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

WALTER SCHUCK Petsamo, spring 1942. Walter Schuck's Me 109 E, "White 9”. Petsamo, 19 May 1942: From left: Obergefreiter Rich­ ard Steinbach, Unteroffizier Walter Schuck and Unter­ offizier Kurt Philipp after having received their Iron Crosses o f the Second Class. ".Achtung! 110 degrees, small dots, probably the enemy! Hold your formation and follow me!” Schuck turned his head to the right and there, against the blue sky in the distant he discovered a small group of tiny, dark spots. Scholz was a very experienced tactician, and he led half the Messerschmitts in a very wide turn to the left to a position between the sun and the Soviet bombers. The remaining German fighters remained about five thou­ sand feet higher as top cover against the Soviet fighters. Schuck was among the pilots who were selected to intercept the bombers. As they approached the Soviets, he discovered the enemy fighter escort above and behind the bombers. Without paying any attention to the enemy fighters, the Messerschmitt pilots tore straight into the formation of SBs with hammering guns. Feldwe- bel Bruno Strasser aimed at the leading SB and set the engine on fire. Kapitan Plotnikov turned to break off, leaving a thick black smoke trail, and radioed an order to Kapitan Volodin to assume command of the formation. But in the next moment, Volodin’s SB too was riddled by bullets from another Me 109 and went down for a belly landing. Unteroffizier Werner Schumacher, the victorious German pilot, immediately turned against another bomber, and when he saw that one too go down he thus had attained his fourth victory of the day. That same morning, Schumacher had bagged two fighters in a scrap with Hurricanes. The impact of the initial onslaught was so heavy that the remaining Soviet bombers jettisoned their bombs and turned back to escape destruction. Schuck pursued one of the escaping SBs. This one was piloted by Starshiy Leytenant Kukushkin. Schuck closed in, keeping the bomber in the middle of his reflector gun- sight. Suddenly something rose from the fuselage of the bomber. The gunner stood up and opened up against Schuck with his machine gun. A stream of bullet flares rushed against Schuck like a swarm of raging red bees. That was enough! Although the distance was 300 yards - still too large to open fire - Schuck opened fire with both machine guns and cannons. By pure luck, the SB was hit and the starboard wing caught fire between the engine and the fuselage. The flames spread rapidly, and Starshiy Leytenant Kukushkin barely managed to nurse the crippled Tupolev bomber down to a forced landing near Yurkino. The whole crew was saved thanks to Kuk­ ushkin’s skills. Walter Schuck paid no attention to the further fate of the Soviet bomber. He was already looking for his next prey. Suddenly there was a bang and cold air streamed into his cockpit. A small hole had appeared in the canopy top. Schuck realized that it was a bullet hole in the same second as he heard Steinbach’s voice in his headphones: ‘‘’Achtung! Hurricanes behind you!” A quick glance behind. Two enemy fighters were closing in for an attack from a position maybe 400 yards T