The Two Faced War

War is never fair

                                                                     RAF- September 7, 1940

                                                             George Medina RAF Fighter Pilot 

I watched as the Lancaster's flew over the night sky of Berlin, it was a peaceful night until the sirens below us came on. Spotlights came up illuminating us showing our position. .88 AA fire came up from below hitting an unlucky bastard who had just released his 12,000lbs of bombs. There was nothing I could do about it, my job was to defend this formation against enemy fighters.

I had 8 others flying right behind me waiting for an order or engagement on the enemy. They were barely drafted by the RAF (Royal Air Force) they had as much experience flying as a baby bird did a few days after birth. They knew they might not have return tonight but they still cheered when they were told about this mission.

We couldn't really see that much in the night sky which was one of the cons of this mission. AA fire came up by the 100's so it seemed to me. We weren't that big of a threat since we were only fighters, not bombers, so we didn't have to worry about being shot unless we "accidently" got in the .88's way.

Like I said before it was dark we couldn't see, so it was a surprise when we heard one the Lancasters being torn to pieces by 4 FW-190s who had come out of nowhere.

We all broke formation speeding up fast to attack our attackers. 4-8 didn't seem like a fair fight but I remembered every other pilot that came along with me that night was just some other poor idiots who got drafted and only had around a week of training before he was sent here to die. One of those poor idiots was Ricky White, a city boy who was so full of himself you'd think he would pop at any moment. I engaged one the Jerrys I was right on his tail when a .88 shell blew up right in front of me, completely forcing me to turn back to point of "safety". Once I regained complete focus I engaged the enemy. I was still a bit dizzy from the blast and the quick turn I made so I tried not fly fast but fast enough.

I saw Ricky turn left then right then left then right trying to lose one of the 190s I wanted to help but I couldn't one of the Lancaster's was being targeted so I engaged that 190 instead of Ricky's pursuer. I came in quick firing like a mad man. The FW took damage to its wing so it disengaged the Lancaster which was a relief considering another bomber was being attacked, so I left the "bird with a broken wing" to another fighter while I engaged yet another.

The Jerry must've seen me coming, because it made a quick turn and came directly at me firing, and leaving a bullet hole in my canopy, then flew up and disappeared. I looked up trying to find it, but it was nowhere to be found. Only seconds after that I found myself as the prey flying away from the 190 as fast as I could.

                                                Luftwaffe- September 7 1940

                                            Fritz Meier Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot

I couldn't sleep that night I was laying, in a bed in one of the barracks of our base. I missed my wife Elizabeth, I've been apart from her for 9 months now. I guess I was so distracted by the thought of her that I didn't hear the Air Raid sirens. By the time I got to completely focus I realized that the based had been hit already.

I went outside and to my surprise, almost every bird was hit only six remained. I grabbed my coat from my bed quickly and ran to my FW as fast as I could trying to avoid flying shrapnel. We readied the planes making sure they were loaded with full ammunition and prepared for taking off. We were already moving when two of the pilots behind us got blown up by one of the Allied bombs. I didn't think much of it until we were in the air and we spotted the formation of Lancaster's accompanied by nine British Spitfires.

It didn't seem like a fair fight to me but we are German if we died tonight we would die proud for Germany, for the Fuhrer. We attacked the nearest bomber, tearing its wings with our bullets and watching it burn as it dived to the ground. I saw bullets fly past my fighter, I looked behind me and that's when I saw one of the Spitfires closing up on me.

I sped up past the bombers, over and under trying to avoid being shot by the Spitfire. A few shots hit my wings but nothing too serious, I still thought I was a dead man. What were only a few seconds of flying felt like minutes until a lucky shot from one of the .88's that were firing from below exploded right behind me, causing my pursuer to turn back. I again engaged an enemy bomber, while the rest of my crew engaged the enemy. 

I do not know whether it was a coincidence or whether this pilot was pinning down on me only but the same pilot that had engaged me earlier was coming at me again. This time I was ready I flew directly at him firing without stopping. I'm pretty sure I nailed him a few times, then I pulled up hoping he lost sight of me. I dove down quickly coming up right behind the Brit. I shot at him shooting off the right fin at the back of his fly thing.

                                                                  Both stories come together...

RAF- The damn Kraut blew my fin off, I tried evading his shots but its like if he had this hate in him that could not be tamed. He fired shot after shot not focusing on anything but me.

Luftwaffe- I fired shot after shot I wanted the Brit dead, I wanted him gone, I wanted to come home alive to Elizabeth, to hold her, feel the warmth of her neck on my face. I wanted this good for nothing war over already!

RAF- No matter what I tried, no matter what maneuver I tried he was on my tail. I couldn't call for one of my men or they wouldn't be able to protect the formation. The thought of her struck me, someone, I left back home...April my beloved girlfriend who I had been taken from by the cursed war. I didn't feel anger but I knew I wasn't going to make it back to her. 

Luftwaffe- I stopped firing, I was crying, what am I doing? killing a man who I have never even met? a man who was probably taken from someone who he loved as well? Was this really what I have become?

RAF- He stopped firing but why? The back of my fighter was on fire. slowly I felt her dive...this was my last battle. I won't come back to her, I won't come back home, but I won't go down alone. I pulled the handle up making an "n" and landing a hit on the Krauts wing with my wing, causing us both to start diving down to our own deaths to the Berlin floor.

Luftwaffe- He pulled up surprisingly even after his fighter was already starting to dive, he hit my wing. Now I and he both were plummeting down, I opened the canopy of my Folke Wulf and jumped out opening my parachute, slowly floating down going farther and farther from the battle. I watched as my opponent didn't open his canopy and jump out like I did. Did he not have one? surely he did, right?. My eyes widened as I saw him get closer and closer to the ground. Then instantly hit the ground and explode into a ball of flames in just a blink of an eye. I will come home to my beautiful wife Elizabeth but this opponent of mine won't even get to tell his story.

RAF- I saw him jump out was he crazy? then I understood why he had a parachute, I did too, but I would not risk getting caught by those Krauts they would torture me in order to get what they wanted. I will not come home to her, but my opponent might go home to his family if he has one. I saw the picture I kept of April stuck in between the glass and metal of the Spitfire. I took it and kissed it, I smiled and said my last words "I love y..."