German pilot training

[MiloMorai]

It would appear that the Germans had trouble with training pilots even in 1940.

 

Steinhilper wrote about one of his replacement pilots:

High also on the list of losses as the battle wore on were the replacement pilots. They simply didn't have the experience that we pre-war regulars had acquired. In our Gruppe at the beginning of the French Campaign we had thirty-six experienced pilots, none of whom had less than three years flying experience. Now we were getting replacements for the experienced pilots we had lost straight from Jagdfliegerschule (fighter school]. At that time we still tried our best to take care of these fledglings until they could accrue some experience.

Typical of these youngsters was a young Gefreiter who arrived in late September. His flying time was minimal - he had only fired a few shots at a ground target, had never flown on oxygen and still had no idea how to use his radio. We tried to increase their experience before they actually came along on combat missions by taking them up on patrols between missions. Then we would talk on the radio, climb to altitudes in excess of 8,000 metres (25,000 ft) and make them use oxygen. Of special importance was teaching them how to change the pitch of their propeller to get maxmum pull from the engine at high altitude. A flat pitch would allow the engine to rev up to its maximum so that the super-charger would deliver the maximum volume of air to the cylinders and produce optimum power; changing to a coarser pitch would have that engine power converted into more pull and consequently speed our rate of climb. It was vital they mastered this technique if they were to keep up in a battle-climb or at high altitude.5

After about ten hours of 'tuition' we would take them out over the Channel to shoot at shadows on the water or cross to Dungeness and shoot at a black medieval tower which stood there (the old Dungeness Lighthouse). Finally when we could not excuse them combat duty any more we would have to take them along with us. This became the case with the Gefreiter and so I took him as my Rottenhund Iwingman]. We began our climb almost immediately after take-off and he was constantly using the radio to ask us to slow down so that he could keep up. It was obvious that he wasn't manipulating the pitch control with the skill of the more seasoned pilots to produce the same power as our machines. We tried to tell him what to do on the radio but to no avail. Eventually, about half-way across the Channel and at 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) Kiihle told him to leave the formation and return to base. He broke away but in his confusion he turned not for home but towards Dover. Kiihle realised what was happening and ordered me to give chase and take him home. I rolled out and soon overhauled him, just before we reached the balloon barrage at Dover. I had tried to raise him on the radio but he was in such a state of anxiety that he wouldn't or couldn't respond. Positioning myself in front of him I rocked my wings, using the signal for him to follow me. He dutifully hung onto my tail and we were soon back at Coquelles. This was one of only two missions I missed during the whole of our time in the Battle of Britain.

As a result we decided that we would not take any more replacements on high altitude missions until we could give them more, much more, training. They were supposed to be replacements but in the event they were more of a problem for us than reinforcement for the squadron

[Schmehl]

Nice find, that is very interesting.  It seems it was difficult to get real training without also being in great danger.

[Aap]

8 hours ago, MiloMorai said:

They simply didn't have the experience that we pre-war regulars had acquired.

 

I think the main point is that they were noobs compared to the pre-war regulars that had had several years of training and many had Spanish Civil War experience. That was the situation with other air forces' new pilots also.

 

8 hours ago, MiloMorai said:

Typical of these youngsters was a young Gefreiter

 

That is somewhat interesting claim, because of what I have read before, all early-war pilots were promoted to at least NCO ranks before being sent to front line units. So, it there really was a young pilot with a Gefreiter rank in a front line unit in 1940, it could not have been a typical case. 

[unreasonable]

11 minutes ago, II./JG77_Kemp said:

 

I think the main point is that they were noobs compared to the pre-war regulars that had had several years of training and many had Spanish Civil War experience. That was the situation with other air forces' new pilots also.

 

 

That is somewhat interesting claim, because of what I have read before, all early-war pilots were promoted to at least NCO ranks before being sent to front line units. So, it there really was a young pilot with a Gefreiter rank in a front line unit in 1940, it could not have been a typical case. 

 

True. Certainly for the RAF at the height of the BoB, although after the Empire training scheme had got up and running this was no longer the case. By the end of the war the early training for US and UK airmen was excellent, for the Germans terrible.  Just as well, otherwise all those 1.98ata 109-Ks would have wreaked havoc!

 

On the second point, running the eye down the victories and losses lists in Prien's Staff and 1/JG 3 for BoB Barbarossa there are several Gefreiters listed, including one lost on 17 Nov 1940 so this was clearly not exceptional even if they were in a minority.

Edited November 30, 2018 by unreasonable

[Aap]

1 hour ago, unreasonable said:

On the second point, running the eye down the victories and losses lists in Prien's Staff and 1/JG 3 for BoB Barbarossa there are several Gefreiters listed, including one lost on 17 Nov 1940 so this was clearly not exceptional even if they were in a minority.

 

That is interesting. Is this list also online or you looked it up from a book? There is a list of MIA pilots online and indeed the 17 Nov 1940 loss (Gefr. Richard Riedel) must have been a combat loss, as it was over Britain. He was the only MIA Gefreiter from JG3, though, up until May 1941, when two more Gefreiters went missing over German-held territory. Would be a interesting to see a "snapshot" of some fighter unit's pilot list, all pilots with their ranks in a unit on any early-war date. What I had understood previously about Luftwaffe fighter pilot training, when pilots were sent to Jagdfliegerschule they also had to go through Unteroffizierschule (NCO School). I had read that there were cases, where pilots were not able to complete NCO training, so would be sent to units without NCO rank, or possibly be sent to units (and getting killed) before official promotion, but I would have expected it to be very rare during early war.

[unreasonable]

In the appendices of Prien's book on JG 3.  I do not have a scanner,  and have never seen this online - actually have never looked. There were some listed in the victory section too.

 

[MiloMorai]

Loss list of JG26, don-caldwell.we.bs/jg26/casualties.htm