Luftwaffe Radio Communications - Dialogue

[GD2508]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently trying to draft up a short script of Luftwaffe radio communications during a specific mission. I want this to include accurate terminology, slang, and comms terms for the Luftwaffe so looking for some good advice on this. Does anyone know of any institutions/museums/historians/advisors who can offer some assistant on this?

Thanks!

 

[SaparotRob]

You know, that would be interesting!

 

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi,

Here are a few sections of conversation heard by the British between Luftwaffe fighter pilots over the Channel on the afternoon of 17 September 1941:

"Fritz to Hugo: Spitfires due west of us
Hugo to Fritz: Be quiet
Fritz to Hugo: There by the clouds, there by the clouds
Hugo to aircraft: Look out, all Hugo aircraft, look out on our left.
Hugo to aircraft: Look out, attack coming from above.
Hugo to aircraft: Are you there? Are you there?
Fritz to aircraft: Paul! (top of his voice)
Hugo to aircraft: Hello, Hugo aircraft: one bandit orbiting right.
Aircraft to Hugo: Am breaking off, am breaking off!"

And from some other fighters that afternoon:

"Wolfgang to Hans: Where in the heck are we?
Hans to Wolfgang: I dunno where we are either.
Wolfgang to Hans: Where are you then?
Hans to Wolfgang: Here!"

And another pair later that afternoon:

"Aircraft to aircraft: My pointer says 120 [litres]. My red lamp is flickering.
Aircraft to aircraft: You fly home. I'll have one more try. No sense in it! Are you alone?
Aircraft to aircraft: Okay, understood. I'm coming. I've got a Spitfire."

And some radio conversations from the afternoon of 27 September 1941 by Luftwaffe fighter pilots over the Channel Front:

"Aircraft to aircraft: Where are these bastards?
Aircraft to aircraft: Here we are.
Aircraft to aircraft: Look out! Enemy attack coming from direction 2 high!
Aircraft to aircraft: Where are these Spitfires?
Aircraft to aircraft: Behind us! Behind us!
Aircraft to aircraft: I can't see them now.
Aircraft to aircraft: Attack from behind us! Himmel!
Aircraft to aircraft: A squadron now right in front.
Aircraft to aircraft: They're to the left beyond the coast, under the cloud trail!
Aircraft to aircraft: Right in front, at the same height and lower.
Aircraft to aircraft: How many on the coast?
Aircraft to aircraft: Stop! Aircraft to the right above us.
Aircraft to aircraft: Bandits right above us
Aircraft to aircraft: No no! That's Bruno.
Aircraft to aircraft: X flight, attack!
Aircraft to aircraft: I'll take the top ones, you take the last lot."


Hopefully that is of interest.

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com

 

[GrauGeist]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently trying to draft up a short script of Luftwaffe radio communications during a specific mission. I want this to include accurate terminology, slang, and comms terms for the Luftwaffe so looking for some good advice on this. Does anyone know of any institutions/museums/historians/advisors who can offer some assistant on this?

Thanks!

Some of the terms you might hear over the comms, would be terms like:
Abschuss! = shoot down of enemy.
Ami = short for American(s).
Dicke Auto = (big cars) Heavy Bomber.
Freie Jadg = Free Hunt.
Herausschuss = culled bomber out of formation by damaging it.
Horrido! = call to attack (St. Horridus was the patron Saint of fighter pilots).
Indianer! = Indians! (Enemy aircraft spotted).
Pulk = group or box formation of bombers.

There's more, but this is all I recall off the top of my head at the moment.

I should add that enemy aircraft spotted by Luftwaffe fighters were called out by simple terms, such as:
Spitfire
Thunderbolt
Mustang
Liberator
Hurricane
Lightning
Boeing (B-17)
and so on...

 

[Engineman]

This is an interesting topic. There were very different styles of radio communication used in different roles, and theatres. IMO, There is probably a whole genre of daytime fighter communication that is typified by the fairly dramatic type of confused exchanges in the BoB. OTOH, Night fighter comm was generally very specific with coded references to use of electronic equipment, stages of attack, direction and holding / navigating positions. Allied bombers suffered terribly from poor EMCON until very late in the War.

Cheers

Eng

 

[GD2508]

Thank you so much for all of the help on this chain - really appreciated!!

Andrew A. these conversation sections are fantastic! Do you know if any also exist depicting communications between Luftwaffe command (on the ground / at HQs) and pilots / airbases? E.g., instructions to prepare for takeoff, instructions to take off, and relaying information about the position of the incoming bombers?

Thanks again,
J

 

[Andrew Arthy]

Hi J,

Below is a summary of some of that kind of material, showing how the Germans plotted Allied incursions. This dates from the morning of 5 September 1942 on the Channel Front. There are also word-for-word reports like this, but unfortunately I don't have time to post them up:

"Between 10:10 and 10:57 British aircraft were plotted in the Dieppe-Rouen area. At 10:12 aircraft were ordered to wait over the aerodrome (area unknown) and at 10:15 were told to patrol Dieppe, British fighters being approximately 37 miles west of Le Treport flying towards Dieppe. At 10:20 they [Allied aircraft] were south of Dieppe in two groups flying south-east, the first approximately ten miles north-east of Poix and the second, including bombers, between Dieppe and St. Valery. At 10:31 many bombers were reported over Rouen and [German] aircraft were ordered on defensive patrol between Dieppe and Fecamp. At 10:35 the fighters were approximately eighteen miles south and the bombers nine miles north of Rouen and were plotted out west of Dieppe at 10:50. Aircraft were recalled at 10:57."

Hope that is of interest.

Cheers,
Andrew A.