““The next topic of conversation was the question of fighter escorts for the Stuka units. Our Kommandeur had already raised this matter on numerous occasions during his discussions with higher authority. He argued that our machines, being slow and poorly armed for air combat, needed to be provided with at least a small force of fighters to fly close escort. He was fully supported in this by all the other Stuka Kommandeure. But the fighter pilots rejected the suggestion out of hand, and for very good reason – from their point of view. They were convinced that their freie Jagd tactics of free-ranging offensive sweeps would clear the airspace around us so effectively and so completely that no enemy machine would ever get anywhere near our formations.””
