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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0599.PDF
MARCH II, 1937. FLIGHT. 227 The tidiness of eveiything I saw, the keen discipline, the eager alertness of pilots and mechanics, mirrored the esprit de corps that must have existed during the height of the battle fame of the squadron. And I found that the spirit whereby British and German war pilots measured flying ability by a mutual standard of skill and courage in the air (which they willingly conceded each to the other) still lives. ' . , , Iin Krieg geboren, im Krieg geslorben. So ran the motto for German pilots who survived the Great War: the christening, the epitaph of the German Flying Corps —Born in the war and died in the war. It is still dead for, like our own Royal Flying Corps, it was a branch of the Army. But from its ashes has arisen the new Luftwaffe (literally Air Weapon) created by General-Oberst "So a Geschwader is actually a regiment of nine Staffeln, the equivalent of nine British squadrons. The Richthofen Squadron of to-day is a regiment of our Air Force. And to-day we are going to see the Ilnd Gruppe of the Richthofen Geschwader." Some forty miles south of Berlin my guide pointed to the right. " Over there is an Air Force technical training school." A few minutes later he pointed again to the right. "Over there is a bombing practice school." A '(Right) A fine ex ample of modern German interior decoration — the ante-room to the Officers' Mess at Damm Aerodrome. Hermann Goring and to-day a force in the Third Reich. Th * * * the officer who accompanied me from the German Air Ministry explained the composition of the new German Air orce as we drove along the long straight road from Berlin ;nc of .the Air Force Mercedes cars. He spoke excellent i?" , . 'earned (or perfected) in a prisoners' camp in agiand after he was brought down while raiding Boulogne, into FT speakinS<" he said, "Geschwader translates r-m, g- as Squadron. But its military value in ron f reaILy °Ur Staffel that corresponds to your Squad- general'11 X Staffel we usually have nine machines and b ,,Ldhy Mree more on the station reserve. Grnrmp^1 , Staffeln make one Gruppe. And three "•PPen make one Geschwader. For leisure hours—the "winter garden" attached to the Officers' Mesu, big aeroplane thrummed its way over distant woods. But in each case, apart from the aeroplane, I saw only fields and fir trees. In the German Air Force, my companion told me, there is no short-service commission. When an officer joins the Air Force it is for a life career. The training period lasts about two years. First, there are three months of disciplinary training—marching and drill; next, five months of study, followed by nine months of flying training. Then, if the flying is satisfactory, more study, and finally the examinations. If the pupil on probation is successful he gains his commission and becomes an officer for life. * * * We skirted the town and bore to the right towards Damm aerodrome. All the build ings were new ; two additional barracks were nearing completion. The concreted approach roads were excellent. We pulled up in front of the station headquarters that faced the flying field. My companion entered the building and presently came back for me. We mounted the stairs, and a moment later I was introduced to Major Meyer, officer commanding the Ilnd Gruppe, Richthofen Squadron. During the Great War he was an infantry officer. Now he is a pilot. The German Air Force ranks do not correspond to ours. They are approximately one rank lower for a given command, thus : Rank oi Commanding Officer. Squadron Leader, equal to Major. Wing Commander, equal to Lieut. Colonel. Group Captain, equal to Colonel. Rank of Commanding Officer. Hauptmann, equal to Captain Major, equal to Major. Oberst (Colonel), equal to Lieut. Colonel. Royal Air Force Squadron Wing Croup German Air Force Staffel Gruppe Geschwader
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