Posted on 07/22/2017 7:00:32 AM PDT by Trump20162020
A German Second World War pilot has made his maiden voyage in a Spitfire seven decades after he flew for the Luftwaffe.
Hugo Broch, 95, who last flew in 1960, took to the skies above Kent on Tuesday as a passenger in a British TR9 MJ627 Spitfire.
Born on January 6 1922, Broch is a former Messerschmitt 109 fighter pilot and Luftwaffe ace.
During his career, Broch flew 324 combat missions and shot down 81 enemy aircraft on the Eastern Front, including 18 Soviet Sturmoviks. His score included twelve double victories and three triple victories.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Wow, he looks great for being 95 years old.
Cool and calm, looking right at home in the cockpit.
That’s what I was going to say. He’s about a month older than my dad would have been.
Reflect for a moment how many of Europe’s brightest and best slaughtered one another from 1914-1945. When considering what was lost, the current cultural decline of the West becomes much more understandable.
I should look so good when I'm 95.
Heck, I should look so good now!
Not only does he look good he still oozes that fighter pilot confidence and coolness. I imagine he didn’t lack for swagger back in the day.
Yes. My mother who is also 95 survived the bombing of her German hometown. She was happy to see the allies end the madness of Hitler, whom she never supported. Mom often reflects on the loss of the best and the brightest on both sides.
All the real men of Europe died in those two wars. Too few survived to pass on their genes. European civilization was dead in 1945. We protected the corpse for 70 years but now the Muslims are getting around to burying it.
Must be the German beer. :O)
Beer, bratwurst, pomme frites and sauerkraut.
Those are the old school German genes you are looking at.
“Not only does he look good he still oozes that fighter pilot confidence and coolness. I imagine he didnt lack for swagger back in the day.”
You had to be in order to fly a 109 in combat and survive!
“Reflect for a moment how many of Europes brightest and best slaughtered one another from 1914-1945. When considering what was lost, the current cultural decline of the West becomes much more understandable.”
And as always the ultimate culprit is government.
Dasistdermessrrmanfluftenshootemdownemyakenbuster,
mein schatz
This guy won the lottery. What are the odds of surviving 324 missions, flying for the losing side in WWII?
The number of guys who survived 324 missions on the *winning* side is pretty small.
75% of Germany’s military was either WIA, KIA, MIA, or POW. Including the million+ who never returned from Soviet captivity and were presumed dead, somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5 million German men died in military service during the war — close to a third of Germany’s male population in 1939 by many estimates.
And it doesn’t even put him in the top 100...Erich Hartmann, 1456 missions, 352 kills @ #1.
Broch flew 324 combat missions.
He had to be a very lucky guy. If shot down over enemy territory , the Russians would have been very angry with him.
The US would send bomber crews home after 25 missions as it was so hazardous.
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