An arrow through the clouds, the trump card will last forever.
War is cruel to everyone, and veterans are no exception. When Death's gaze swept through the crowd, the only difference the veteran was that his expression didn't look too surprised. They have seen too many lives and deaths, experienced countless tragedies and joys, they will only live every day in the present, as to whether they can see the sunset tomorrow, it is all up to the coin.
Reaper of Life
Robert. Menge was born on 29 September 1913 in the German colony of Windhoek (present-day Namibia) in southwest Africa. His earliest occupation was as a police officer before joining the Luftwaffe in 1936. During the Spanish Civil War, Menger fought as a member of the Condor Corps. On July 23, 1938, Menger achieved his first aerial victory, and he shot down a IRA I-16 fighter. During his time in Spain, Menger achieved a total of 4 victories and has reached the threshold of ace pilots.
Soviet-made 16 fighter
After the Battle of Spain, Menger was assigned to the 5th Squadron of the 2nd Group of the 186th Carrier Aircraft Wing, known as 5/TrGr186. Originally, this wing was specially formed for the aircraft carrier HMS Zeppelin, which was under construction. However, for various reasons, the aircraft carrier was never fully completed, so the ministry was dismantled by November 1939. When the Polish campaign broke out, Menger's brigade took part in the air raid on Hera, losing two BF109s and then withdrew to base to continue training in carrier-based aircraft.
Aircraft carrier HMS Earl Zeppelin
In September 1939, Menger joined the 5/JG77 Squadron. In April 1940, his brigade arrived at a small civilian airfield in southern Norway to defend the Sea Transport Line from Sweden to Germany for iron ore. The next day, 12 Hampton bombers from RAF Squadrons 44 and 50 visited their new neighbours, only to mingle with the enthusiastic Germans, and 6 Hamptons were shot down on the spot, with Sergeant Menger winning two of them. The British were also not easy to mess with, 5 BF109s were shot down by Hampton's self-defense fire, and 4 fighter pilots were killed.
Hampton bomber
On 13 June 1940, in pursuit of the torpedo-battered battlecruiser Scharnhorst, the Ark Royal aircraft carrier dispatched 14 Skua dive bombers from Squadrons 800 and 803. This formation was unfortunately intercepted by the 5/JG77 squadron, 7 skuas fell into the sea in disguise, and Sergeant Menger once again captured two "only". It turns out that the light bombers are too fragile, and it is simply a death sentence without escort, and it is not much better to have escorts. Soon after Operation Sea Lion, the Germans should feel the same way.
USS Scharnhorst
August 13, 1940, was an absolutely memorable day for Menger. On the same day, 12 Blenheim bombers of THE RAF's 82nd Squadron (one of which returned due to a malfunction, quite a fluke) were ordered to raid the German military airfield in Aalborg. 5/JG77 Squadron took off to intercept it. The battle was more of a merciless slaughter, with all 11 Blenheim shot down and none of them spared. Sergeant Menger scored 4 victories. So far, he has achieved a total of 13 victories in the Norwegian campaign, becoming the highest-record ace pilot in the Norwegian region, plus 4 in Spain before, for a total record of 17.
Blenheim bomber
In December 1940, Menge was transferred to the 3/JG26 Squadron, where he had the privilege of becoming Garland's wingman (I don't quite understand this arrangement). On 5 December, over Folkestone, England, Menger was seriously injured by a spitfire, but he tenaciously flew back to his French base and was subsequently hospitalized. One detail is that Menger's previous record is that in addition to the old fighter is a twin-engine bomber, he is likely not very accustomed to the Dogfight tactics of the British Isles.
Spitfire
In April 1941, Mengue, who had returned from injury, returned to squadron 3/JG26. On April 4 and June 9, he shot down two Spitfires in a row. From this, it can be seen that Lieutenant Menge gradually adapted to the new combat situation, and the cooperation with the long aircraft Garand was also becoming more and more mature. Unfortunately, this is the veteran's last return to the light. On 14 June, Squadron 3/JG26 made an emergency sort to intercept a British bomber, and Lieutenant Menge was attacked by Spitfires during the take-off climb and was shot down and killed on the spot. He was laid down by Major Rankin, the ace pilot of RAF Squadron 92 (22 victories). As a veteran of the Vulture Legion, he can also smile at the nine springs to die under a strong opponent, and his final record is 19.
I've been wondering how it ended, and maybe this sentence could describe the last moment in Lieutenant Menge's life:
The lone shadow of the cold river, the old man of the rivers and lakes, why should they have known each other when they met.
Menger's photograph is hard to find, only this blurry image