Flight Log (Flugbüch)

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'clock High!:

Warren Bell
Flight Logs
Sat Dec 16 22:41:26 2000


I have a rather technical question that I need an answer to for a writing project. Can anyone tell me whether Luftwaffe bomber pilots took their flight logs along on combat
missions? The case in question involves a Fw 200 Kondor pilot on a mission over the Atlantic.

Thanks in advance.

Warren Bell

[This message has been edited by Richard T Eger (edited 28 December 2000).]

[Richard T Eger]

From TOH!:

Rune Rautio
Flight logs
Sun Dec 17 16:02:44 2000


The flight log (Flugbüch) was usually not carried by the pilot/airman, but was left with the Staffeladministration (the Schreiber or somebody else). The logs are often written
by more than one person, and it was quite usual that it was filled in by other persons than the owner.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOH!:

Warren Bell
Flight Logs
Sun Dec 17 18:40:04 2000


Thanks for the information!

Warren Bell

[Richard T Eger]

From 12 O'Clock High!:

Kari Lumppio
Flugbuch
Fri Jul 5 12:37:50 2002
130.233.83.21

Hi all!

I have a quite simple "technical" question about German (Luftwaffe) Flughbuch. What is it's format/dimensions (metric, please!) and how many pages does it contain?

There exist a very remote possibility that I could get my hands on one such flight book. But I am pretty sure I will not get it on loan and so any copies should be made on site. If there is no nearby photocopier (and there is not AFAIK) I think digital camera would be the next best option (problematic to arrange as I don't own one). Has anyone used ordinary camera to make copies? Will it be readable in normal photo size (10x15 cm)? Or then I could write it all down by hand... which would rob me all the time to chat with veterans.

If anyone has suggestions and experience of the subject matter I would like to hear from you. That way I would at least know what to expect.

Thanking in advance,
Kari

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Radiomonitor
Flugbücher
Fri Jul 5 22:52:44 2002
80.33.178.189

02.07.05-2147z--Die Flugbücher waren etwa 21 x 24 cm - Die Flugbücher waren zum Teil in deutsch-gotischen Buchstaben. Es war ja im Dritten Reich "in" mit deutschen Buchstaben zu schreiben.(English: The Log-Books were about 21 x 24 cm - The Log-Books were partly written with German-Gothic letters. In the Third Reich it was "in" to use German letters).-KAL+

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Radiomonitor
Flugbücher
Fri Jul 5 23:01:34 2002
80.33.178.189

02.07.05-2158z--The German Flugbuch was in a grey-blue cover. -- In the Flugbuch there were entry-spaces for 432 entries -- Considering several starts on one single day, you were able to rather quickly get into the around "middle" of the Flugbuch--KAL+

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Tom Fischer
Gothic-German lettering
Sat Jul 6 00:45:36 2002
217.162.128.166

Actually, the Gothic-German typeface was officially abandoned in the course the Third Reich (during the early 1940s if I recall correctly). The reason for this was connected to the Nazi ideology and would be rather OT in this forum.

Tom

[Richard T Eger]

From elsewhere within the thread on TOCH!:

Radiomonitor
kalehnsd@telefonica.net
Flugbuch
Sat Jul 6 09:54:54 2002
80.33.178.189

02.07.06-0827z--It should not be so difficult to read a Flugbuch, - even to-day. In the Flugbuch the columns and to-fill-in-spaces were printed, - so the crew member just had to fill-in the open and easy-to-understand spaces with either handwritten ink, or with ink-stift-pencil. As on each entry you would use more or less the same German expressions, - except for "incidents", - the wording would be repeated entry by entry, - with year, month and date, start-time, landing time and flying hours consumed, - together with the "Erfolgsmeldung" - the obtained result of the flight - and - if any - the "incidents". There should not be any much hokus-pokus there... -- Copies of the Flugbuch can easily be made by the new black-and-white copying machines, if the ink is still readable, - or by the more sensible color-copyer, which can even draw back half-disappeared handwritten text. - As the Flugbuch contents were not continuously exposed to daylight, the ink will in most case have been conserved well. -- Another hazard is the moist, which might seriously have damaged both the ink and the ink-stift handwritten text. Now, many crew did as a principle use German-Gothic letters, so you must be familiar with the German-Gothic alphabet, including the few letters which charge shape as double-consonnants or if at the end of a word or end of a syllable, or when changing-line and splitting up multi-syllable words.

The aircrafts' Log-Books were written by the pilot, and had much more different text than the crew's Flugbuch, because any observations concerning the execution of the flight-plan, variations in the devellopement of the bearing, flight level, speed in the air and speed over the ground, had to be reflected in the aircrafts' Log-Books. Also the maintainance status of the aircraft and the engines and systems. Even the radio operator had from time to time opportunity to give "incident"s to the Log-Book.

There were quite some paper work to be done after each flight.

If you need a copy of a handwritten German-Gothic alphabet, I can send you one on fax. During the war I took the trouble to learn German_Gothic handwriting.-KAL+

[This message has been edited by Richard T Eger (edited 12 July 2002).]

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Nick Beale
Reading Flugbücher
Sat Jul 6 19:24:32 2002
212.159.21.73

No it isn't that easy, at least not for me! They may use some standard expressions - many of which are abbreciated - but when you get to the "Führer" (pilot), "Begleiter" (crew) and "Bemerkungen" (remarks) columns you are mostly dealing with personal names and place names and that is much harder. The Luftwaffe seems to have made it a policy to spell Italian placenames wrongly as well!

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

John vasco
Reading Flugbucher
Sat Jul 6 21:18:52 2002
195.92.168.165

Also, be aware of potentially the most frustrating thing of all (well that is what I have found). Flugbuch entries were not always kept up to date. So, for one ZG 26 pilot, the last entry was for several days before he was shot down, so the missions flown, and the aircraft codes were not available. Sometimes the last flight is not recorded: with Siegfried Tröppl of 2./Erpr. Gr. 210 every flight with the unit but his last is recorded fully. The last one is not fully recorded, so I could not establish the full code of his Bf 110 on his last flight,and the Quartermaster Returns did not show it also. Frustrating! That is the down side, so be prepared for it. Sorry to be so downbeat, but it's fact.

Regards to all,

John Vasco