The Perils and the Prize by Jim Crossley

Author:Jim Crossley [Crossley, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784657871
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Published: 2020-04-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Hans was none the worse for his swim, but the return to his squadron brought bleak news. No less than eight Stukas from his station had failed to return from their mission. It was now obvious that, formidable as it was to harry and terrify ground forces and to sink enemy shipping, the Stuka simply could not operate in areas where the enemy had effective, modern fighters. The lesson of that day’s disasters was well learnt, even in the top echelons of the Luftwaffe, and the aircraft were withdrawn from the battle. Hans and his colleagues wondered where their next posting might be. There were rumours that an attack was to be launched one day against Russia. No one really believed them; nevertheless, there was a lot of discussion about the part they could play, blasting a way for the Panzer divisions towards Moscow, or to the oil wells at the eastern end of the Black Sea.

The wing to which he was attached was re located to Germany, allowing him to take a few days’ leave at home. He found that life in the castle was remarkably untroubled by war. There were still domestic servants and there seemed to be no shortages of food or household products. Only petrol was hard to obtain, and with his connections in the Luftwaffe, he found little difficulty in wangling even this when he needed it. He found himself feted wherever he went: his exploits in Poland and over France had been trumpeted all over the district by his mother who insisted on throwing numerous dinner parties so that people could admire her son. In particular she had a way of surrounding him with suitably attractive female company, especially seeking out girls from wealthy or noble families. “Hans,” she said before one such event. “You need to forget that little English girl. You have the future and the family to consider and it’s time that my hero made a proper marriage. The Fuhrer himself has said that Germans have a duty to produce large families of good Nordic stock. At least consider that delightful Countess of… so charming, and such a family! Or how about Gertrude… they say she’ll have a career in films… then there’s…” Hans was not generally an ill-tempered fellow but this he simply couldn’t stand. He became almost rudely standoffish and cool, giving them all a wide berth. He still dreamed about Angela and what they would do together when Britain finally saw sense and ended the war. No one else would do. He was quite glad when he was recalled to his unit early.

By the end of September, it was clear that the attempt to smother the RAF and open the way to an invasion of southern England was not going to succeed. As the weather turned in October, units of the Luftwaffe were withdrawn and redeployed, mostly to the east where they rebuilt their damaged formations and trained new aircrews. 1/StG1, Hans’ unit, however, found itself posted briefly to the Baltic so as to hone its anti-ship operation skills.

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