page_title: Luftwaffe
section_title: Mobilization, 1938–41
hierarchical_section_title: Luftwaffe / History / Preparing for war: 1933–39 / Mobilization, 1938–41
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Polin Kazimiera Mika (12) trauert um ihre ältere Schwester Andzia (14), die auf einem Feld nahe der Jana-Ostroroga-Straße in Warschau bei einem Angriff der deutschen Luftwaffe ums Leben kam. Der Fotograf Julien Bryan beschrieb die Szene wie folgt: "Als wir zu einem kleinen Feld am Stadtrand kamen, waren wir nur ein paar Minuten zu spät, um Zeuge eines tragischen Ereignisses zu werden, des unglaublichsten überhaupt. Sieben Frauen wollten Kartoffeln ausgraben. Es gab kein Mehl in ihrem Bezirk und sie suchten verzweifelt nach Nahrung. Plötzlich erschienen zwei deutsche Flugzeuge aus dem Nichts und warfen zwei Bomben auf ein nur zweihundert Meter entferntes Haus. Zwei Frauen im Haus fanden den Tod. Die Kartoffelernterinnen warfen sich flach auf den Boden in der Hoffnung, unentdeckt zu bleiben. Als die Flugzeuge fort waren, setzten sie ihre Arbeit fort. Sie brauchten das Essen. Aber die Nazi-Flieger waren noch nicht zufrieden mit ihrem Werk. Nach ein paar Minuten kamen sie zurück und fielen auf 200 Meter Höhe ab, wobei sie das Feld mit Maschinengewehrfeuer durchpflügten. Zwei der sieben Frauen starben; die anderen fünf schafften es irgendwie zu fliehen. Während ich die Leichen fotografierte, kam ein kleines zehnjähriges Mädchen und starrte wie gebannt auf eine der Toten. Sie war ihre ältere Schwester. Das Kind hatte nie zuvor eine Tote gesehen und konnte nicht verstehen, warum ihre Schwester nicht mit ihr sprach. Sie sah uns verwirrt an. Ich legte meinen Arm fest um sie, um sie zu beruhigen. Sie weinte - ebenso wie ich und die polnischen Polizisten, die bei mir waren." [Quelle: Bryan, Julien: "Warsaw: 1939 Siege; 1959 Warsaw Revisited."] English: Kazimiera Mika, a 12 years old Polish girl, mourns the death of her older sister Anna (Andzia is diminutive of the name) (14), who was killed in a field near Jana Ostroroga Street in Warsaw during a German air raid by Luftwaffe. Photographer Julien Bryan described the scene: "As we drove by a small field at the edge of town we were just a few minutes too late to witness a tragic event, the most incredible of all. Seven women had been digging potatoes in a field. There was no flour in their district, and they were desperate for food. Suddenly two German planes appeared from nowhere and dropped two bombs only two hundred yards away on a small home. Two women in the house were killed. The potato diggers dropped flat upon the ground, hoping to be unnoticed. After the bombers had gone, the women returned to their work. They had to have food. But the Nazi fliers were not satisfied with their work. In a few minutes they came back and swooped down to within two hundred feet of the ground, this time raking the field with machine-gun fire. Two of the seven women were killed. The other five escaped somehow. While I was photographing the bodies, a little ten-year old girl came running up and stood transfixed by one of the dead. The woman was her older sister. The child had never before seen death and couldn't understand why her sister would not speak to her... The child looked at us in bewilderment. I threw my arm about her and held her tightly, trying to comfort her. She cried. So did I and the two Polish officers who were with me..." [Source: Bryan, Julien. "Warsaw: 1939 Siege; 1959 Warsaw Revisited."] In September 1959 Julien Bryan wrote more about it in Look magazine: In the offices of the Express, that child, Kazimiera Mika, now 30, and I were reunited. I asked her if she remembered anything of that tragic day in the potato field. "I should," she replied quietly. "It was the day I lost my sister, the day I first saw death, and the first time I met a foreigner - you." Today, Kazimiera is married to a Warsaw streetcar motorman. They have a 12-year-old girl and a boy, 9, and the family lives in a 1 1/2-room apartment, typical of the overcrowded conditions of war-racked Poland. She is a charwoman at a medical school (she told me her biggest regret is that her education ended when the war began), and all of the $75 earned each month by her husband and herself goes for food. Kazimiera and her husband, like most Poles, supplement their income with odd jobs, and are sometimes forced to sell a piece of furniture for extra money. But they celebrated my visit to their home with that rare treat, a dinner with meat. Čeština: Kazimiera Mika, (12) Polská holčička truchlí kvůli smrti své starší sestry Andzia (14), která byla zabita v poli poblíž ulice jana Ostroroga ve Waršavě během německého vzdušného náletu Luftwaffe. Fotograf Julien Brian popsal scénu:"Jak jsme jeli kolem malého pole na kraji městečka, jen několikaminutové zpoždění nám zabránilo stát se svědky tragické události, té nejneuvěřitelnější. Sedm žen kopalo na poli brambory. Neměly žádnou mouku a zoufale potřebovaly jídlo. najednou se z ničeho nic vynořily dva Německé letouny a shodily dvě bomby na malý dům jen 200 yardů daleko. Dvě ženy v domě byly zabity. Kopáčky brambor zalehly a doufaly že si jich letadla nevšimla. Poté co bombardéry zmizely, ženy se vrátily ke své práci.Musely sehnat jídlo. Ale nacističtí piloti nebyli spokojeni se svou prací. během pár minut se vrátily a kulometnou palbou zametly 200 stop pole. Dvě z těch sedmi žen byly při náletu zabity. Ostatním se nějak podařilo uprchnout. Když jsem fotografoval těla, přiběhla malá, desetiletá holčička a zůstala stát jako přikovaná u jedné mrtvé. Ta žena byla její starší sestra. Dítě ještě nikdy předtím nevidělo smrt a nemohlo pochopit proč s ní její sestra nebude mluvit... Dítě se na nás zmateně dívalo.natáhl jsem k ní ruku a pevně ji držel abych ji utěšil. Plakala. Stejně jako já a dva Polští důstojníci kteří byli se mnou. Polski: Dwunastoletnia Kazimiera Mika z domu Kostewicz nad zwłokami swojej starszej, czternastoletniej siostry Andzi, zabitej przy ul. Ostroroga w Warszawie podczas niemieckiego nalotu. Fotograf Julien Bryan opisuje scenę: "Jechaliśmy przez małe pole na obrzeżach miasta, ale byliśmy tylko kilka minut za późno, aby być świadkiem tragicznego wypadku. Siedem kobiet kopało ziemniaki na polu ponieważ zabrakło mąki i nie miały co jeść. Nagle dwa samoloty niemieckie pojawiły się znikąd i zrzuciły dwie bomby na mały dom jakieś dwieście metrów dalej. Dwie kobiety w domu, zostały zabite. Kobiety na polu schowały się mając nadzieję ze nie zostaną zauważone. Gdy bombowce odleciały, kobiety wróciły do pracy, bo musiały znaleźć żywność. Ale hitlerowscy lotnicy nie byli zadowoleni ze swojej pracy. Po kilku minutach wrócili lecąc jakieś 60 metrów nad ziemią, grabiąc pole kulami karabinów maszynowych. Dwie z siedmiu kobiet zostały zabite a pozostałe pięć jakoś uciekły. Kiedy fotografowałem ciała, mała dziesięcioletnia dziewczynka podbiegła i znieruchomiała koło jednego z ciał. Kobieta była jej starszą siostrą. Dziecko nigdy nie widziało śmierci i nie mogło zrozumieć, dlaczego jej siostra nie odzywa się do niej. Dziecko spojrzał na nas w zakłopotaniu. Objelem ją trzymałem mocno, starając się ją pocieszyć. Płakała. Ja tez płakałem i dwóch polskich oficerów, którzy byli ze mną ... "[Źródło: Bryan, Julien. "Warsaw: 1939 Siege; 1959 Warsaw Revisited."] Kazimiera Mika została zidentifikowana dzięki apelowi zamieszczonemu przez Juliena Bryana w "Expressie Wieczornym" w 1959 r.
context_page_description: The Luftwaffe was the aerial warfare branch of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the Luftstreitkräfte of the Imperial Army and the Marine-Fliegerabteilung of the Imperial Navy, had been disbanded in May 1920 as a result of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which stated that Germany was forbidden to have any air force.
  During the interwar period, German pilots were trained secretly in violation of the treaty at Lipetsk Air Base in the Soviet Union. With the rise of the Nazi Party and the repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, the Luftwaffe's existence was publicly acknowledged on 26 February 1935, just over two weeks before open defiance of the Versailles Treaty through German re-armament and conscription would be announced on 16 March. The Condor Legion, a Luftwaffe detachment sent to aid Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War, provided the force with a valuable testing ground for new tactics and aircraft. Partially as a result of this combat experience, the Luftwaffe had become one of the most sophisticated, technologically advanced, and battle-experienced air forces in the world when World War II broke out in 1939.
context_section_description: By the summer of 1939, the Luftwaffe had ready for combat nine Jagdgeschwader (fighter wings) mostly equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, four 'Zerstörergeschwader (destroyer wings) equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter, 11 Kampfgeschwader (bomber wings) equipped mainly with the Heinkel He 111 and the Dornier Do 17Z, and four Sturzkampfgeschwader (dive bomber wing") primarily armed with the iconic Junkers Ju 87B Stuka. The Luftwaffe was just starting to accept the Junkers Ju 88A for service, as it had encountered design difficulties, with only a dozen aircraft of the type considered combat-ready. The Luftwaffe's strength at this time stood at 373,000 personnel (208,000 flying troops, 107,000 in the Flak Corps and 58,000 in the Signals Corps). Aircraft strength was 4,201 operational aircraft: 1,191 bombers, 361 dive bombers, 788 fighters, 431 heavy fighters, and 488 transports. Despite deficiencies it was an impressive force.
  However, even by the spring of 1940, the Luftwaffe still had not mobilized fully. Despite the shortage of raw-materials, Generalluftzeugmeister Ernst Udet had increased production through introducing a 10-hour working day for aviation industries and rationalizing production. During this period 30 Kampfstaffeln and 16 Jagdstaffeln were raised and equipped. A further five Zerstörergruppen ("Destroyer groups") were created (JGr 101, 102,126,152 and 176), all equipped with the Bf 110.
  The Luftwaffe also greatly expanded its aircrew training programs by 42%, to 63 flying schools. These facilities were moved to eastern Germany, away from possible Allied threats. The number of aircrew reached 4,727, an increase of 31%. However, the rush to complete this rapid expansion scheme resulted in the deaths of 997 personnel and another 700 wounded. 946 aircraft were also destroyed in these accidents. The number of aircrew completing their training was up to 3,941, The Luftwaffe's entire strength was now 2.2 million personnel.
  In April and May 1941, Udet headed the Luftwaffe delegation inspecting Soviet aviation industry in compliance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Udet informed Göring "that Soviet air forces are very strong and technically advanced." Göring decided not to report the facts to Hitler, hoping that a surprise attack would quickly destroy the USSR. Udet realized that the upcoming war on Russia might cripple Germany. Udet, torn between truth and loyalty, suffered a psychological breakdown and even tried to tell Hitler the truth, but Göring told Hitler that Udet was lying, then took Udet under control by giving him drugs at drinking parties and hunting trips. Udet's drinking and psychological condition became a problem, but Göring used Udet's dependency to manipulate him.
caption: Polish girl lying dead after being strafed by German dive bombers, September 1939
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