Entry: May 20, 1941

May 20th, 1941

200km west from Libyan / Egyptian border

Alright, how did I get in this mess? One second, I was over Libya, pursuing 3 Hurricanes going west. Hans was on my right and flying element lead. Let me go back a bit. Wilhelm was transferred to a squadron operating out of Italy to bomb Malta on the 18th. Hence, I'm now the wing commander and got a promotion to Hauptmann. With that, we were given the task of an aircraft intercept 10km from the Egyptian border. Our replacement aircraft were delivered on the 17th, albeit with flaws. The engines where prone to catch fire, and the sand filters either clogged up with dust and sand or let in all the debris. The crew chief already told me before hand about the engine problems, and that 1 of the 20mm cannon had a faulty breech. High Command wanted results from us. Even though we told them of our situation, they still wanted a mission by the 20th or we will be disbanded. We had little choice. On the 20th, at about 6:00 local time, we took off. My plane still had the faulty 20mm cannon, but the crew chief didn't load it. We took off into a sandstorm. Visibility was poor and we had to fly above the storm to prevent further engine damage. When we were 20km from the mission point, we spotted our quarry; 4 Wellington medium bombers and 6 escorting Hurricane fighters. The skies were clear, except below where the sandstorm continued its fury. Eagerly wanting results, I rashly ordered my 4 Me-109's to attack. This time, we weren't so lucky. The Hurricanes, seeing our approach, broke into divisions of 2. I busied myself with a Wellington. However, a Hurricane snuck in behind me and shot my tail off. Out of control and spinning towards the ground, I quickly bailed out of my plane. While falling, I saw Hans shooting down the Hurricane that attacked me. Then, nothing. I had fallen into the furious sandstorm. The winds battered my body, arms and legs flailing like flags in the wind. I quickly pulled the cord for my parachute, but the wind pushed me farther in behind enemy lines. I landed, hard. I had broken my ankle. The pain was intolerable, and I yelled in anger and agony, only to have the sound wisked away by the fury of the storm. I pulled my parachute over me, in an attempt to shelter myself from the fury of the winds. I pulled the parachute over my head and hid in it. Exhausted, I threw my head against the parachute. Then, for no reason, I had remembred my girlfriend, Salinda."Salinda..." I whispered to myself as I tried to remember her the best I could. Within a few moments, I passed out......

To be Continued...