June 2, 2025, 06:24 PM
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#549
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Senior Member
Join Date: January 13, 2018
Posts: 1,660
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One Luftwaffe pilot said that trying to attack a B-17 formation from behind was like “trying to make love to a porcupine that is on fire.”
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“Against 20 Russians trying to shoot you down, or even 20 Spitfires, it can be exciting, even fun. But to curve in towards 40 Fortresses and all your past sins flash before your eyes. And when you yourself have reached this state of mind, it becomes that much more difficult to have to drive every pilot of the Geschwader, right down to the youngest and lowliest NCO, to do the same.”
---Hans Philipp in a letter to Hannes Trautloft, 4 October 1943.
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Philipp was KIA 4 days later, possibly By Robert S. Johnson, during a raid on Bremen.
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https://warhistory.org/@msw/article/...he-german-side
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