Northern France
Mid-July 1940
(pp 111-112)

In this last week, Klaudia and Rosa had been "witness" to two raids already.  Each time, Klaudia found it hard to concentrate on her own work, particularly when she heard the controller call out the various stages of the battle.  First came, "rendezvous with escort complete," then "target in sight," "attack commenced," "attack complete," "heading home."

But today Klaudia sensed that things were not going well.  The Gruppe had taken off just a half-hour earlier to bomb a British convoy.  The fighters failed to show up at the rendezvous, and the bombers had continued without escort.  Then instead of "target in sight," the controller called out: "English fighters over target!"  Everyone in the CC looked over at him.  It was perfectly normal for the escort to encounter English fighters, but rarely more than six.  For an escort of up to 40 Messerschmitts this hardly called for comment, but without an escort the situation was very different.  The decision to press ahead without now seemed foolish.

When the controller called out "attack commenced" shortly afterwards, Klaudia sat biting her lip and hoping no radio contact would interrupt her in the next tense minutes.  Rather than "attack complete," however, the controller shouted - more loudly than required - "More Indians!"  And almost before they could all turn to stare, he shouted, "Helfritz is hit - down!  Air-Sea Rescue!"  The latter was shouted across the room at the Radio Operator responsible for liaison to the Luftwaffe's excellent Rescue Service.  The next thing he said was: "Pfeiffer's on fire!"  Now a murmur swept the CC; one or two of the NCOs jumped up and started to move toward the controller, but Schneider shouted for them to return to their places.  Klaudia guiltily turned her attention back to her own duties, absently turning the dial in search of other frequencies that might be alive.  But all her nerves strained to hear what the controller would report next.

"Attack suspended!"

That again brought a wave of astonished exclamations from the men in the CC. Klaudia gathered from their comments that no one could remember this ever happening before.

At last came the report, "Attack resumed."  But the atmosphere in the CC remained charged - so charged, in fact, that at the first sound of returning aircraft, the men jumped up and rushed to the windows - and nothing Schneider could shout at them could stop them.  Schneider gave up trying and went over to the window himself.  Klaudia followed him.

They saw the powerful planes curving around to land into the wind, and with a collective in-take of breath it was registered that the Stabskette, Paschinger's own leading vic of three aircraft, was missing a plane as it swept in to land.  In #1 Staffel another plane was missing, and another was belching black smoke as it came in very clumsily.  At once, sirens started to wail as the fire engines and ambulances rushed out to meet the wounded aircraft.

"Back to your posts!" Schneider shouted angrily, but his voice broke from excitement.  He was also a fraction too late.  Already Klaudia and the others had seen an ambulance rush up beside Paschinger's Stuka.  Klaudia caught a glimpse of a limp body being handed down.  Then Schneider chased them all back to their posts.

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