Luftwafffe pilot rotation

[Brian Bines]

Did not the Luftwaffe have a ski resort that was a designated fighter pilot rest centre. I seem to remember reading that the pilots of a unit might be sent there for a short stay but by what criteria this was decided I have no idea. The only other thing I remember reading ( unless like Larry my brain cells are failing) was something about Fighter units having a kind of welfare officer (a Papa ?) who would watch out for pilots on the edge and could arrange leave/rest for an individual ,

Regards

Brian Bines

[Boomerang]

Robert Forysth's JV 44 The Galland Circus refers to the Jagdfleigerheim, a rest home for wounded and mentally burnt out fighter pilots at Bad Wiessee, a spa resort. Interestingly this was known as Haus Florida! Forysth indicates that some of the JV 44 pilots were recruited from Haus Florida, including Walter Krupinski. There is a photo of the rest home on page 191 of Forysth's book.

There is corroboration in Caldwell's JG 26 War Diary Vol 2, where pilot Peter Crump recalls being sent to the rest home at Bad Weisee by his Gruppe Leader and physician after a particularly harrowing period on the Normandy front. Presumably an experienced pilot like Crump was recognised as a high value asset.

That said, the general situation as a Luftwaffe pilot seems to be that you got a 'million dollar wound', occasionally a staff posting, or in most cases were KIA.

[Larry deZeng]

Both posts by Brian Bines and Boomerang are correct. Pilots also got Weihnachts-Urlaub (Christmas leave), Hochzeits-Urlaub (wedding leave), Beerdigungs-Urlaub (funeral leave), etc., so there were a number of opportunities to get away from it all. But I think these opportunities, including the rest homes, became increasingly restrictive as the war wore on and the need for the pilots at the front increased.

L.