Yes it was, he said "Fire".
Yes it was, he looked threw the gun sight and moved the turret.
HiTech
Rudel says getting hit by a tank would be an accident or mistake made by the pilot......meaning
if it happened at all it wasn't the sharp shooting tank who gets the credit.
"More dangerous for our tanks is the Soviet heavy and very heavy anti-tank artillery which appears at every key point of
the battle area. As the Russians are masters of camouflage their Pak is only spotted and neutralized with difficult y.
The sight of these masses of tanks reminds me of my cannon-carrying aircraft of the experimental unit, which I have
brought with me from the Crimea. With this enormous target of enemy tanks it should be possible to try it out. It is true
the flak defenses covering the Soviet tank units are very heavy, but I say to myself that both groups are facing each other
at a distance of 1200 to 1800 yards, and unless I am brought down like a stone by a direct hit by flak it must always be
possible to crash-land the damaged aircraft in our own tank lines. The first flight therefore flies with bombs behind me in
the only cannon-carrying aeroplane. So the attempt is made.
In the first attack four tanks explode under the hammer blows of my cannons; by the evening the total rises to twelve. We
are all seized with a kind of passion for the chase from the glorious feeling of having saved much German bloodshed with
every tank destroyed.
After the first day the fitters have their hands full, for the aircraft have been heavily damaged by flak. The life of such an
aeroplane will always be limited. But the main thing is
: the evil spell is broken, and in this aircraft we possess a weapon
which can speedily be employed everywhere and is capable of dealing successfully with the formidable numbers of Soviet
tanks. There is great rejoicing in the flight, the squadron, the wing and the group over this newly-gained discovery and its
practical confirmation. In order to secure supplies of this aircraft a signal is immediately sent to all sections of the antitank
experimental unit, asking for all serviceable aircraft to be flown here at once with crews. So the anti-tank flight is
formed. For operational purposes it is under my command.
The succeeding days and battles complete the picture and further successes are not denied us. While the cannon-carrying
aircraft go in to attack, a part of the bomber formation deals with the ground defenses; the rest circle at a fairly low level
like a broody hen round her chickens in order to protect the anti-tank aircraft from interception by enemy fighters.
Little by little I discover all the tricks.
Skill is often the result of getting hurt. We lose aircraft in weakly defended areas
because we are cruising in the middle of an artillery duel. The air space in the line of the artillery trajectory must be
avoided, otherwise there is the danger of being shot down "by accident."
After some time the Soviets have managed fairly successfully to cope with our air attacks against their tanks. If it is at all
possible they move up their A.A. guns with the leading tanks. The tanks also are equipped with smoke shells to create a
fog screen or to intimidate a conflagration in the hope that their pursuers may veer off in the belief that they have achieved
their purpose. Experienced crews soon get wise to this maneuver and are no longer deceived by it. A tank which is really
on fire will show very bright flames, and to simulate such flames is far too risky a business. In many cases the tank will
blow up as the fire catches the ammunition normally always carried in every tank.
It is very uncomfortable for us if the
explosion is instantaneous and our aircraft is flying at an altitude of 15-30 feet above the tank. This happens to me twice
in the first few days when I suddenly fly through a curtain of fire and think: "This time you are for it."
I come out, however, safe and sound on the other side even though the green camouflage of my aircraft is scorched and
splinters from the exploding tank have riddled it with holes.
Sometimes we dive onto the steel monsters from behind, sometimes from the side. The
angle of attack is not too steep to
prevent us flying in quite close to the ground, and so also when pulling out from getting into any trouble in case the
aircraft overshoots. If it overshoots too far it is hardly possible to avoid contact with the ground with all its dangerous
consequences."
Rudel -"Stuka Pilot"
