet failure to destroy the Ger­ man aviation on the ground. This time the Soviets just had to succeed! Escort for the nine bombers was pro­ vided by 19 GIAP, with nine Airacobras and nine Cur­ tiss P-40s, led by Mayor Aleksandr Zaytsev. Another of the German fighter pilots’ advantages in the Far North was that they were supported by a Freya radar station. This was kept a secret to the Soviets - and even to many German pilots. As the SBs crossed the frontline at an altitude of 3,000 meters, where they were reported by a German air surveillance post, their approach had already been detected by the Freya radar. Thus, at Petsamo, 7./JG 5 was scrambled in well advance to intercept the bombers. This time, Major Scholz, the Gruppenkommandeur, spotted the Soviet aircraft first. Schuck heard his voice in his headphones: T