Not so long ago, the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe were bitter enemies, bombing each other's countries (which the Germans started) and battling each other in the skies over Britain in 1940, the last battle to have taken place in Britain.
And there remains a degree of animosity that is shown towards each other's air forces by many Britons and Germans.
But now the two countries are to put the War behind them (or at least try to) by vowing to work together.
It has been revealed that an RAF pilot and an aviator from the Luftwaffe have flown together on a combat mission for the first time since the War.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that an RAF flight lieutenant has piloted a British Tornado GR4 supersonic jet with a German navigator behind him in the cockpit.
It was the Germans who asked the British if their pilot could fly with the RAF.
Needless to say, there was a bit of banter amongst RAF personnel when this arrangement was revealed.
German air crew in Afghanistan receive £100 more per day than their RAF counterparts, despite the RAF being involved in many more operations (after all, the Germans need their beer money whilst having all that time playing table football at their base).
The Luftwaffe has 115 Tornado GR4 aircraft. The RAF, the EU's largest airforce, operates 138.
The LuftRAFfe: British pilot and German navigator share Tornado in first-ever join combat flights
By Christopher Leake
04th April 2010
Daily Mail
An RAF pilot and an aviator from the Luftwaffe have flown together on a combat mission for the first time since Britain and Germany were bitter Second World War enemies.
The two airmen joined forces in the skies above Afghanistan in the war against the Taliban.
Last night, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that an RAF flight lieutenant had piloted a Tornado GR4 supersonic jet with a German navigator behind him in the cockpit.
The Luftwaffe major - the equivalent of a squadron leader in the RAF - speaks perfect English and is said to have fitted in well with his British counterparts at Kandahar air base.
The pair provided 'top cover' --alerting British and US ground troops on Taliban positions. It is understood that although their Tornado was loaded with bombs, they were not deployed.
Until now, RAF and Luftwaffe pilots and navigators have flown together only on slow-moving C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in Afghanistan as part of a reciprocal scheme under which air crew are seconded to other Nato countries.
The new era of co-operation, however, has not prevented wags in the RAF's 31 Squadron, based at Marham, Norfolk, from cracking the odd joke about the German navigator.
An RAF source said: 'There was a bit of banter when it was discovered that an RAF pilot was to fly with a Luftwaffe navigator. But he proved to be an outstanding professional and made a valuable contribution to protecting troops on the ground.
'When you are in the air, there is only one issue: are you able to do your job to the required standard? In this navigator's case, he proved himself more than up to the job.'
The German navigator is not only of a more senior rank than his British counterpart, he is also paid more.
You're not having Britain that easily: The Battle of Britain, seen here raging in the sky viewed from London's St Paul's Cathedral, was fought between the British and the Germans in 1940, and was the last battle to be fought in Britain
The source added: 'Squadron personnel understand that German air crew received about £100 a day more than their British counterparts while in Afghanistan.
'This caused a fair amount of grumbling among the British air crew, but there was nothing they could do about it. Let's face it, the Government isn't likely to raise their pay.'
Another squadron source said: 'The Second World War was a long time ago and we are more than happy to work closely with our German allies against a common enemy.'
The Tornado flown by the Anglo-German crew on 18 missions between December and January was armed with 500lb laser-guided Paveway IV bombs and Brimstone air-to-ground missiles.
The Luftwaffe navigator --who, like the RAF pilot, cannot be identified for security reasons - was posted to Afghanistan at the request of the German government, which wanted him to work with 31 Squadron, considered one of the RAF's best.
The Luftwaffe operates a fleet of 115 Tornado fighter-bombers. The RAF operates 138.
dailymail.co.uk
And there remains a degree of animosity that is shown towards each other's air forces by many Britons and Germans.
But now the two countries are to put the War behind them (or at least try to) by vowing to work together.
It has been revealed that an RAF pilot and an aviator from the Luftwaffe have flown together on a combat mission for the first time since the War.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that an RAF flight lieutenant has piloted a British Tornado GR4 supersonic jet with a German navigator behind him in the cockpit.
It was the Germans who asked the British if their pilot could fly with the RAF.
Needless to say, there was a bit of banter amongst RAF personnel when this arrangement was revealed.
German air crew in Afghanistan receive £100 more per day than their RAF counterparts, despite the RAF being involved in many more operations (after all, the Germans need their beer money whilst having all that time playing table football at their base).
The Luftwaffe has 115 Tornado GR4 aircraft. The RAF, the EU's largest airforce, operates 138.
The LuftRAFfe: British pilot and German navigator share Tornado in first-ever join combat flights
By Christopher Leake
04th April 2010
Daily Mail
An RAF pilot and an aviator from the Luftwaffe have flown together on a combat mission for the first time since Britain and Germany were bitter Second World War enemies.
The two airmen joined forces in the skies above Afghanistan in the war against the Taliban.
Last night, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that an RAF flight lieutenant had piloted a Tornado GR4 supersonic jet with a German navigator behind him in the cockpit.
Afghan allies: A tornado GR4, like the one piloted by two airmen from Britain and Germany
The Luftwaffe major - the equivalent of a squadron leader in the RAF - speaks perfect English and is said to have fitted in well with his British counterparts at Kandahar air base.
The pair provided 'top cover' --alerting British and US ground troops on Taliban positions. It is understood that although their Tornado was loaded with bombs, they were not deployed.
Until now, RAF and Luftwaffe pilots and navigators have flown together only on slow-moving C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in Afghanistan as part of a reciprocal scheme under which air crew are seconded to other Nato countries.
The new era of co-operation, however, has not prevented wags in the RAF's 31 Squadron, based at Marham, Norfolk, from cracking the odd joke about the German navigator.
An RAF source said: 'There was a bit of banter when it was discovered that an RAF pilot was to fly with a Luftwaffe navigator. But he proved to be an outstanding professional and made a valuable contribution to protecting troops on the ground.
'When you are in the air, there is only one issue: are you able to do your job to the required standard? In this navigator's case, he proved himself more than up to the job.'
The German navigator is not only of a more senior rank than his British counterpart, he is also paid more.
You're not having Britain that easily: The Battle of Britain, seen here raging in the sky viewed from London's St Paul's Cathedral, was fought between the British and the Germans in 1940, and was the last battle to be fought in Britain
The source added: 'Squadron personnel understand that German air crew received about £100 a day more than their British counterparts while in Afghanistan.
'This caused a fair amount of grumbling among the British air crew, but there was nothing they could do about it. Let's face it, the Government isn't likely to raise their pay.'
Another squadron source said: 'The Second World War was a long time ago and we are more than happy to work closely with our German allies against a common enemy.'
The Tornado flown by the Anglo-German crew on 18 missions between December and January was armed with 500lb laser-guided Paveway IV bombs and Brimstone air-to-ground missiles.
The Luftwaffe navigator --who, like the RAF pilot, cannot be identified for security reasons - was posted to Afghanistan at the request of the German government, which wanted him to work with 31 Squadron, considered one of the RAF's best.
The Luftwaffe operates a fleet of 115 Tornado fighter-bombers. The RAF operates 138.
dailymail.co.uk
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