Colonel Massow Nr 2 - JG 2 Richthoffen - Operation Paula - JG 3 - Maltzahn - Me 109 - Messerschmidt

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With the operations around Dunkirk completed, the Germans turned their attention to delivering a knockout blow to the French. Do this this the Luftwaffe hoped to destroy the remaining elements of the French air force. Operation Paula was intended to do this.

The French had been warned of the impending attach but due to incompetence only 80 fighters were scrambled to intercept the German formations and they were flying at too low an altitude to be effective.

At an altitude of 7000 m we approached Paris and through heavy fog I was able to watch as wave after wave of bombers and dive bombers precisely executed their runs.

I was flying behind Captain Maltzahn’s squadron just south-west of Paris when the fighters made a tactical zig-zag maneuver. Intently watching the execution of the operation I was slow to join in the maneuver. At just that moment a battery of french flak guns turned their attention to Maltzahn’s squadron. As is typical for French gunners, they aimed short and their shots landed behind their targets which unfortunately left the shells bursting precisely around my 109.

There was a sudden strong jolt and the entire plane began to vibrate which told me that the engine had been hit. The cooling liquid streamed out, the crankshaft began making a terrible grinding sound, the oil pressure dropped considerably and the cockpit began filling with smoke. I was instantly covered in dirty hot oil but fortunately uninjured.

The situation was critical as I flew completely blind at an altitude 7000 meters above Paris! At the moment I was thinking “Just don’t get captured”. Having taken part in a 1000 plane attack on Paris I couldn’t expect that a captured pilot would would be treated well.

Dazed and coughing heavily from the smoke, I managed to pull open the canopy and immediately had a better view. Being out in the open and able to breath took away the panic of being trapped inside a burning cockpit. With my compass damaged, orienting myself to fly back to the north-east was difficult. It was already clear that getting back to the air base at Couvron near Laon would not be possible and I wanted to at least go in the right direction so as to get myself as close to the German lines as possible.

At least I was now out of the range of the flak fire. With my 109 in this condition, if engaged by the enemy I most certainly would have been an easy prey. Fortunately they all had their hands full with our Messerschmidts that they were engaged with at medium altitude including captain Maltzahn’s squadron which was now no longer in sight. Busy fulfilling their mission, they couldn’t have noticed that I was no longer to the rear of the formation.

The fire streaming out of the engine was melting parts of the plane and producing an intense heat inside the cockpit however, at least momentarily, I still had control and could maintain my position behind a bomber squadron that I’d spotted which were now returning home. I’d continue following as long as I could.

Attempting a crash landing was an option. The idea of landing a burning plane might seem straight forward but in truth there’s a long list of prerequisites that are necessary to make the maneuver possible.

The fire obviously can’t spread to the point of destroying the plane or injuring the pilot seriously before the landing is completed. There is also the danger of the fire cooking off any munitions that the plane might be loaded with. Complete concentration to the task at hand is necessary and the smoke and heat can certainly distract the pilot or cause him to lose conciseness.

If the emergency landing is somehow successful the pilot needs to be able to get out and away quickly because the damaged plane can explode. During a crash landing in a small fighter the pilot can easily get stuck inside a cockpit. But the Messerschmidt is wonderfully built to the highest German standards which makes this option viable.

The decision was made, I’d attempt a crash landing. And Actually the whole decision making process was much faster than the writing of this description now.

I took a lingering last glance at the bombers ahead and then turned my attention to finding a suitable landing area. Not far off and in between two forested areas I saw a field that seemed adequate. If the landing was successful then the trees might also provide me with a place to hide from the enemy.

The moments leading up to touching down are filled with tension. Since I wasn’t landing on a smooth runway, the lowering of the landing gear was out of the question. The details as to what happened when contact was made with the ground and those fleeting moments afterwards is difficult to put into words. I reacted automatically: There were a few hard jolts in all directions, dirt, dust and pieces of the plane flew everywhere, there was an intense burst of heat, and then the forward motion of the plane slowed and then suddenly stopped.