Chapter 548: I'll Fly Wingman

The two fighter planes landed one after the other at the frontline base, touching down on the long runway. There were more ground crew than usual, and two of them were even waiting on the edge of the strip with fire extinguishers.

The control tower had been aware of the thrilling battle that had just taken place, but the final assessment of the engagement would have to wait for the two pilots’ flight reports and debriefings. Of course, no one knew the exact number of enemy aircraft shot down; after all, the tower had only been able to catch snippets of the conversation between the two planes.

Everyone knew the two of them had engaged Soviet aircraft in the sky, but the specific details couldn’t be determined from the radio communications. They had only heard that the squadron commander’s plane had malfunctioned in the air, so they had all come to the airfield to see what had happened.

“How could it be smoking? Is it a problem with the fuel system?” a ground crewman asked an old veteran beside him. He was one of the staff responsible for inspecting the squadron commander’s plane, so his mood was naturally very tense. A mechanical failure during a mission could be considered one of the most serious operational errors for the ground crew.

If, according to procedure, the cause of the malfunction was ultimately traced back to them, the ground crew responsible for that area would be dealt with immediately. In many cases, this meant demotion or a pay cut, reduced supplies, or even being punished by being sent to the front to join a combat unit. It was only because Germany was in short supply of skilled mechanics now; otherwise, it would have been a direct firing squad.

So it was no wonder these ground crew were nervous. This kind of thing could be a big deal or a small one. If it was handled within the squadron, at most it would be a meeting, with a few ground crew members apologizing and getting a smaller share of supplies and cigarettes. If it got escalated to the group or even the Air Force General Staff, then it would be a skinning.

The old veteran frowned and shook his head. “A fuel system failure couldn’t have caused that much smoke… I heard the engine started working again later. I suspect it might be a problem with the fuel additive used to boost combustion.”

His answer was somewhat helpless. If it was blamed on the fuel, then it would be a lawsuit with the logistics department and the industrial sector. The good thing was that such a lawsuit would take a long time to resolve, so no one would be punished for it in the meantime. The bad thing was that if it was reported this way, it would inevitably blow up, involving more and more people.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Several units are using that fuel, and I haven’t heard of any problems!” the logistics officer on the side immediately set the tone for the matter. He did not want to write a report and send it to the High Command, the Ministry of Industry, and the Air Force General Staff because of one accident. That would be a very, very miserable end for him.

The two planes came to a stop on the grass. The ground crew swarmed over and quickly helped the two pilots out of their aircraft. The squadron commander was covered in soot from the smoke in his plane. After climbing out, black marks could still be seen on his face, and there was residue on his uniform from the fire extinguisher.

“Inspect this plane! Find out what went wrong!” The squadron commander was always very calm. He didn’t blame his ground crew the moment he got off the plane but gave the order for an investigation. “Don’t record the cause of this malfunction in detail in the squadron flight log. Just cover it up as an accidental incident. This matter… we will resolve it internally within the squadron.”

God be praised. Since it was to be resolved internally, then everything was fine. All the ground crew let out a deep sigh of relief. Handing out cigarettes and beer to everyone to calm their nerves was no problem at all. As long as the matter was not pursued, saving their own necks was certainly much better than not having a smoke.

“How was it? That Hartmann didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?” the lead pilot who had flown with Hartmann last time asked, sidling up to the squadron commander with a pout. He had just gone to look at the two planes. The squadron commander’s plane, though it had malfunctioned, had fired off all its cannon shells. On the other hand, Hartmann’s plane, which had not malfunctioned, still had some 20mm cannon shells left. In this way, the facts seemed very clear. It looked like the squadron commander had covered for Hartmann’s safe return.

“He covered me. That’s the only reason I made it back safely,” the squadron commander said, remembering the moment his plane had malfunctioned. He still had lingering fears. At that time, he had almost no visibility. By the time the malfunction had eased, he had discovered that in his panic, he had wasted all his ammunition.

“Huh?” The lead pilot was stunned. He looked at his squadron commander and finally squeezed out, “Even if he was sent to the front by the Führer, Squadron Commander, you don’t have to give him your own kills, do you?”

He wasn’t trying to exclude Hartmann, but he really hadn’t expected Hartmann to suddenly erupt with such astonishing combat effectiveness after one flight where he had been a liability. Let alone him, no one else could have imagined a scene of Hartmann fighting one against eleven.

“Uh… I only got one kill today… The rest of the enemy planes were shot down by Hartmann. He performed very well today, shooting down ten planes,” the squadron commander said, glancing at his subordinate. “His flying skills are very… magical. Yes, that’s the word! Magical! I’ve decided to switch positions. Next time, he’ll be the lead, and I’ll be his wingman.”

“…” Heavens above! It can’t be that exaggerated, can it? Are you guys trying to kill me? The lead pilot was about to cry. The squadron commander’s flying skills and combat record were second to none in their squadron. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been promoted to a frontline fighter squadron commander in the talent-rich German Air Force. He was a master with both skills and a kill record. And now, such a master was willingly offering to be someone else’s wingman. This was definitely a nightmare! Yes! A nightmare!

“Ten planes?” Another pilot, who had walked over with Hartmann, heard the squadron commander’s words. He looked in surprise at his comrade who was pinching his own thigh, then at Hartmann beside him, and asked in disbelief.

The other ground crew and pilots all began to murmur in surprise. They had never heard of anyone shooting down 10 planes in a single flight. Now, this person was right in front of them. The shock was much more real than just hearing about it.

“Actually, it was nine,” Hartmann felt he had to tell the truth, so he scratched his golden hair and explained sheepishly, “The last plane, the Soviet pilot was so scared he bailed out. I didn’t fire a shot.”

“…” My dear ancestor, could you be any more shameless? Everyone was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. It’s one thing to be humble, but why bring this up now? Are you afraid we’re not stimulated enough, so you’re adding more fuel to the fire? Suddenly, everyone had the same thought: this world is too dreamlike, not real at all.

“Hartmann! From now on, when we fly in a team, you will fly lead, and I will be your wingman,” the squadron commander said with a smile, patting Hartmann’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go back and write the flight report. It has to be submitted to the group. Be detailed. I’ll teach you what you don’t know…”

“Squadron Commander… you should still fly lead, and I’ll be the wingman… I, I don’t think I’m very good as a lead,” Hartmann said shyly to the squadron commander. “How can I take your position, Squadron Commander?”

“It’s not about taking my position. It’s that I believe you will achieve an even more astonishing combat record if you fly lead!” the squadron commander said solemnly. “Do you remember what I told you?”

He looked at Hartmann and said softly, “I told you, I don’t want to experience the tragedy of 1919 again. I would rather die in battle in the sky than watch my planes be destroyed and then die of old age in my bed. You are more suited to the lead position than I am. I will be your wingman. As long as we can defeat the enemy and continue to soar in the sky, what does it matter if I am your wingman?”

Finally, he looked at the people around him, then withdrew his gaze. “Hartmann, I saw your flying today, so I can tell you with great responsibility, I am not ashamed to be your wingman!”

And the facts later proved the squadron commander’s prediction. In the large-scale air battle that took place three days later, Hartmann and the squadron commander coordinated skillfully and shot down 15 Soviet fighters in one go, becoming the most dazzling fighter duo on the Eastern Front.

The two of them began to use Hartmann’s tactics to attack the Soviet fighters in the air. This highly aggressive style of fighting made the Soviet Air Force very uncomfortable. With air cover, Hartmann dared to try even more risky tactics. He would often close to a very short distance before opening fire, and then disengage at high speed from the shattered enemy plane.

Relying on their proficient basic flying skills, the two of them, piloting what was already the best piston fighter in the world, the Ta-152, began to gradually move away from the single high-altitude dive attack and instead adopted more flexible and variable dogfighting to attack their opponents at close range. Using the astonishing speed of the Ta-152, they could very easily use an Immelmann turn to get on the opponent’s tail and then easily shoot down the Soviet pilots who had thought the Germans would not dogfight in the air.

A while ago, the 500 P-40 fighters that the United States had provided to the Soviet Union had arrived at the front, which had led to a feeling of self-satisfaction in the Soviet Air Force. The Soviet pilots, from top to bottom, believed that they could put up a fight. And so the wave of Soviet Air Force counter-attacks that had appeared in late April and early May was thus quietly repulsed by the new German fighter. By mid-May, Hartmann’s kill count had increased from zero to 31 in one go, making him a super ace pilot in Galland’s group.

On May 15th, Hartmann received his Iron Cross. This medal was personally awarded by the group commander, Galland, and was hung around his collar. No one had ever received the Iron Cross so quickly. From joining the battle to receiving the medal, Hartmann had taken less than half a month.

Published: 2025-09-04T04:11:31.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-22T14:29:43.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c548-ill-fly-138089705

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