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

WALTER SCHUCK Walter Schuck (centre) in the new mess barrack in Fuelling an Me 109 at Petsamo in winter time. Petsamo. Sitting on the left hand side is Franz Dorr. planned KG 30 attacks against Murmansk and dispatch the Ju 88s against these Soviet batteries. Between 1000 and 1100 hours, the Ju 88s from I./KG 30 were in action against these targets. Instead, I./StG 5 was sent against the port of Mur­ mansk. Schuck - who had been promoted to Feldwe- bel on 1 December - led five pilots o f III./JG 5 on the escort mission. They took off at ten in the forenoon, so that their mission would coincide with the least darkest period o f the day. At Vayenga aerodrome, 2 GIAP/VVS SF scrambled four of its twelve new Airacobras. They were joined by four Hurricanes of 122 IAD’s 769 IAP. The two formations clashed near Murmansk. While the German fighter pilots tied the Soviets into combat, the Ju 87s were able to perform their bombing without own losses. In the darkness, the Germans misidentified their opponents as LaGG-3s. The only German success was achieved when Schuck was credited with shooting down one of the Soviet fighters. Once again the Germans appear to have claimed fewer Soviet airplanes than they in reality shot down. Soviet records show that two VVS fighters were lost during this mission - the Hurricane piloted by Serzhant A. S. Maslov, who was killed, and the Airacobra flown by Kapitan Dimitriy Reutov, who bailed out safely. When the German fighter pilots returned to base, Feldwebel Josef Kaiser was missing. Kaiser, who was called “Baby” by his mates at Petsamo, was another of Schuck’s closest friends. They all hoped that some­ how he had made it back to the German lines and that they would soon hear his joyful Austrian voice. Their hopes would be fulfilled - although not in the way they expected. More o f this later. On 27 December 1942, most of III./JG 5 - twen­ ty-three Me 109s in several waves - was despatched to cover the Ju 87s. The mission started bad, with two Me 109s colliding on the runway. One o f the newcomers was pulled out of the wreck o f his aircraft with severe inju­ ries. The airborne Me 109s divided into several groups and set off for the Murmansk area. Schuck was part of a Schwarm which was tasked to sweep the Murmansk area in advance of an attack by thirteen Ju 87s against Ozerko Bay. The Soviets countered by sending fourteen fighters into the dark skies. These also split into several groups, and Schuck came across four Hurricanes of 768 IAP/PVO. Again the Soviets actually lost two fight­ ers, both from 768 IAP/PVO, while the Germans only claimed one victory - registered as Schuck’s 15th vic­ tory. 768 IAP’s Starshiy Serzhant V. A. Timchuk was killed and Starshiy Serzhant A. V. Zyuzin bailed out. Meanwhile, four of 19 GIAP’s Airacobras clashed with four Me 109s near Murmashi, with Schuck’s old acquaintance Mayor Pavel Kutakhov claiming one of the Messerschmitts for his eighth victory while the Ger­ mans in reality sustained no losses at all. T