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COMBAT REPORT

Name:
Date:
Flight, squadron:
Number of enemy aircraft:
Type of enemy aircraft:
Time attack was delivered:
Place attack was delivered:
Height of enemy:
Enemy casualties:
Our casualties:
General report:
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Spent the day at the memorial service for Falcke.

"You never saw what happened eh?" Galland asked.

"He went down after a Hurricane, I went up after a Spitfire," I told him.

"Hmmm," Galland chomped on his cigar. "How many kills do you have now?"

"I have shot down 5 enemy aircraft Herr Major," I told him, truthfully.

"Fine. You take Falcke's position, I'll find you a katschmarek."

As he walked away, it occurred to me with a few more kills, I might make section leader...

War Diary of Horst Buddenhagen, II./JG3, 30. Juli 1940

The last two days have been very busy, not with fighting - mind you - but with preparing the field for a visit of Albert Kesselring, CO of Luftflotte 2. There was a lot of shaking hands yesterday, and the visit was over after only 20 minutes. Two days of cleaning and polishing for an event that was over almost before it began... What a waste of time!
Kesselring is a quite nice guy, though. Radiating competence..

Today we were on orders to protect a group of Ju 88s to the docks of Dover.
We were already over the British coast, when the Hurricanes of Hawkinge AF were taking off. Thus they were sitting ducks. Diving on them, we destroyed quite a few. Then we went further east to cover the bombers from any further attackers and met another squadron of Hurricanes, presumably out of Manston. In the fight that followed, we were able to take down some more enemy fighters, but also lost three comrades in the process.

The Gruppe shot down 13 aircraft for the loss of three - not bad at all!
I myself got four Hurris, what takes my score to 24. I'm almost at a par with Oberstleutnant Mölders now, who has been appointed Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 three days ago.
So there's hope that I will fall up the career ladder, too.

.