[hihotte]

Here it comes: The "demonstration" for all fighter pilots in the range of Jagdfliegerfuehrer 2 in northern France happened on Sept 19th 1940. It was planned that a parachutist from the Erprobungsstelle Rechlin (Flight Test Command Rechlin) should bail out of a transport plane, carry with him a 1 man rubber dinghi, dive into the sea and inflate the rubber boat with the attached compressed air tank and climb aboard. Due to the heavy swell, the jump was cancelled and instead the "jumper" was brought out to the sea with a motor-boat. Once in the water he rid himself from the parachute, blew up his dinghi and brought himself safely into the boat. During the effort to reach the coast the dinghi went upside down due to the heavy surf and the inmate nearly drowned. Nevertheless the look-on fighter pilots were convinced of the usefulness of the 1 man rubber dinghi in operation especially with all the "heavy brass" in between the crowd clapping and nodding. The experience proofs that this dinghi saved more than one pilots life.