Innehållsförteckning för Issue 19 från Iron Cross

The publication of our feature in Issue #18 of Iron Cross magazine, ‘Mephisto: The Last Survivor’, excited a great deal of interest among readers of the magazine, many of whom contacted us to say how much they had enjoyed the feature - especially the detailed photographs of the sole-surviving A7V, named ‘Mephisto’. Such was the level of interest that more than one of our readers said that they had been rather disappointed the article wasn’t longer, with others asking if any more images were available. As it so happens, our author of the piece, Shane Casey, had located four fascinating intelligence drawings and sketches that were produced by the Allies very soon after the A7V first appeared on the battlefield. After examples were captured, this allowed for a more detailed…

During the Battle of Britain, the Bf 109 Staffeln ranged against England from bases in France were led by numerous Staffelkapitäne. Aswith any air force, it may be said that there were good, bad, and indifferent leaders. Leadership, by its very definition, may be judged by many different metrics. Over the decades since the end of the Second World War, the accolade of ‘great leader’ appears to have gravitated to those who were regularly notching up scores against the opposition. Thus, it is no surprise that pilots with increasing scores were already in the ‘command structure’. But ‘kill ‘scores did not necessarily make them good leaders. Inevitably, these men - the aces-led from the front and were usually the first to engage when encountering the enemy fighter force. From holding…

As a German, I was really struck by the recent vehemence of the debate around whether or not pro-Palestine demonstrations should have been allowed to go ahead in London on Remembrance Day. Those against it said that Remembrance Day, which is observed every year on 11 November in commemoration of the Armistice that marked the end of hostilities on the Western Front of the First World War in 1918, was ‘sacrosanct.’ The word ‘sacrosanct’ seemed an interesting choice of word to my German mind. Of course, in a metaphorical sense it can simply mean ‘untouchable’ or ‘inviolable’, but at its root, it remains a religious word. The inviolability evoked here didn’t need to be reasoned. To many, Remembrance Day is sacred. A holy part of Britain’s self-consciousness as a nation.…

During the early hours of 3 September 1940, two French fishing boats, Le Mascotte and Rose du Carmel, slipped across the English Channel and approached the coast of Kent. When they were a few hundred yards out from the Dungeness promontory, four men clambered from the vessels into a pair of rowing boats, making their way silently to the shore. The four were Carl Meier, 23, a Dutch-born Nazi party member who had spent some time in Birmingham before the war; Charles van den Kieboom, 25, a Dutch-Japanese dual national; Sjoerd Pons, 28, a Dutchman; and a 25-year-old who described himself as German and called himself Jose Waldberg. All of the men were agents of the Abwehr, and their mission was to reconnoitre England’s south coast for the invasion they…

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Recent coverage in Iron Cross magazine that focussed on the Junkers 87 Stuka was evidence enough just how widespread the interest in this aircraft type actually was amongst the military history and aviation enthusiast community. Such evidence of its ‘popularity’ came to us in the editorial offices through an unusually high level of correspondence from our readership – including many requests that we should have some further coverage of the aircraft in a future issue. Whilst we have nothing immediately in the pipeline on the Junkers 87, this fascinating news story may well satisfy the thirst, temporarily, for things Stuka related. From the American Heritage Museum of Stow, Massachusetts, came some quite astonishing news when they reported to us that whilst the museum has been very fortunate in obtaining and…

While British or French war memorials are taken for granted, it is perhaps rather less well known that German war memorials do indeed exist. Although it might seem that their existence is hidden from view, almost every German town or village has its own memorial to those of the local population who did not return from war. And some of them are truly stunning pieces of art. Presented in this photo feature are some of the often astonishingly beautiful and thought-provoking monuments to the fallen that are to be found sited across the length and breadth of Germany. Most of the German memorials to the fallen of the First World War were erected in a difficult period of the German history. The Weimar Republic was turning inexorably into the Third…

M33 SERVICE DAGGER The 58th Contemporary History Auction of Third Reich militaria at Ratisbon’s (www.ratisbons.com) takes place from 17th-25th February and was in the early stages of accepting consignments at the time of writing. This is what is in the catalogue so far, starting with an M33 Service Dagger that once belonged to SA-Truppführer K. This item was found under the floorboards when part of the family estate was being demolished, along with a rather more worn example. It is in mint condition, with a clean blade, and is marked with the maker’s name, ‘HUGO LINDER DELTAWERK SOLINGEN.’ on one side and the typical Alles für Deutschland on the other. It is also marked on the cross guard with ‘Nrh’ and features a bronzed scabbard. The starting price for bids…

On the outbreak of war in 1914, all combatant armies had already considered what the other side’s aviation had been getting up to in preparation for war. However, in what were still the early days of flying, the use of aircraft for offensive purposes seemed unlikely in some circles within the military. Indeed, there were many who averred that since the Hague Convention of 1907 had forbidden ‘the bombardment of undefended places by any means whatever’ then this was taken to include aerial bombardment. Even so, both Germany and Britain had to consider the possibility that aerial bombardment of military targets might well occur. At that time, the most likely perceived use of aviation was in reconnaissance and since the ability to see what one’s enemy was doing on the…

With the use of aircraft for military purposes, the first pilots of these machines received proficiency badges to signify their qualification to fly these new weapons of war, and in 1913 the Imperial German Military Pilot’s Badge (Militär-Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen) was introduced and awarded to qualified recipients through to 1921. One of the many pilots who received the badge was the then Oberleutnant Hermann Göring. Other countries also introduced badges for the pilots of their newly created air forces and while some of these badges were highly decorative, others were less so. Some examples of the badges introduced after the birth of military aviation are shown in the panel opposite. None of them, though, quite reached the extravagant nature of the badge featured here. Bulgaria was allied to the Central Powers during…

When the 3rd US Army under the command of General Patton reached the city of Erfurt on 12 April 1944, Berthold Geipel, the owner of the Erfurt Maschinenfabrik (Erma), had already fled. With overloaded trucks packed with specialpurpose machinery and construction documents, he and his companions were trying to slip out to Bavaria and, they hoped, to safety away from the Red Army. What remained at the factory after they had gone was collected up by the Americans, just in the nick of time before the Russians took control of the area. Along with other booty, a submachine gun with the designation EMP44 was found at the factory and shipped back to America. Here, it was briefly tested at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, but due to the absence…

On Christmas Eve 1941, over the inhospitable deserts of North Africa, two Royal Australian Air Force pilots engaged a group of enemy fighters in a brief but deadly combat: ‘Yellow One and Two climbed. Four or five Messerschmitt Bf 109s were at 6 o’clock above. The Messerschmitts flew around into the sun and dived. One Bf 109 shot up Yellow Two’s aircraft, striking fuselage, mainplane, elevators, and aileron. Sighting Yellow One, the enemy pilot broke away and climbed. Yellow One gave chase, closed, and delivered a quarter head-on attack, striking the Messerschmitt’s fuselage. Yellow Two also fired. The enemy aircraft briefly pulled away into the sun then glided down, pouring black smoke. Battle over, Yellow One claimed a probable; Yellow Two verified that it was definitely ‘badly damaged’. ‘ The two…

The 1969 film Battle of Britain is probably the archetypal film of its subject and it is still enjoyed through its numerous re-releases, repeats on television, and occasional full-screen showings for specialist audiences. Of the many factors that make this film stand out from others, its all-star cast, use of ‘real’ aircraft for most of its air sequences, and use of a large number of historical advisors including air ‘aces’ are paramount. Perhaps the most unique aspect is its attempt to tell the story from both the RAF and Luftwaffe perspectives. The idea for the film came about during September 1965 when Benjamin Fisz, who had been a fighter pilot in the Polish Air Force during the Second World War, watched a Spitfire and Hurricane practicing fly pasts near his…

Many awards and decorations that were either made to German service personnel during the First World War, or held by senior officers after being awarded to them prior to the war, were state orders. Often, these were lavishly ostentatious affairs. And they certainly added some colour, say, to awards such as the Iron Cross. Although many of these awards were comparatively rare, they mostly had a long and fascinating history that pre-dated the hostilities of 1914 – 18. One such award was the Order of the Red Eagle. The Order of the Red Eagle, known by the abbreviations R.A.O. (for Roter Adlerorden) was a Prussian award by dint of succession, although it was of Brandenburg origin, being founded on 17 November 1705 by Crown Prince Goerg Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. Born…

ALBATROS An examination of the design, construction, and operational service of the Imperial German Air Service’s Albatros fighters of the First World War, including an appraisal of the pilots, tactics, and effectiveness of this famous aircraft. (1) ANATOMY OF A V-WEAPON We make a detailed study of the build and the technology of the formidable weapon that was the V2 rocket through a forensic examination of the example currently preserved at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. (2) PRIEN’S PROWESS Günther Prien was the first U-boat commander to receive the Knights Cross, and under his command the U-47 sank around 200,000 GRT of shipping, along with the battleship HMS Royal Oak at Scapa Flow. We examine his astonishing career up to his death in March 1941. (3) THE MIGHTY ‘88’…

On Friday 25 October 1940, as the Battle of Britain was drawing towards is close, and at around three thirty in the afternoon, villagers in the Brede Valley just to the north of Hastings, East Sussex, could hear the familiar sound of aerial combat above the thick cloud cover; the rising crescendo of aero engines, the rattle of machine gun fire and the steadier and slower thump of cannon fire. Unseen, and far above them, the Hurricanes of 501 Squadron were doing battle with the Bf 109 Es of JG51 Mölders – the enemy aircraft being part of a two-pronged assault that had crossed the south coast at around five past three. The first element of the German attack, some 60 plus aircraft, had crossed in between Dover and Dungeness…