biology

Kanalkrankheit

Kanalkrankheit is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kanalkrankheit rather than just read about it. In short: Kanalkrankheit, or "channel sickness", was a form of combat fatigue which began to appear in the summer of 1940 among German pilots during the Battle of Britain. For crews of the Luftwaffe, operating at the edge of their combat range, bailing out over England meant certain capture, while parachuting out over the English Channel would often result in death by exposure or drowning.

Key takeaways

Kanalkrankheit belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kanalkrankheit to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kanalkrankheit from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kanalkrankheit, or "channel sickness", was a form of combat fatigue which began to appear in the summer of 1940 among German pilots during the Battle of Britain. For crews of the Luftwaffe, operating at the edge of their combat range, bailing out over England meant certain capture, while parachuting out over the English Channel would often result in death by exposure or drowning.

Symptoms Many pilots suffered stomach cramps, or found themselves unable to eat. As combat wore on, the number of aircraft turning back to France owing to overheating engines, low oil pressure or instrument failure steadily increased. Pilots suffered mysterious bouts of appendicitis, or found other means to make their way to the sick bay.

Causes In reality, these medical ailments and equipment failures were symptoms of chronic stress, caused by extreme fatigue. There was no policy of R&R for German fighter pilots. They were expected to keep flying missions until they were captured, killed, or promoted. Ulrich Steinhilper, a Luftwaffe ace, recalled at the end of August:

"Although most of us were still not outwardly showing major signs of nerves, arguments were becoming more frequent, tempers frayed quicker…The strain of unrelenting front-line flying was beginning to show." Peter Stahl, a Junkers Ju 88 pilot, wrote in his diary on August 25:

"it is being said that the British are already on their last legs, but when you hear what the operation pilots - and particularly the bomber crews - have to report...the losses suffered by our bomber crews must be terrible." Unteroffizier Werner Karl of the elite squadron Jagdgeschwader 53 wrote:

"There was no talk about fear or being taken prisoner. At least, nobody admitted if he was scared. All around us, we saw heroes both in the newspaper and on the radio. I think that everybody thought that he was the only one who was afraid. For example, our briefings were always held outside in the open air. Immediately after it finished and before we went to our planes, we all ran to the latrines and sat on the toilet. At first we thought it was sabotage but in fact it was fear." Werner Karl was shot down and taken prisoner soon afterwards, on 2 September 1940. Lone German aircraft struggling to return to France were easy prey for British fighters. The Germans call these attackers leichenfledderer - one who attacks corpses. Morale steadily declined among the German crews as British resistance failed to evaporate. On September 11 the pilot of a bomber from Kampfgeschwader 26 squadron bailed out after being attacked by fighters. His observer, Leutnant F. Zimmerman was forced to seize the controls of the crippled aircraft, successfully making a forced landing at Dieppe. These problems were exacerbated by internal conflict over strategy and tactics. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft was faster than the British Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, especially in a dive, and had superior weapons. Yet pressure to defend the bombers in close escort caused this advantage to be thrown away. The fighter pilots were frustrated and morale began to drop. "By ordering us to fly as close escorts," recalled German fighter pilot Günther Rall, "our Gruppe was effectively offered up on a plate to the most efficient and determined aerial opponents the Luftwaffe has yet come against."

See also Combat stress reaction Post traumatic stress disorder

References Bungay, Stephen, The Most Dangerous Enemy: An Illustrated History of the Battle of Britain Retrieved November 2012 Gardiner, Juliet, D-Day: Those Who Were There Retrieved November 2012 Goss, Chris, Luftwaffe Fighters and Bombers: The Battle of Britain Retrieved 2012 Hooton, E. R., Eagle in Flames: The Fall of the Luftwaffe, Brockhampton Press, Jan 1st 2000 Retrieved November 2012 Encyclopedia of World War II Battles Retrieved November 2012 Kaplan, Philip, and Saunders, Andy, Little Friends: The Fighter Pilot Experience in World War II England Retrieved November 2012 Ryan, Dan, Dorneywood: The Caldwell Series Retrieved November 2012 Scutts, Jerry, JG 54: Jagdgeschwader 54 Grünherz : aces of the Eastern Front Retrieved 2012

Notes

External links Daily Telegraph 28 June 2010 Retrieved November 2012

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kanalkrankheit

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kanalkrankheit claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kanalkrankheit before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kanalkrankheit ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kanalkrankheit

In research: Kanalkrankheit appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kanalkrankheit in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kanalkrankheit is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Battle of Britain, German words and phrases, Luftwaffe, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kanalkrankheit outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kanalkrankheit in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kanalkrankheit means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kanalkrankheit out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kanalkrankheit in simple terms?

Why does Kanalkrankheit matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kanalkrankheit?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kanalkrankheit.