set eyes on Milch for the first time since May. The field marshal
had had the thankless duty of touring the cratered Ruhr cities.
He brandished a recommendation for quadrupling the day-
fighter force “until we ram the American victories down their
throats.” “You don’t imagine I read the trash you write!”
shouted Göring, humiliating Milch in front of all the others.
The commander in chief, flak, General Walter von Axthelm, got
the same short shrift. “You bloody fools fired so little,” the
Reichsmarschall shouted across the room at him, “that those
swine [the Americans] have destroyed Hüls!”
Profoundly mistrustful of Kesselring’s ability to interpret
the signs in Italy correctly, Göring asked Richthofen to come to
Rominten on July . The field marshal found the hunting lodge
thronged with thirty or forty generals.
I was promptly called in [wrote Richthofen upon
his return to Luftwaffe headquarters, Rome] and set
out the purely military position.... Lunch was to
have been followed by a big conference, but instead of
this the Reichsmarschall took me out into the country
alone and asked me what’s going on down here....
Nothing I have found out about the military setup
and morale surprised him.
Reichsmarschall is petrified I may sneak back to
the eastern front. While agreeing to serve where duty
calls, I admit I would prefer to resume command of
Luftflotte , though I accept that if I am to keep my
eye on things I must stay down here, reluctant
though I am... I have no freedom of action here as
the whole Luftflotte [] still pays homage to [Kessel-
ring] so long as he is here.Over at the Wolf’s Lair, Jeschonnek pleaded with Richthofen to
get him the Luftflotte command. The next day, July , while