Rettungsbojen: The Floating Rescue Buoys of The Luftwaffe

During World War 2, both the RAF and the Luftwaffe lost a large number of pilots at sea. The British used a couple of high speed boats that patrolled the English Channel and picked up downed pilots before they were overcome by the elements. The Germans used the Heinkel He 59 float planes that could land on water, in addition to boats. The German sea rescue service, or Seenotdienst , was more successful than the Allied effort. They had bases all along the coast of Denmark, Norway, Netherlands and France, covering much of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. They also enlisted the help of local rescue societies to increase their reach. The Seenotdienst was a humanitarian service that did not discriminate between pilots belonging to the Luftwaffe and the enemy air force. In fact, one of the first major air-sea rescue operation, conducted on December 18, 1939, involved a group of 24 British airmen shot down into the icy waters of the North Sea. In order to improve survivability in the ocean, German pilots in trouble over the ocean were recommended to make an emergency water landing in their aircraft instead of bailing out and parachuting down. Each aircraft was equipped with an inflatable rubber raft which kept the airmen out of water and away from hypothermia, thus improving their chances of survival. British airplanes carried no such thing. Their fighters carried only lifejackets which were little help against the cold. In 1940, the Luftwaffe developed a floating rescue buoy called Rettungsboje and anchored several of these on the English Channel. Bobbing up and down the waves, these highly visible buoys held emergency equipment including food, water, blankets and dry clothing, enough to keep distressed airmen alive until they were rescued. The Rettungsboje were square or hexagonal in shape with a floor space of about 43 square feet. The cabins were 8 feet tall with a 6 feet high turret carrying a ladder and a signal mast with a wireless antenna.