posted 03-17- 10:38 AM               

Over Kiel we run into heavy flak from our own guns. The shooting by the Navy is unfortunatly so good that we are considerably disorganised.

I observe teh Yank bombing. They dump their load right on the Germania shipyards. I am impressed by the precision with which those bastards bomb: it is fantastic.

My chance of bringing off a formation drop has gone by now, so I send the Flight in one at a time.

My own bomb fails to explode. Hits are registered, however, by Flight Sergeants Fuhrmann and Fest and Sergeant Biermann. Three of the Fortresses are destroyed in mid-air.

Once again relying on my guns, I dive for a frontal atack against a detached formation of some thirty Fortresses.

Almost at once I feel a hit in the fuselage, and as a result I have to abandon the attack. My engine continues running smoothly, however, and all the controls seems to be working.

I attempt another frontal attack. My first salvo registers right in the control cabin of a Fortress. It rears up like a great animal that has been mortally wounded, and drops away in steep spirals to the right. At approximately 10,000 feet a wing breaks off. It crashes near Husum at 1217 hours.

I get home with several holes in my fuselage and tail.

Today my flight has shot down five heavy bombers. The total Flight bag credited has now reached fifty heavy bombers, and the fiftieth was brought down by Flight Sergeant Wenneckers. Thus my No. 5 Flight is now credited with shooting down as many heavy bombers as the Squadron Headquarters and Four and Six Flights all together.

During an inspection of the Squadron later in the afternoon General Galland, General Commanding the German Fighter Command, signs our Visitors Book with his good wishes and congratulaions on our "Fiftieth Heavy Baby"

- Heinz Knoke

From: I Flew For The Fuhrer.

A great book I'm reading.

Heinz flew Bf109 Emils and Gustavs during the war eventually getting 52 kills if I remember right. He survived the war and wrote this book after.

Its pretty damn good. In this passage they are trying droping bombs on the bomber formations with some effect they also try out stovepipes later in the book which also work.

I can't belive how often they had engine trouble and had to crash land or bail. Its amazing he made it through the war.

posted 03-17- 09:47 PM               

Yep thats exactly it. I just finished it today. You end up feeling sad for him he got in a car accident right near the end of the war. Broke both legs, almost lost one and broke his pelvis. He was crippled from then on.