The Influence of Intensive Operational Deployment on the Morale of Pilots During World War II To tell you the truth, if it lasted another 14 days and still flew 3 to 4 hours a day over the front, I would be nervous. There is a difference between encountering bomber planes, whether they are Do 17 or He 111, or even Me 110, but encountering 80 Me 109 and He 112 when there were only eight of us. It was seen how air superiority was made. That day I had four He 112s ( actually Bf 109E) behind me, and I really had to get rid of them. I got one shot in the propeller. However, on May 12, 1940, when I shot down two Ju 87s, I was attacked by a Me 109 and brought three bullets in the dashboard, which flew about six cm around my head on the right side of the cabin. Furthermore, one bullet exactly in the middle of the hull and stopped only in the armor. I had about nine in my wings. The only thing that saved me was that the Me 109 was very close and I heard its machine guns. A sharp turn to the right and I was away from him. Air Force Sergeant František Peřina, May 26, 1940
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