.....setting the scene
May 15, 1943
The Americans today repeated their attack of yesterday upon Kiel. I could take only five aircraft into the air, since nearly all our planes had holes in them when they arrived home yesterday. We intercept the enemy formation off the St. Peter peninsula, before it is over the mainland.
The only one of our bombs to register is that dropped by Flight Sergeant Lennartz. One of the Fortresses goes down. Twice I attempt without success to carry out an attack on one of the enemy formations. The Americans take evasive action by means of a sort of ‘weaving flight’. That makes accurate frontal attack extremely dangerous to accomplish, when the time for firing is limited to three or four seconds only. Perfect timing is essential because of the terrific closing speed. Our own speed added to that of the enemy at 25,000 feet amounts to more then 600 miles per hour.
Finally I succeed in getting at one of the Fortresses flying on the outer flank. I observe the right inside engine hit. The Fortress simply closes in and slides over the well protected center of the formation. Another frontal attack on the formation produced no result. I narrowly escape a collision with the huge tail unit of one of the Americans. The rudder alone is as big as the entire wingspan of my Messerschmitt 109.
This seems to be one of those days where every blasted thing goes wrong. I lose sight of a Fortress which I have started to shoot up. By this time I simply could not care less. I dive steeply from behind at another Fortress flying at the tail end. At last my firing begins to have some effect. The two left engines begin smoking. The Yank loses height rapidly. Once he is out of formation, it is all over. I fasten on behind his tail and blaze away with everything I have. Bright flames begin to spread along the belly. All ten members of the crew bail out. The parachutes hang in the sky like washing on some invisible clothes line, while the giant plane goes down trailing a long column of smoke, in a pilotless spin, falling out of control and finally disintegrating in its descent.”
Heinz Knoke
“I Flew for the Fuhrer”
