about four paintings on offer, “The Four Seasons.” Peiner told
him with regret that Speer had laid hands on one of them al-
ready (“Autumn,” a nude lady with a bowl of fruit). Göring di-
rected Gisela Limberger to see that the professor nominated his
two best pupils to escape the draft and paint a new “Autumn” to
fill the gap. On the following day, August , the Americans
pattern-bombed Messerschmitt’s works at Regensburg and the
ball-bearing factories at Schweinfurt before flying on down to
North Africa. Four hundred Messerschmitt workers were killed.
Given the chaotic structure of the air-defense command, this
further humiliation was not surprising. The defenses were con-
trolled by Jeschonnek in East Prussia, by Göring in Bavaria, by
General Weise in Berlin, and by Fighter Corps at Arnhem.
Even the th Fighter Division at Metz, in France, had a finger in
the pie. “It was,” recalled Dr. von Ondarza, “a wonderful sum-
mer’s evening.” It was also the first time that the American
bombers had penetrated so deep into Germany.
Hitler [said Ondarza] took it out on Göring merci-
lessly by phone, and Göring then put through a very,
very long phone call to Jeschonnek. I didn’t listen
myself, but the SS sentries standing outside the open
window said he was ranting and raging frightfully.A bright moon came up that night. In a mental turmoil,
Jeschonnek punted out into the middle of Lake Goldap with
Leuchtenberg, to watch the evening flight of wild duck. Later he
broached a bottle of champagne to toast his daughter’s birthday.
At : .. word came that RAF Mosquitoes were setting out
flares and target markers over Berlin, the chilling heralds of a
mass attack. All fifty of Herrmann’s “free-lance” fighters were
ordered to Berlin. Göring, alerted by phone, directed the Berlin