Kanalkampf. Mission 13: 25th July 1940

[Esri]

Mission Date: 25th July 1940

Name: Esri
Rank: Lowest (Katschmarek)
Unit: 5./JG26
Aircraft: 109 Emil 4
Markings: Black 12
Aerodrome: Marquise
Status: Aircraft sunken, pilot alive
Victory Claims: Nailed the takeoff

Finally, the day i had waited for has come. I was assigned to fly with 5./JG26 in schwarm 1. I failed to notice the call to roll to runway, so my schwarm had to wait for me a bit. We took off and I was immediately lost in the swarm of aircraft. With help of my schwarm commander Atreides, i flew to French point, where our schwarm assembled. We then proceeded to fly over the channel, heading towards Dover. We joined massive dogfight that was happening there. I tried to cling to Atreides as a tick, but after some time i got two hurricanes on my tail and had to break away. I tried to do evasive maneveurs but ... did I mention I'm new? ^_^ So after some time i got hit, my rad was badly hurt and i was out of E. I managed to land on water and my mission ended there.

[Mason]

Mission Date: 25th July 1940

Name: Mason
Rank: Unterfeldwebel
Unit: 4./26
Aircraft: Bf-109
Markings: white 3
Aerodrome: Marquise
Pilot Status: OK
Aircraft Status: ready for flight
Victory Claims: 1
Place: Dover Harbor area
Aircraft: Hurricane
Confirmed by: Hypoxia

[Huff Duff]

Mission Date: 25th July 1940
Name: Huff Duff
Rank: Gefreiter
Unit: 6./JG26
Aircraft: Bf109 E-3
Markings: brown 5
Aerodrome: Marquise
Status: Pilot ok/ aircraft damaged

Shortly after the fight over Dover area started for the 6th Staffel I was engaged by a Spitfire. I got some hits in my wings and my radiator was damaged- had to break of and head for home... Reaching the French coast my engine had already stoped but I managed to land my 109 at Marquise airfield.

[Atreides]

Mission Date: 25th July 1940 1126-1210

Name: Atreides
Rank:Leutnant
Unit: 5./JG26
Aircraft: Bf-109 E4
Markings: Black 3
Aerodrome: Hydrequent
Pilot Status: OK (bailed)
Aircraft Status: Destroyed

Victory Claims:

Time	Place	Aircraft	Opponent	Confirmed
12:10	In front of the Cliffs of Dover	Hurricane	KW-F	No (Maybe by the Kriegsmarine)

Britain itself. Finally. For too long has high command stalled the attack on our only remaining enemy. In the past few months we had occupied Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Low Countries and France with lightning speed, only to stop at the Channel. The only good thing to come from allowing the battered RAF weeks to recover from their retreat from mainland Europe was that we would've something of a challenge in the coming battles, however the result would be the same nevertheless (barring of course the unlikely event of High Command ordering us to stop attacking airfields in sight of defeating the RAF, but no way that's gonna happen, right?).

Today we would be covering bombers over Dover, an important port city lying between white chalk cliffs where the Channel is at it's narrowest. Already pilots were dreaming how in the future people would remember their heroism in this battle in a united Europe under German leadership

Despite the losses in the Kanalkampf the mechanics had incredibly managed to get 8 aircraft combat ready. Together with the help of Schwarmführer Flyby who would be leading the second Schwarm, I was once again proud to lead the fine men of the fifth into battle. We had a new recruit, Esri, who would be winging with me. The rest of 1. Schwarm, Dub, Stig and I, were very motivated to teach him the basics...

Being on a new airport, Hydrequent also known as Marquise East, lead to a disastrous takeoff of the first Schwarm. After the dust had cleared it seemed only the “rookie” Esri had managed to get at the rendezvous point, while the other 3 including myself had to get their planes field repaired with very little time to spare.

Anyway, once near Cap Gris Nez (aka the French Point) we had gotten together and Flyby confirmed the second Schwarm also already well on their way. In close communication with the men of the 4th and 6th we patrolled the area. Almost at the exact moment the approaching bombers were spotted, enemy planes were also discovered on their way to attack those bombers. As eagles we dove down and a battle unlike any before ensued. Never in the history of human conflict had so many planes been in combat against so many other planes in so small an area.

I managed to get some bullets into several aircraft in short engagements, not noting any serious damage. At one moment I got 2 Spits on my tail when heading out to sea from the Hawkinge area. In a dive I shook them off after which I started to climb to get back into the furbal again. Then I spotted him...

A Hurricane below me. He seemed to be on his own. No doubt he was looking for unsuspecting bombers. I dove down on him but he spotted me and turned into my dive. Clever. His reactions to my maneuvers were almost like I had seen... I quickly shook that thought off of me since the probability of my adversary once again being him was statistically impossible.
After a few passes we were in a head on confrontation. I shot at point blank range and saw explosions of my cannon shells on his left wing. The moment I had to dive away I suddenly froze as I realized the enemy pilot was after all unmistakably him again, my old friend from Bergen (NL) who had destroyed my plane the 18th, who I had seen yesterday (the 24th), had fiercely dogfighted with the 14th and had crashed into the 10th...

Head on.jpg

Head on 1 ms later.jpg

though short this moment of hesitation because of recognizing him, amplified no doubt by him hesitating to turn away because of recognizing me, was too long and we once again collided. The combination of this and my cannon shells made his wing break off, but my tail was sadly also cut off by the collision. I quickly bailed out and from a distance saw an orange, red white and blue parachute. Even though I had a Luger I agreed with Galland that shooting at parachutes was against the code of honor, even if it was my tea drinking nemesis hanging a few hundred meters away. No, we would settle this on the battlefield. “Next time you won't get away, just you wait, you #@!$!@$” I shouted at him in Dutch. I heard a vague reply in the distance which I couldn't understand, however he always had been difficult to understand, like his choice against beer. I did however started to doubt if he could ever be swayed from those tea barbarians.

I was rescued by the Kriegsmarine while he got aboard a vessel of the Royal Navy. An unspoken agreement between the opposing forces was not to attack the rescue forces, so after a few uncomfortable moments both ships sailed away from each other.

[Krass]

Mission Date: 25th July 1940

Name: Krass
Rank: Obergefreiter
Unit: 5./JG26
Aircraft: BF-109 E4
Markings: Black 6
Aerodrome: Hydrequent
Status: OK
Aircraft Status: Destroyed
Victory Claims:

Time	Place	Aircraft	Opponent	Confirmed
-	-	-	-	-

Today, we take off from our new base at Hydrequent, with our dependable Schwarmführer Flyby at the helm. Our orders are to rendezvous with our brave bomber pilots for the big push on the Tommy's.

High on patrol over Dover, with a beautiful clear sky, multiple contacts where called out below. As usual in the heat of battle, our schwarm became separated and I soon found myself on the tail of a Hurricane. He was preoccupied with one of our bombers and I lined him up for a shot. Unfortunately, just as I squeezed the trigger he broke hard left.. then I noticed he had company, and a lucky call from his wing-man had saved his life.

Now it was my turn to break hard, and I quickly split-s and dived for the harbour. I could see a large group of fighters engaged in deadly combat below me as I pulled hard on the stick and climbed out of my dive. As I reached the top of my climb, the chasing Hurricane was suddenly right beside me and filled my side canopy. We both looked at each other, and for a split second the whole world stopped. In that moment I realised just how young we all were, us eager and patriotic pawns, thrown into the maelstrom of deadly war.

We split from each other, each diving our own way, and I continue down into the mass of fighters below us. Frantic minutes of dog-fighting ensue, and I try to climb out and gain some altitude. As I come around and begin another dive, I feel a few hits from my high 10 and before long I see the tell tale signs of a damaged radiator. Short of time, I dive steeply and head for France. I now see the Spit on my tail, and I drag him low across the channel with maximum throttle. Soon help is on hand, and I see the welcome sight of a 109 bearing down on him, I watch as my unknown savior puts the chasing Spit into the water.

Within touching distance of the cliffs of Calais, my trusty 109 finally can take no more, and she lets me know now is the time to test my chute packing. The canopy flies off, and the noise is deafening as I jump into the summer air. Everything is suddenly very quite and peaceful as I drift down towards the beach. I begin to wonder what happened to that RAF pilot, my young enemy who stared me in the eye at ten thousand feet.

[Neun]

Name:Neun
Rank:Oberfeldwebel
Unit:6./JG26
Aircraft:BF-109 E3
Markings:brown 9
Aerodrome: Marquise East
Pilot Status: POW
Aircraft Status: Lost

[Zalzam]

Moved

[Vlerkies]

Mission Date: 25th July 1940
Name: Vlerkies
Rank: Unteroffizier
Unit: 5./JG26
Aircraft: Bf-109 E1
Markings: Black 2
Aerodrome: Marquise
Pilot Status: Ditched in England
Aircraft Status: Dicthed
Victory Claims:

Time	Place	Aircraft	Opponent	Confirmed
-	-	-	-	-

Hits on a number of planes, no kills, blew rads, ditched in England.

[Dickie]

Vlerkies, Zalzam, can you confirm that this was actually for Mission 13? Only pretty sure Zalzam started in Mission 14?

Please post here and we'll sort it out.

thanks

[Zalzam]

Done