Description
Der Adler
Berlin, 2. Januar-Heft 1943
Herausgegeben unter Mitwirkung des Reichsluftfahrtministeriums
24 pages scanned. Instant PDF download.
Sonderdruck, unverkäuflich (special reprint, not for sale)
Cover Page
Caption: „Hoch über dem Kaukasus“ (High above the Caucasus)
Subject: Cockpit control wheel of a German aircraft silhouetted against the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus mountains, seen from a reconnaissance aircraft.
Location: Caucasus mountains, Eastern Front.
Photo credit: PK-Aufnahme, Kriegsberichter Jesiorski (Sch).
Major Headlines & Content
Auf einsamen Posten (At a Lonely Outpost) — Report on the southernmost Luftwaffe field airfield, deep in the Libyan desert. Describes harsh desert conditions, reconnaissance flights over enemy vehicles and Italian armoured units, and daily life of the ground crew. Photo credit: PK-Bildbericht, Kriegsberichter Beyer (PBZ).
Wie liest man einen Flugzeug-Steckbrief? (How to Read an Aircraft Profile) — Technical article by Dipl.-Ing. Th. Kränzle explaining wing loading and power loading, comparing WWI-era aircraft (Fokker D VII, Gotha G I) with modern types (Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Junkers Ju 88).
Die Abwehr steht (The Defence Stands Ready) — Feature on German airfield defence in the West following the Dieppe raid, showing Fliegerhorstkompanie troops manning defensive positions, trenches, and anti-aircraft machine guns. Photo credit: PK-Aufnahmen, Kriegsberichter Hofmann (Wb 7).
Männer der Heimatflak (Men of the Home Flak) — Profile of armaments factory workers who double as anti-aircraft gunners, rushing from workbench to gun position during British air raid alarms. Photo credit: PK-Aufnahmen von Kriegsberichter Beissert (Wb).
Was trägt der Kampfflieger über See? (What Does the Combat Airman Wear Over the Sea?) — Illustrated step-by-step feature on the equipment worn by pilots flying combat and reconnaissance missions over the sea: fur-lined boots, flight suit, pistol belt, chronometer, compass, flare pistol, dye packets, life vest, and one-man dinghy. Photo credit: PK-Bildbericht, Kriegsberichter Speck (Sch).
Nur klopffeste Kraftstoffe für den Flugbetrieb (Only Knock-Resistant Fuels for Flight Operations) — Article by Erhard Saur on engine knocking („Klopfen“) and fuel octane rating, including an anecdote about a flight-school engine destroyed by knock and an explanation of combustion pressure and tetraethyl lead additives.
Das Jagdflugzeug Focke-Wulf Fw 190 — Large annotated cutaway diagram of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter, labelling 28 components including propeller, armour, engine (BMW 801), machine guns, and undercarriage.
2000× gegen den Feind (2000 Times Against the Enemy) — Profile of a Stuka group commander and his three squadron captains, all Knight’s Cross holders, who together have flown 2000 combat sorties. Named: Hauptmann Bruno Dilley (Kommandeur), Hauptmann Fritz Lang, Oberleutnant Armin Thiede, Oberleutnant Börst. Fronts mentioned: Narvik, North Russia, North Africa, Crete, Maginot/Metaxas/Stalin lines. Photo credit: PK-Aufnahmen, Kriegsberichter Josef Schalber.
Kuba – Das Korkstückchen im Karibischen Meer (Cuba – The Little Cork in the Caribbean Sea) — Article by Dr. Walther Jantzen on Cuba’s history, geography, economy (sugar and tobacco), and politics, including the rise of President Batista and Cuba’s relationship with the USA. Locations: Havana, Golf von Mexiko, Karibisches Meer.
Wie sie das Ritterkreuz erwarben (How They Earned the Knight’s Cross) — Photo feature profiling recently decorated Luftwaffe fighter pilots and their combat records. Named with rank: Hauptmann Bennemann, Oberleutnant Schröter, Oberleutnant Ilk, Leutnant Wessling, Leutnant Lemke, Leutnant Hart, Oberfeldwebel Bevernis (†), Oberfeldwebel Heckmann, Oberfeldwebel Broich, Oberfeldwebel Köster, Feldwebel Dammers, Feldwebel Schulte. Also notes Eichenlaub mit Schwertern awarded to Generalleutnant Fiebig and Major Wilcke. Photo credits: PK-Aufnahmen, Kriegsberichter Brindlein, Freytag (Atl 2), Seuffert (Wb 2), Wahner (Sch 1), Scherl-OKW (1).
Luftschrauben-Getriebe (Propeller Gearboxes) — Technical article by Dipl.-Ing. Udo Hirscher on propeller reduction gear design (Umlaufgetriebe and Stirnradgetriebe), illustrated with diagrams and photographs of BMW-Bramo, Wright Cyclone, and Hispano gear mechanisms.
Bomben auf die Murmanbahn (Bombs on the Murman Railway) — Report on Luftwaffe bombing raids against the Soviet Murmansk railway line, with an aerial reconnaissance photograph marking old and new bomb craters near the station at Poljarnyi-Krug.
Luftwaffen-Nachwuchs aus dem NS-Fliegerkorps (Luftwaffe Recruits from the NS Flying Corps) — Feature on the training of Hitler Youth through the NS-Fliegerkorps: model-aircraft building, parachute-landing practice, and radio-operator instruction.
Nachwuchs Fliegerkorps – Gliederung der NSDAP (Recruit Flying Corps – A Branch of the NSDAP) — Continuation feature on motor-flight and glider-pilot training within the NS-Fliegerkorps, showing cadets receiving licences and lining up in formation. Photo report by Kurt Riehme.
Befehl ist Befehl (An Order is an Order) — Essay by Oberst Hagen, Kommodore of a Stuka squadron, on flight discipline among Stuka crews, illustrated with an anecdote about a radio misunderstanding that led a young gunner to bail out prematurely during a return flight.
Other Content
Book reviews — — „Unser Büchertisch“ column reviewing „Vom Rhein zu den Pyrenäen“ by Erhardt Eckert, „Werkpilot Steffens“ by Rolf Italiaander, and „Nacht über der Insel“ by Kurt A. St. Jentzikiewicz.
Puzzles — — „Kopfzerbrechen zum Zeitvertreib“: crossword (Kreuzworträtsel), fill-in puzzle (Füllrätsel), syllable-exchange puzzle (Silbentauschrätsel), and a picture puzzle („Was ist das?“). Solutions to the previous issue’s puzzles also printed.
Cartoon spread — — „Sachen zum Lachen“ — humorous cartoons about flight training and desert postings, by Mauder, Jeannin-Ribettes, Martin, and Schwarz.
News item — — „Beförderungen in der Luftwaffe“ — list of recent Luftwaffe officer promotions.
Advertisements — — None.