East/West-West/East Aircrew Transfers

Dear forum,

Many years ago, I remember a reference to the Luftwaffe experimenting with pilot transfers from one front to another. For the Easterners, it gave them a chance at billeting with a real roof and no dirt floor. They could get away from the constant Soviet artillery, or the nightime harassment that kept everyone on edge. They could stock up internally on proper caloric food, even a COOKED MEAL with real tableware! Yep, the Russian Front pilots would most certainly have looked forward to it!

For the Western pilots, I believe they were told that they had a chance of a lifetime to increase their scores. Russian front opposition was not what you would call 'experten', and for career minded pilots it gave them an opportunity to get 'in' on the lion's share of the 'harvest'. They were also told they would be serving the Reich on the front that 'mattered' more, (Galland thought it was the other way around).

In any case, from memory, the experiment was not a great success, (so I believe). Pilots who are used to certain operant conditioning take a little time to adjust to the new conditions. For those going East, they got less sleep, the food made them sick, and the savage nature of the airwar all contributed to them being shot down in hefty numbers, compared to the original total of pilots despatched there.

For those coming West, they were thrown into combat airspace that took far more adjustment. The enemy pilots were much more skilled, and the fighters they faced technically more efficient. When trying to bag bombers, especially against the B-17's, they flew into a veritable storm of tracer, and the approach and markmanship had to be 'just right' to bring one down. Same thing happened to this group of pilots as those that went East. they were brought down in numbers disproportionate to the originally dispatched group. Certainly they were killed far faster than they would have been if they had stayed 'east'.

Anyhow, I further read that this experiment was not continued, so for the rest of the war, your posting was where you stayed. I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Funny thing is, I cannot find any reference to this occurrance. I've just finished re-reading Galland's "First and the Last" and no mention of it there either.

Can anybody remember something similar in their readings?