The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

been fearsome, but the pilots simply had to brace themselves and fly
through it, hoping for the best. Paul discovered that it often took the efforts
of a number of aircraft before a hit was scored. ‘Every pilot,’ noted Paul,
‘was guided by the hits scored by the plane in front of him and had to adjust
his point of aim accordingly.’ The adrenalin rush – and fear – caused by
performing such a potentially lethal operation was intense. Afterwards, as
they headed back home, Paul and his men would often sing together over
their R/T. It relieved the tension.
Although the Stukas were part of Luftflotte 3, it was Oberst Johannes Fink,
commander of KG 2 in Luftflotte 2, who had been given the specially
created title of Kanalkampfführer (‘Channel Battle Leader’) and the task of
gaining air superiority over the Channel. At forty-five, Fink was one of the
older pilots, and a veteran of the last war, too, although he had been an
infantryman then, serving on the Western Front. Although not a flippant
man, he had gone along with a joke about his new title, ‘Chief Sewage
Worker’, a pun on Kanal, which meant drain as well as channel. He
recognized the need for humour, and to look after the interests of his men.
Devoutly religious, he liked to think of himself as an avuncular figure as
well as a bomber commander, using his faith to offer solace to his crews.
Now he was responsible for many more men than those just in KG 2.
Under his direct command for operations over the Channel were the Stukas
and two Gruppen of Me 110 Zerstörers, plus the Me 109s now in the Pas de
Calais.
At around 3 p.m., Paul Hozzel’s entire first Gruppe from Stuka 1,
escorted by Dolfo Galland’s Gruppe from JG 26, began to attack the
convoy as it passed through the Straits of Dover. In waves of between
eighteen and twenty aircraft, Paul’s Stukas peeled off and began their
seventy-degree dives, sirens wailing. Over water, Paul found it best to drop
bombs as low as possible – from 500 rather than 700 metres. Immediately,
the convoy began to scatter, each skipper desperately beginning to weave,
the white wakes of their veering vessels clear against the blue-green sea.
Several ships were hit, however. One was ripped apart, and capsized before
sinking. Others were stopped in the water and riddled with shrapnel. One
Stuka was caught as it pulled out from its dive and plunged into the sea.
Another ship, one of the smallest, was hit three times.