Mission #15

Date: 3 September 1941
Time: 1400
Weather: Good, Clouds at 1100 meters

Today promises to be very exciting! 1 Staffel has been tasked to provide escort for the Stukas of StG 2 Immelmann. A rather mundane assignment, until one realizes that the target airfield is situated beyond Leningrad! Finally, I will get a good look at the city for the first time.

Historical Note: "At the beginning of September 1941, the spearheads of the German Army Group North had reached the outer defense perimeter of Leningrad. These fortifications become constant targets for Stukas and bombers conducting low-level attacks. To the east of Leningrad, at Schlüsselburg, on the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, the German Sixteenth Army managed to cut off Leningrad’s last land connection with the rest of the Soviet Union." [Black Cross Red Star Vol 1, Chapter 23, Bergstrom and Mikhailov].

We are briefed by Staffelkapitan Seiler. He admonishes us cyclists to not go on "sight-seeing" trips near the city. The Russians are likely to put up stiff resistance against our large strike group. I squirm uneasily in my chair for the Staffelkapitan's eyes bore into me as he emphasizes his points. No doubt, I looked the fool earlier in the day, telling anyone who would listen about the "trip" to Leningrad.

Despite the best efforts of the "black men", only six crates are available. The hard working and industrious groundscrew cannibalized a left wing from a heavily damaged Me. Thusly, White 14 is able to return to the skies. The ground personnel are truly amazing and receive little of the glory reported in the news bulletins back home.

Historical Note: Because of their black work overalls, the ground personnel were simply called "black men". [JG 54: A photographic history of the Grunherzjager, pg17, Trautloft].

I'm part of the schwarm led by Leutnant Ahlers and Katschmarek to The Hund. Seiler decided to fly as a rotte with Vögele for a wingman. I await my turn on the runway and then throttle up White 14. The Me charges down the runway. I'm cautious on the take-off run and use extra runway before pulling back on the stick. My imagination plays tricks on me and for a few seconds I stare at the left wing, fully expecting it to fall off. Alas, the mechanics are excellent and White 14 soars into the air.

The entirety of III./StG 2 is in the air! The sky is full of Stukas! The six of us climb above the lumbering Stuka gaggle. A Stuka is able to deliver very accurate attacks. Hence, Army commanders always call for Stukas when encountering pillboxes, fortifications or tank concentrations. However, the Stuka is very slow. They suffered grievous losses in the Battle of Britain at the hands of Spitfires and Hurricanes. Staffelkapitan Seiler and Vögele patrol 500 meters below and in front of the Stukas. They'll provide an early warning if Russians are spotted. Meanwhile, we weave above them, keeping a watchful eye.

Ahlers leads us to 4,500 meters, about 1,000 meters above the Stukas. We pass east of Kolpino and pick up the Neva river north of the town. We navigate the large river to Leningrad.

Finally, I see it! Leningrad! Even though it's still some kilometers away, the vastness and spectacle of the wondrous city can be identified. I see the docks where the Northern Fleet had been stationed. Maybe they fled thinking we are Stukas ready to rain down a stick of bombs on them! There are heavy concentrations of flak around the city. Wisely, we stay high above the city. The Russians greet us with a few bursts of flak. Angry blotches appear on the horizon, but not close enough to be bothersome.

I dip the wings left and right to take a quick look at Leningrad.

Past the large bend in the Neva River, I can see the Winter Palace and the golden dome of St. Issac's Cathedral.

Target sighted! One by one, the Stukas nose over and enter their signature dive. Sirens scream and flak bursts all around them. Bombs are released. Suddenly, there is an orange flash! A wing separates from a Stuka. It spins crazily and crashes not far from where its bombs landed.

The familiar call of "Indianers!" echoes in the headset. A group of three Ivans, far below us, heads towards the formation of Stukas, who are struggling to climb back to altitude. Seiler orders the Ahler schwarm to attack immediately because the Stukas are very vulernable after completing the attack. I push the nose down, quickly gaining speed and passing 600 kph.

I'm about to select an Ivan below me when I notice another three dots in the distance. I extend the dive and level off in front of them. The specks quickly gain in size. I notice the large, rotary engine in front and it can only mean that more I-16s have joined the fight. I call out a warning and then focus on the oncoming Ivans.

I squeeze the trigger. Tracer smoke lances into the second I-16's fuselage. Pieces fly off the Ivan. We roar past one another. I crane my neck to witness the fate of the damaged I-16, but its still flying. I'm going too fast to quickly turn around on their tails. Instead, I bank my Me into a climbing right turn to survey the scene.

Cyclists are twisting and turning. Everyone is trying to fall on the tail of a Russian. Calls of "Abschuss" are shouted over the radio. I look around to see black smoke tracing a downward curve on the sky-blue background.

I spot The Hund attacking an Ivan. I keep his rear hemisphere clear so he can concentrate on the I-16 he pursues. The Ivan doesn't take any evasive action. The Hund fires cannon and machine gun. BOOM! An orange fireball momentarily blinds me. The Hund banks left, but I fly right into the debris field.

In a panic, I test the controls. White 14 responds and I breathe a sigh of relief. My trusty crate is undamaged.

I lose sight of The Hund. He's entered a spiral, left climb and disappeared behind the clouds. Directly in front of me, I spot I-16s and Friedrichs zooming and diving in and out of the clouds. I ram the throttle forward in pursuit of the Russians.

I choose the trailing I-16 and follow him into the clouds. After we both emerge, the Ivan seems unaware of my presence. Closer and closer I get. Firing position is nearly reached when I notice that he is chasing after another Me who in turn is firing at another Rata!

"Cyclist shooting at the Ivan, behind you!"

"Quiet, I'm busy!" is the reply. It's Seiler, the Staffelkapitan! Eyes narrowing, I silently urge my crate to go faster before the Russian can shoot.

Thankfully, White 14 is speeding at nearly 550kph. Seiler's target busts into flames! The Rata fills the Revi. I fire the machine guns. Tracer whistles past the ears of the Ivan. He must have heard the bullets zip past because the Rata has an open cockpit! The Ivan performs a barrel roll, dips the left wing and dives for the ground, following his burning comrade. It is a maneuver I cannot follow. I stand White 14 on its right wingtip and follow the Staffelkapitan.

"Danke, four four."

"Viktor, viktor. Your tail is clear!" I reply. Vögele arrives and rejoins his schwarmfuhrer.

I turn away and start searching for my schwarm. I spot an airfield below me. This is a different one from the base subjected to Stuka attack. It's right along my flight path, all I have to do is dip the nose and line up targets. I have only a slight moment of trepidation, recalling the outcome of the last mission. Such feelings are put away to dwell on when I return to the Garden Fence.

I chop throttle and dive. A large, twin-engined aircraft at the corner of the airfield. I line it up in the Revi. Strangely, the flak gunners are quiet. As every second passes, I think they are waiting until I'm on top of them before firing. I roar down the runway, shooting up the parked bomber. The left wing crumples and tongues of flame spurt from the fuel tanks.

Keeping low, White 14 zooms past the base and yet, the gunners refuse to shoot me. While considering my good fortune, a kette of three black dots crosses in front of me. I quickly join them once I recognize Ahlers and The Hund.

Six burning pyres mark the wreckeage of Russian I-16s. The Hund filed two claims, the Staffelkapitan scores again and adds one to his total, while Leutnant Ahlers bagged three Ivans!

Sadly, two Stukas are lost to ground fire. However, the Russian airbase is devastated along with an observation post and balloon.