Wilhelm Mohr

Wilhelm Mohr. On World War II
On 21 December, the Wing was ordered to another airfield, B79 near
Woensdrecht in Holland. At the beginning it was difficult to start all
over again in terms of the ’comfort specialities’ which the season called
for, and by then periods of snowfall had become common. In addition,
another challenge arose. The Wing had hardly arrived, when rumours
spread of a large German force gathering on the north side of the river
Maas. Supposedly, this included paratroopers and SS special forces. The
Allied defence forces in the area were very limited, so the Wing’s own
anti-aircraft artillery unit was assigned to the front along the river.
The day before Christmas, 23 December, the Wing received orders
to be on the alert and establish full readiness. This included, for
instance, having access to weapons at all times, sleeping with one’s
clothes on, all vehicles being ready and loaded to the extent possible,
storage rooms prepared to be destroyed, and so forth. Yet at the same
time, flying operations were to be upheld. A quotation from General
Mehre’s account may serve to give some insight into the situation:
This readiness created a strange atmosphere, especially for those who were preparing
for the Christmas celebration. The chaplain and his closest aides received word to
continue their arrangements, and thereby a situation rose which most people will
probably remember: Christmas dinner with Norwegian food, Christmas presents
and singing as they processed around the decorated Christmas tree, but it has hardly
previously been done singing ’Wonderful is the Earth’, ’Peace on Earth’, with guns
over their shoulders and pistols on their hips.
To put this quotation in a wider context, it should be borne in mind that
the crew was a hardened group. First and foremost, they did their job,
took hardships as they came, and weighed the threats carefully. They
worked together, but could also spend time together. This represents
qualities that mostly say something about the crew themselves. Still, the
characteristics of this enterprise were that the aircraft were dispersed
on the airfield, and the working environment was equally dispersed
and vulnerable. This could have given a sense of isolation and despair.
Therefore, the strain was more an issue based on personal premises than
originating from being part of an organized and armed fighting force.
90