The Abbeville Boys
Chapter 7: Military Orientation
Kurt got home from Gretchen’s late in the evening. He waited for a short time to see if Joseph would come by to see him off. He never saw him. Kurt went in and asked his parents if he showed up at the house. They told him Joseph had come by earlier and waited but left. Kurt was upset he missed him. He thought about riding over there, but it was getting late. He decided he would call him later. He had no idea what would happen to Joseph the next morning.
In the late morning Kurt had his car packed and was ready to go. He hugged his mom and dad, and they wished him well as he headed towards Dresden. He drove by Joseph’s house. There was no activity which was unusual. Kurt noticed a window broken on the top floor. He didn’t have time to stop and investigate. He figured he could get back with Joseph later once he got settled in Dresden to find out what was going on.
Kurt arrived at the Dresden airfield. It was a large field for the time. It was divided, part was civilian, part Luftwaffe operations, and part Luftwaffe training. Kurt went to the training area and a guard pointed to a place to park his car. He parked, got his bag and another guard pointed to a small building. He went in and a man with a clip board looked at him, “Name.”
“Reichard, Kurt.”
The man checked his list, “Yes, follow this officer to the quartermaster hut to get uniforms.”
Kurt turned around and a Luftwaffe Captain motioned for him to follow. Both men walked to the hut and the captain said, “I read your dossier, and you have a lot of gliding experience. Everyone says you’re a good pilot. I hope so. We need pilots fast, so the training is quick. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be shipped out to a squadron. We’ll get you situated today with uniforms and housing. The next two days will be spent adapting to the military way of doing things. After that you’ll start training on the Focke-Wulf 44 J Stieglitz. It’s a two seater biplane and was originally meant to be a fighter but is obsolete. After that you’ll be trained on the ME 109.”
Kurt was taking it all in. He was now thinking he could be assigned to a squadron in three or four weeks. Kurt said, “You apparently know my name, what’s yours.”
He replied, “I’m Captain Erich Berger. I’m your trainer. You and I will spend a lot of time together. I recently returned from Spain. I flew 109’s there. I had twenty four victories. They’re supposed to send you back after twenty to train new pilots but I hid several kills from the brass so I could stay there. Anyway, I’m here now training and you’re the first student. So, get ready, I guess we’ll learn together.”
Kurt was excited and ready to start. They went to the quartermaster and Kurt got new uniforms. They walked over to the barracks and the captain showed him a room with two beds. He would have a roommate.
The captain said, “Put everything away and get settled in. Across the way is the officer’s mess (Offiziermessen). The officers have some traditions you’ll need to follow. Since you don’t know about it, and you won’t be in uniform go to the enlisted men’s mess. We’ll get you set up tomorrow. Lunch is at noon and dinner is at seventeen hundred hours (5:00PM). I’ll be back this evening to get you ready for tomorrow, uniform and so forth. See you then.”
The captain looked at Kurt. He had a blank look on his face. The captain smiled, “Relax, everything is going to be fine.”
The captain left and Kurt sat there looking around wondering what he had gotten into. He only hoped he was up to the task. As he sat there another young man walked into the room with his officer escort. The officer gave the same speech to him as Kurt got.
The officer left and the guy turned around with a big smile, “Hi, I’m Rudolf Schneider. Call me Rudy.”
Rudy was about 1.8 meters tall (five foot nine inches). He was Aryan with blonde hair and blue eyes. Trim athletic build, like most of the pilots.
“Hi, my name is Kurt Reichard. I guess we’re here for the same reason.”
“Yes, I can’t wait to get into a powered plane. All I’ve ever flown are gliders.”
Kurt was now smiling, “Yes, that’s all I’ve ever flown. I flew in the hills around Leipzig. It was great. Where did you fly?”
“I flew in the Rhon mountains. It was just north of Schweinfurt where I lived. Wait a minute, you’re Kurt Reichard who flew gliders in Leipzig? I’ve heard of you.”
“Yes, I flew in Leipzig, but I wasn’t famous. It must be someone else.”
“No, we had several guys who flew in Rohn regularly. They said they were at the races in Leipzig a couple of times and all everyone talked about was Kurt Reichard. You’re a great pilot.”
Kurt was embarrassed, “Well, I love flying that’s all I think about, and Gretchen.”
Rudy’s eyes got bright, “You got a girl?”
“Yes, we’re engaged. After I get a leave, I’m going home and marry her. Do you have a girl waiting for you?”
“Yes, her name is Emma. I haven’t properly courted her yet, but we understand each other. I’m hoping to get closer to her when I go home.”
Kurt looked at Rudy, “How old are you?”
Rudy smiled, “I just turned eighteen. How old are you?”
Kurt suddenly realized how young everyone was in this coming war, “I’m twenty. I think they’re gearing up fast. Something big is about to happen.”
Both men looked at each other and nodded. Kurt and Rudy went to the mess hall and ate. They talked, exchanged stories, and laughed. They became instant friends. They went back to the barracks to store everything and get ready for the officer’s visit in the evening. More men poured into the barracks and people were meeting each other and getting to know one another.
At eighteen hundred hours the officers came into the barracks and showed their protégé’s how to dress for tomorrow’s formation and officers mess hall traditions. After the officers left the men mingled with each other before they had to turn in.
Kurt finally laid down and said good night to Rudy. He was thinking, ‘everyone he met was friendly and even keeled. These guys will make great pilots and fighting comrades.’