Branch: Luftwaffe
Born: 19 March 1912 in Westerholt, Germany
Died: 9 February 1996 in Remagen, Germany
Ranks:
Generalleutnant
Generalmajor
Oberst
Oberstleutnant
Major
Hauptmann
Oberleutnant
Leutnant 1934
F�hnrich
Decorations:
Spanish Medalla de la Campaña
Spanish Medalla Militar
Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds 6 June 1939
Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant
Wound Badge in Black
Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds
Iron Cross 1939
2nd Class 13 September 1939
1st Class 22 May 1940
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and
Diamonds
Knight's Cross 29 July 1940
Oak Leaves 24 September 1940
Swords 21 June 1941
Diamonds 28 January 1942
Commands:
Jagdgeschwader 26
Takes command on 22 August 1940
Ends command on 6 December 1941
Jagdverband 44
Takes command on
Ends command on
Other: Personnel
Articles:
Adolf Joseph Ferdinand Galland was born on 19 March
1912 and became a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace
who served throughout World War II in Europe. Adolf Galland
flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western front
and in Defence of the Reich. On four occasions he survived
being shot down, and he was credited with 104 aerial victories,
all of them against the Western Allies.
Adolf Galland, born in Westerholt (now Herten), Westphalia
was a glider pilot in his youth, joined the Reichswehr of
the Weimar Republic later in 1932. In 1937, during the Spanish
Civil War, he volunteered for the Legion Condor (Condor Legion)
and flew ground attack missions in support of the Nationalists
under Francisco Franco. After finishing his tour Adolf Galland
was employed writing doctrinal and technical manuals about
his experience and served as an instructor for ground-attack
units. At the outbreak of World War II he again flew ground
attack missions before he persuaded his superiors to allow
him to become a fighter pilot.
Adolf Galland flew in the Battle of France and the Battle
of Britain fighting the Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English
Channel and Northern France. By November 1941 his number of
aerial victories claimed stood at 96, which earned him the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
In November 1941 he replaced Werner Mölders, who was
killed in a flying accident, as Germany's commander of the
Fighter Force (General der Jagdflieger), staying in this position
until January 1945 when he was relieved of his command because
of his constant criticism of the Luftwaffe senior leadership,
climaxing in the Fighter Pilots Conspiracy. As General der
Jagdflieger Adolf Galland was forbidden to fly combat missions.
For commanding Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing) with
distinction, he earned the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron
Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.
In March 1945, Adolf Galland returned to operational flying
and formed a jet fighter unit which Adolf Galland called Jagdverband
44. He flew missions over Germany until the end of the war
in May. After the war Adolf Galland was employed by Argentina's
Government and acted as a consultant to the Argentine Air
Force. Later he returned to Germany and managed his own business.
Adolf Galland also befriended many former enemies, such as
RAF aces Robert Stanford Tuck and Douglas Bader. Adolf Galland
died in February 1996.
Galland's early Life
Adolf Galland was born in Westerholt (now Herten), Westphalia
on 19 March 1912 to a family with French Huguenot ancestry.
The first Adolf Galland in Westerholt was a refugee from France
in 1792. He became a bailiff to the count von Westerholt,
beginning a tradition that was handed down from father to
son. Adolf Galland (junior) was the second of four sons of
Adolf Galland (senior) and his French wife Anna, née
Schipper. Upholding the family tradition, Adolf Galland (senior)
worked as the land manager or bailiff to the Count von Westerholt.
Adolf Galland's older brother was Fritz and his two younger
brothers were Wilhelm-Ferdinand and Paul. Their father had
pet names for all his family members. His wife Anna was called
Anita. Fritz, his older brother, was called Toby, Adolf was
Keffer, Wilhelm-Ferdinand was nicknamed Wutz and Paul was
called Paulinchen or since they were expecting a girl, occasionally
Paula.
His two younger brothers also became fighter pilots and aces.
Paul claimed 17 victories, he was shot down and killed on
31 October 1942. Wilhelm-Ferdinand, credited with 54 victories,
was shot down and killed on 17 August 1943. In 1927 Adolf
Galland's lifelong interest in flying started when a group
of aviation enthusiasts brought a glider club to Borkenberge,
a heath east of the Haltern-Münster railway and part
of the Westerholt estate. It was here that the Gelsenkirchen
Luftsportverein (Air Sports Club of Gelsenkirchen) created
an interest in flying among young Germans. Adolf Galland travelled
by foot or horse-drawn wagon 30 kilometres until his father
bought him a motorcycle to help prepare the gliders for flight.
Under the Treaty of Versailles Germany was denied an air force.
They were however allowed gliders and it became the way for
fledgling pilots to begin their flying career. The sport became
so popular that the Reichswehr set up ten schools, one in
each of the seven military districts of Germany. The military
also published a magazine, Flugsport (Flight Sport), to encourage
an interest in aviation and began a series of glider competitions
around the country. Adolf Galland had learned the basic laws
of flight and how everything worked on paper but he found
they did not always work in reality and his inexperience caused
a few accidents. One of his tutors, Georg Ismer, taught him
various techniques and in 1929, the 17 year old Adolf Galland
passed his A certificate. This was one of three certificates
he needed for his professional license. When he eventually
attained his B and C certificates, his father promised to
buy him his own glider if he also passed his matriculations
examinations, which he succeeded in doing. Adolf Galland became
an outstanding glider pilot he became an instructor before
he had passed his Abitur.
In February 1932 Adolf Galland graduated from Hindenburg Gymnasium
(high school) in Buer and was among 20 personnel who were
accepted to the aviation school of Germany's national airline,
Luft Hansa.
Galland's military career
During the final years of the Weimar Republic, jobs were scarce
and life was hard for the Adolf Galland family economically.
Adolf had some experience of flying gliders so he applied
to the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule or DVS (German Commercial
Flying School) which was heavily subsidised by Luft Hansa.
He was one of 100 successful applicants out of 4,000. After
ten days of evaluations, he was among just 18 selected for
flight training. Adolf was then assessed on performance. Those
that did not reach the standard were sent home. Adolf Galland's
first flight was in an Albatros L 101. His early career went
badly. On one flight, he made a heavy landing and damaged
the undercarriage of his aircraft. Later, while leading three
aircraft in formation, two of them collided. No one was killed,
but Adolf Galland was judged to have employed poor formation
tactics. These incidents affected him so badly he was convinced
he would soon be sent home, and he applied to join the German
Army. In the meantime, he carried on with his flight training.
Adolf Galland did not receive a reply from the Army and settled
down to continue his training. Flights in an Albatros L 75
and the award of a B1 certificate allowing him to fly large
aircraft over 2,500 kilograms in weight helped him regain
his confidence. Around the same time, the Army accepted his
application, but owing to his successful training and improved
flying, the flying school refused to release him. By Christmas
1932, he had logged 150 hours flying and had obtained a B2
certificate.
Early in 1933, Adolf Galland was sent to the Baltic Sea training
base at Warnemuende to train on flying boats. Adolf Galland
disliked learning what he perceived to be seamanship, but
logged 25 hours in these aircraft. Soon afterward, along with
several other pilots, he was ordered to attend an interview
at the Zentrale der Verkehrsflieger Schule (ZVS-Central Airline
Pilot School). Here the group were interviewed by military
personnel in civilian clothing. After being informed of a
secret military training program being built that involved
piloting high performance aircraft, all the pilots accepted
an invitation to join the organisation.
In May 1933 Adolf Galland was ordered to a meeting in Berlin
as one of 12 civilian pilots among 70 airmen who came from
clandestine programmes, meeting
Hermann
Göring for the first time. Adolf Galland was impressed
by and believed
Hermann
Göring to be a competent leader. In July 1933 Adolf
Galland travelled to Italy to train with the Regia Aeronautica.
Initially the Germans were treated as inferior by the Italians,
but after Adolf Galland had flown some daring and impressive
low-level manoeuvres, the German contingent won their hosts'
respect.
In September 1933 Adolf Galland returned to Germany and flew
in some minor competitions as a glider pilot, winning some
prizes. Soon afterwards he returned to the ZVS to learn instrument
flying and receive training in piloting heavy transport aircraft
logging another 50 hours. As a part of his training, beginning
in October 1933, Adolf Galland flew Luft Hansa airliners.
Flying the Junkers G24 from Stuttgart to Barcelona in Spain,
via Geneva and Marseilles. In December 1933 Adolf Galland
was recalled to the ZVS headquarters and offered the chance
to join the new Luftwaffe. Adolf Galland found the choice
hard as he wanted the adventure of a military flying career,
but as an airline pilot, Adolf Galland had enjoyed the life
style of flying and visiting exotic places and was reluctant
to give it up. Nevertheless, he decided to officially join
the Luftwaffe.
After basic training in the Army he was discharged from his
barracks in Dresden in October 1934. In February 1935 Adolf
Galland was now part of 900 airmen waiting to be inducted
to the new ReichsLuftwaffe. In March Adolf Galland was ordered
to report to Jagdgeschwader 2 (2nd Fighter Wing), arriving
at its headquarters in Jüterbog-Damm on 1 April 1935.
Adolf Galland's performance had not yet been impressive enough
for a position as an instructor, so he was evaluated and deemed
good enough for an operational posting.
In October 1935, during aerobatic manoeuvre training, he crashed
a
Focke-Wulf
Fw 44 biplane and was in a coma for three days, other
injuries were a damaged eye, fractured skull and broken nose.
When Adolf Galland recovered, he was declared unfit for flying
by the doctors. A friend, Major Rheital kept the doctors report
secret to allow Adolf to continue flying. The expansion of
the Luftwaffe and his own Geschwader (aviation wing) flooded
the administration officers and Adolf Galland's medical report
was overlooked. Within a year Adolf Galland showed no signs
of injury from his crash. In October 1936 he crashed an
Arado
Ar 68 and was hospitalised again, aggravating his injured
eye. It was at this point his previous medical report came
to light again and Adolf Galland's unfit certificate was discovered.
Major Rheital was rumoured to have undergone a court-martial,
but the investigators dropped the charges. Adolf Galland,
however, was grounded. He admitted having fragments of glass
in his eye, but convinced the doctors he was fit for flying
duty. Adolf Galland was ordered to undergo eye tests to validate
his claims. Before the testing could begin, one of his brothers
managed to acquire the charts. Adolf memorised the charts
passing the test and was permitted to fly again.
During the Spanish Civil War, Adolf Galland was appointed
Staffelkapitän of a Legion Condor (Condor Legion) unit,
3. Staffel Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88-88th Fighter Group), which
was sent to support the Nationalist side under Franco at Ferrol
from mid-1937. Adolf Galland flew ground attack missions in
Heinkel
He 51s. In Spain, Adolf Galland first displayed his unique
style flying in swimming trunks with a cigar between his teeth
in an aircraft decorated with a Mickey Mouse figure. When
asked why he developed this style he gave a simple answer:
I like Mickey Mouse. I always have. And I like cigars, but
I had to give them up after the war.
Adolf Galland flew his first of 300 combat mission in Spain
with the J/88 commander Gotthard Handrick, on 24 July 1937,
near Brunete. During his time in Spain, Adolf Galland analysed
the engagements, evaluated techniques and devised new ground-attack
tactics which were passed on to the Luftwaffe. His experiences
in pinpoint ground assaults were used by
Ernst
Udet, a proponent of the dive bomber and leading supporter
of the
Junkers Ju
87 to push for
Stuka
wings. Wolfram von Richthofen, an opponent of
Ernst
Udet's, used them to push for the opposite Schlachtflieger
dual combination fighter-bombers. After trials with
Henschel
Hs 123s,
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109s and
Junkers
Ju 87s, the Junkers was selected to undergo trials for
the dive bomber role.
During his time in Spain he developed early gasoline and oil
bombs, suggested the quartering of personnel on trains to
aid in relocation, and following the Nationalist victory was
awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds
for his contributions. On 24 May 1938 Adolf Galland left Spain
and was replaced by Werner Mölders. Before leaving he
made ten flights in the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 deeply impressed with the performance of the aircraft
it persuaded him to change from a strike pilot to a fighter
pilot. From May to August 1938, Adolf Galland took leave and
visited Spanish Morocco. On his return to Germany, he was
ordered to the headquarters of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium
(RLM-Ministry of Aviation) where he was tasked with preparing
recommendations on the subject of close air support. Adolf
Galland favoured the virtually simultaneous attack of the
air force before the Army advance, leaving their opponents
no time to recover. While this reasserted the lessons of the
First World War, some of the Officer Corps were still pessimistic
as to whether that kind of coordination was possible. Adolf
Galland also adopted the Italian suggestion of heavy armament
and criticised the light machine guns in early German fighter
aircraft and pointed to the advantages of multi-gun configurations
(combining machine guns with cannon). These proved successful
in the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 and
Focke-Wulf
Fw 190. He also recognised the innovation of drop tanks
to extend the range of aircraft as well as the need for specialised
tactics for escorting bomber fleets Adolf Galland did not
subscribe to the prevailing idea in the Luftwaffe (and RAF)
that the bomber would always get through (alone). All of Adolf
Galland's suggestions were adopted and proved successful in
the early campaigns, 1939 to 1941. During his time in the
RLM he instructed, trained and equipped ground-support wings
for Fall Grün (Case Green), the invasion of Czechoslovakia
in 1938. However, the invasion did not take place.
Unluckily for Adolf Galland, his excellence at evaluation
earned him a place at Tutow training facility where he was
asked to test fly prototype reconnaissance and strike aircraft.
This was not what he wanted, and he hoped to be returned to
a fighter unit to fly the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109. During his time there, he gave positive evaluations
on types such as the
Focke-Wulf
Fw189 and
Henschel
Hs 129. During his test piloting career at Tutow, Adolf
Galland received unwelcome news he was to become Gruppenkommandeur
of II.(Schlacht)/Lehrgeschwader 2 (II.(S)/LG 2-2nd group (ground
support) of the 2nd Demonstration Wing). It was not a fighter
unit, but a special mixed Geschwader of ground attack aircraft.
Galland's combat career
Galland during the Polish Campaign
Just before the outbreak of war, Adolf Galland was promoted
to Hauptmann. During the Invasion of Poland from 1 September
1939, onwards he flew with 4 Staffel, II./Lehrgeschwader 2.
Equipped with the
Henschel
Hs 123, nicknamed the biplane
Stuka,
supporting the German Tenth Army. On 1 September Adolf Galland
flew alone in a
Fiesler
Fi 156 Storch
on a reconnaissance mission and was nearly shot down. The
next day he flew ground attack missions in support of the
1st Panzer Division advancing to the Warta River. Adolf Galland's
Geschwader flew intensive sorties in support of the division
and XVI. Armeekorps (16th Army Corps) Army Corps at Krakow,
Radom, Deblin and L'vov. The German Army had reached the Vistula
river near Warsaw by 7 September and the Luftwaffe had been
executing the kind of close air support operations Adolf Galland
had been advocating. Adolf Galland participated in the maximum
effort by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Bzura. On 11
September during one of his visits to the front
Adolf
Hitler arrived at LG 2 headquarters for lunch with the
staff. Such was the state of the Polish Air Force and Polish
Army, that by 19 September 1939 some German air units were
withdrawn from the campaign. Adolf Galland ceased combat operations
on this date, having flown 87 missions. After flying nearly
360 missions in two wars and averaging two missions per day,
on 13 September 1939, Adolf Galland was awarded the Iron Cross
Second Class.
After the Polish Campaign Adolf Galland claimed to be suffering
from rheumatism and therefore unfit for flying in open-cockpit
aircraft, such as the
Henschel
Hs 123. He tactfully suggested a transfer to a single-engine
aircraft type with a closed cockpit would improve his condition.
His request was accepted on medical grounds. Adolf Galland
was removed from his post as a direct ground support pilot.
Adolf Galland never explained whether open cockpits had caused
the complaint or some other cause given his performance with
eye specialists, a certain amount of suspicion is reasonable.
He was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 27 (27th Fighter Wing)
on 10 February 1940, as the adjutant, which restricted him
from flying.
Galland in western Europe
After his transfer to Jagdgeschwader 27 (27th Fighter Wing),
Adolf Galland met Werner Mölders again. Due to his injuries,
Adolf Galland could never match Werner's sharp eyesight the
shards of glass in his eyes denied him that ability. However,
Werner Mölders, by that time a recognised ace (a pilot
with five or more aerial victories), shared what experiences
he could with Adolf Galland leadership in the air, tactics
and organisation. Werner Mölders was Geschwaderkommodore
of Jagdgeschwader 53 (53rd Fighter Wing) at the time of their
meeting. He offered Adolf Galland the chance to join his unit
which was flying patrols along the French border in order
for Adolf Galland to gain experience on the
Messerschmitt
Me 109E or
Bf
109E, which Adolf Galland lacked. During these sorties
Adolf Galland learned Werner Mölders tactics, such as
using spotter aircraft to indicate the position of enemy formation
a type of rudimentary early warning system. Adolf Galland
learned to allow the Staffel to operate freely in order to
seize the initiative and surprise. Taking his findings back
to Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing) its commander Max
Ibel, agreed to their implementation. Adolf Galland gained
further experience as a combat leader acting as the Gruppenkommandeur,
when those personnel went on leave.
On 10 May 1940 the Wehrmacht invaded the Low Countries and
France under the codename Fall Gelb. On the third day of the
offensive, 12 May 1940, 7 kilometres west of Liege, Belgium,
at a height of about 4,000 metres, flying a
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109, Adolf Galland with Gustav Rödel as his wing
man claimed his first aerial victories, over two Royal Air
Force Hawker Hurricanes. Both aircraft were from No. 87 Squadron.
The Hurricanes had been escorting Bristol Blenheim bombers
to bomb bridges in the Netherlands. They came from the sun
with height advantage and I never saw them, recalled later
Sgt Frank Howell of No. 87 Squadron, Adolf Galland's first
victim. Suddenly there was a shattering noise and the cockpit
was full of burnt cordite. My first kill was child's play.
An excellent weapon and luck had been on my side. To be successful,
the best fighter pilot needs both. Adolf Galland pursued one
of the scattering Hurricanes and shot down another at low
level (Canadian Flying Officer Jack Campbell who was killed
in the subsequent crash).
Adolf Galland claimed his third victory later the same day
over a Hurricane. Over Tienen. He had long believed that his
opponents had been Belgian, but Belgian Air Force Hurricanes
had all been destroyed on the ground in the first two days
without seeing combat. On 19 May, Adolf Galland shot down
a French Potez aircraft. During the flight he ran out of fuel
and landed at the base of a hill. Enlisting the help of a
soldiers from a German Flak battery, they pushed the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 up a hill and he then half-flew, and half-glided down
into the valley to the Charleville-Mézières
airfield. He sent back a can of fuel for his wing man who
had also landed. He continued flying and the next day, claimed
another three more aircraft shot down, making his total seven,
for which he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class from
Erhard
Milch on 22 May.
During the Battle of Dunkirk, after encountering the Supermarine
Spitfire for the first time, Adolf Galland was impressed with
the aircraft and pilots and expressed his high opinion of
both. On 29 May, Adolf Galland claimed he had shot down a
Bristol Blenheim over the sea. On 3 June during Operation
Paula, he claimed another French aircraft, a Morane-Saulnier
M.S.406 for his 12th victory.
On 6 June 1940, Adolf Galland took over the command of III./Jagdgeschwader
26 (26th Fighter Wing) with the position of Gruppenkommandeur.
Under his command were the 7, 8 and 9 Staffels with an establishment
of 39
Messerschmitt
Me 109Es or
Bf
109Es. His Staffelkapitäns included Joachim Müncheberg
and Wilhelm Balthasar. Wilhelm Balthasar, Staffelkapitän
of 7 Staffel had mistakenly attacked Adolf Galland during
Fall Rot (Case Red). Being on the same radio frequency, Adolf
Galland was able to warn Wilhelm Balthasar before he opened
fire. The remainder of the campaign passed without incident
and on 26 June, Major Gotthard Handrick took over command
of Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing). Adolf Galland was
pleased, having served under him during his Legion Condor
(Condor Legion) days.
Galland in the Battle of Britain
From June 1940 on, Adolf Galland flew as the Gruppenkommandeur
of III./Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing), fighting in
the Battle of Britain with
Messerschmitt
Me 109E or
Bf
109E. On 19 July 1940, he was promoted to Major and Jagdgeschwader
26 (26th Fighter Wing) moved to the Pas de Calais, where they
were to remain for the next 18 months with III./Jagdgeschwader
26 (26th Fighter Wing) based at Caffiers.
On 24 July 1940 almost 40
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 of III./Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing) took
off for operations over the English Channel. They were met
by 12 No. 54 Squadron Spitfires. The Spitfires forced the
larger number of
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 into a turning battle that ran down the Germans' fuel.
Adolf Galland recalled being impressed by the Spitfire's ability
to outmanoeuvre
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 at low speed and turning on to the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 within little airspace. Only executing a Split S a
long curving dive that the Spitfire could not follow, could
his aircraft escape back to France at low altitude. The II./Jagdgeschwader
52 (52nd Fighter Wing) covered their retreat, losing two Bf
109s to Spitfires from No. 610 Squadron. During the action,
two Spitfires were shot down for the loss of four
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109. Adolf Galland was shocked by the aggression shown
by the relatively inexperienced and outnumbered RAF and realised
there would be no quick and easy victory.
As the battles over the Channel continued, Adolf Galland shot
down Spitfires on 25 July and 28 July. On 1 August 1940, Adolf
Galland was awarded the Knight's Cross for his 17 victories.
Adolf Galland continued to make fighter sweeps over southern
England before the main assault opened. On 11 August 1940,
Adolf Galland's unit engaged No. 74 Squadron. In a brief dogfight,
one Spitfire was shot down. During these battles the RAF seemed
to know just where and when to send their aircraft. This made
Adolf Galland suspect a high level of organisation was at
work controlling RAF fighters. The cloudy British skies made
it a dangerous place against an enemy that had an effective
ground control system. Adolf Galland resolved to fly higher,
where he could see most things and where the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 performed at its best.
By 15 August 1940, in two weeks fighting over Britain, Adolf
Galland had increased his own score to 22. This put him to
within three victories of Werner Mölders, who had claimed
the highest number of enemy aircraft destroyed and who was
wounded and grounded with a damaged knee. By mid-August,
Hermann
Göring's dissatisfaction with the performance of
his fighters led him to replace several of the pre-war Jagdgeschwader
(fighter wing) commanders with younger and combat experienced
aviators.
Adolf Galland was summoned to Karinhall on 18 August 1940,
and missed the intense air battle that day, known as The Hardest
Day. During the meeting
Hermann
Göring insisted that, in combat,
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 fighters escort
Messerschmitt
Bf 110's, which could not survive against single-engine
fighters. As high-scoring aces, both Adolf Galland and Werner
Mölders shared their concerns that close escort of
Messerschmitt
Bf 110's and bombers robbed fighter pilots of their freedom
to roam and engage the enemy of their own terms. They also
pointed to the fact that German bombers flew at medium altitudes
and low speed, the best height area and speed for the manoeuvrability
of the Spitfire. Adolf Galland resented his pilots having
to carry out a task unsuited to their equipment but
Hermann
Göring would not move from his position. Adolf Galland
returned to action on 22 August replacing Gotthard Handrick
as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter
Wing).
During the Battle of Britain, in a front line General Officer
briefing on Luftwaffe tactics,
Hermann
Göring asked what his pilots needed to win the battle.
Werner Mölders replied that he would like the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 to be fitted with more powerful engines. Adolf Galland
replied: I should like an outfit of Spitfires for my squadron.
Which left
Hermann
Göring speechless with rage. Adolf Galland still
preferred the Bf 109 for offensive sweeps, but he perceived
the Spitfire to be a better defensive fighter, owing to its
manoeuvrability. Adolf Galland said:
The
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 was superior in the attack and not so suitable for
purely defensive purposes as the Spitfire, which, although
a little slower, was much more manoeuvrable.
During the Battle of Britain the question of killing enemy
pilots while in their parachutes was raised. In another conversation
with
Hermann
Göring, Adolf Galland recalled:
Hermann
Göring wanted to know if we had ever thought about
this. Jawohl, Herr Reichsmarschall! He looked me straight
in the eyes and said, What would you think of an order to
shoot down pilots who were bailing out? I should regard it
as murder, Herr Reichsmarschall, I told him, I should do everything
in my power to disobey such an order. That is just the reply
I had expected from you, Adolf Galland.
Adolf Galland went on to say that he thought
Hermann
Göring may have been asking him this question so
as to have an answer if the question was ever posed to him,
as opposed to the implication that
Hermann
Göring would be in favour of such an action.
On 23 September, Adolf Galland became the third member of
the Wehrmacht to receive the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.
On 25 September, he was summoned to Berlin to receive the
award from
Adolf
Hitler. The Battle of Britain continued with large-scale
dogfights well past 31 October 1940, considered by some historians
as the end of the campaign. On 5 December 1940, Adolf Galland
recorded his 57th victory. This made him the most successful
fighter pilot of the war at that point, putting him ahead
of his colleague, friend and rival Werner Mölders.
Galland during Channel Front
Now, promoted to Oberstleutnant, he continued to lead Jagdgeschwader
26 (26th Fighter Wing) in 1941 against the RAF fighter sweeps
across northern Europe. In early 1941 most of the Luftwaffe's
fighter units were sent to the Eastern Front, or south to
the Mediterranean theatre of Operations (MTO), only leaving
Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing) and Jagdgeschwader 2
(2nd Fighter Wing) as the sole single-engine fighter Geschwader
in France. By this time, Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing)
were being re-equipped with the new
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109F, normally equipped with a 15 mm or later a 20 mm
cannon firing through the propeller hub and two cowl-mounted
7.9 mm
MG 17. Adolf Galland felt the model was grossly under
armed and so tested a series of
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109F specials one with a unique armament of an
MG
151/20 cannon and two cowl-mounted
13
mm MG 131 machine guns, and another with integral wing-mounted
20 mm MG-FF
cannons.
On 15 April 1941, Adolf Galland took off with lobster and
champagne to celebrate General Theo Osterkamp's birthday at
Le Touquet, France. He made a detour with his wing man towards
England, looking for RAF aircraft. Off the cliffs of Dover
he spotted a group of Spitfires. Adolf Galland attacked and
claimed two confirmed and one unconfirmed shot down. The actual
result was the destruction of one Spitfire, the other two
were damaged in force landings with both pilots wounded. During
the combat Adolf Galland's undercarriage had dropped causing
one of the RAF pilots (Flight Lieutenant Paddy Finucane) to
claim Adolf Galland's aircraft as destroyed, but Adolf Galland
landed without incident at Le Touquet and presented Osterkamp
with his gifts.
Adolf Galland received a telephone from
Hermann
Göring on 10 May 1941, requesting Adolf Galland to
intercept a
Messerschmitt
Bf 110 flown by
Rudolf
Hess heading for Scotland. Adolf Galland was unable to
launch a full fighter sweep. However,
Rudolf
Hess flight was far to the north and he reached Scotland
crashing his aircraft. Adolf Galland sent out fighters to
conduct some sweeps so he could honestly claim to have carried
out his orders but it was nearly dark and Adolf Galland ordered
his pilots unused to night flying to stand down.
On the morning of 21 June 1941, Adolf Galland's
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 was damaged by a No. 303 Squadron Spitfire and trailing
coolant, had to force land at Calais-Marck. At 16:00 that
same afternoon, Adolf Galland shot down a No. 611 Squadron
Spitfire, but watching his victim for too long, he was himself
shot down by a No. 145 Squadron Spitfire flown by Sergeant
R.J.C. Grant. Adolf Galland bailed out and tugged at what
he thought was his parachute ripcord, but was actually pulling
at his parachute release harness. With a sickening feeling,
he composed himself and pulled the ripcord which opened. Theo
Osterkamp drove over to the hospital where Adolf Galland was
being treated for his wounds and informed him his 70 victories
had now earned him the Swords to his Oak Leaves and Knight's
Cross.
On 2 July 1941, Adolf Galland led Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th
Fighter Wing) into combat against a formation of No. 226 Squadron
Blenheim bombers. Adolf Galland's fighter was hit by a 20
mm round from one of the bombers escort fighters. The armour
plate fitted to the
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 just days earlier saved Adolf Galland's life. Wounded
in the head he managed to land and was again hospitalised
for the second time in a few days. Just earlier that week,
when the armour plate was installed, he severely berated his
mechanic, Gerhard Meyer, who welded it in when he hit his
head on the canopy upon entering his aircraft. That same mechanic
received a grateful slap on the back. Adolf Galland had been
shot up and shot down twice in the space of four days.
On 9 August 1941, RAF ace Douglas Bader bailed out over St
Omer, France. Bader was well known to the Luftwaffe and at
the time of his capture had been credited with 22 aerial victories.
Adolf Galland himself claimed two Spitfires on that date.
Adolf Galland and Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter Wing) entertained
Bader over the next few days. Owing to the significant stature
of the prisoner, Adolf Galland permitted Bader, under escort,
to sit in the cockpit of a
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109. Apparently, despite losing one of his tin legs in
the aircraft, Bader, in a semi-serious way, asked if they
wouldn't mind if he took it on a test flight around the airfield.
Adolf Galland replied that he feared Douglas would attempt
to escape and they would have to give chase and shoot at each
other again, and declined the request.
In autumn 1941, Adolf Galland was to add another 26 victories.
His 96th victim, a Spitfire was claimed on 18 November 1941.
It proved to be his last official victory for three years
as he was about to be forbidden to fly combat missions.
Galland in the high command 1941 to 1945
In November 1941, he was chosen by
Hermann
Göring to command Germany's fighter force as General
der Jagdflieger, succeeding Werner Mölders who had just
been killed in an air crash on route to attend the funeral
of
Ernst
Udet. Adolf Galland was not enthusiastic about his promotion,
seeing himself as a combat leader and not wanting to be tied
to a desk job.
Soon afterwards, on 28 January 1942, Adolf Galland was awarded
the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross, Oak Leaves and Swords
for his service as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26
(26th Fighter Wing). Although not keen on a staff position,
soon after Adolf Galland's appointment, he planned and executed
the German air superiority plan (Operation Donnerkeil) for
the Kriegsmarine's Operation Cerberus, from his headquarters
at Jever. The German battleships
Scharnhorst,
Gneisenau
and cruiser
Prinz
Eugen sailed from Brest, France, up the English Channel
to Kiel, Germany. The operation caught the British off guard.
The RAF attempted to intercept with the forces available,
but the German fighter defences were able to shoot down 43
RAF aircraft with 247 British casualties. The Luftwaffe had
prevented any damage on the ships by air attack.
A strong proponent of the day fighter force and the defence
of Germany, Adolf Galland used his position to improve the
position of the Jagdwaffe. The need was now pressing, as Germany
had declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941,
and Adolf Galland was keen to build up a force that could
withstand the resurgence of the Western Allied Air Forces
in preparation for what would become known as the Defence
of the Reich campaign. Adolf Galland was outspoken, something
that was not often tolerated by
Hermann
Göring. Yet, by earning and cultivating the support
of other powerful personalities in the Luftwaffe, like
Erhard
Milch and Günther Korten, and personalities in the
industrial sector such as
Albert
Speer and even
Adolf
Hitler, Adolf Galland was able to survive in his position
for three years.
Galland's unofficial combat missions
After his appointment, Adolf Galland was strictly confined
to operational matters and not allowed to fly tactical or
combat missions. As the war continued Adolf Galland flew missions
in violation of these restrictions against the United States
Army Air Force (USAAF) bombing raids during the Defence of
the Reich. Adolf Galland was keen to familiarise himself with
all types of German fighter aircraft and flew the
Focke-Wulf
Fw 190 on these interception missions. He would actively
engage American bombers on some raids. On at least one mission
he shot down a USAAF heavy bomber. It is possible that as
many as three USAAF heavy bombers were shot down by Adolf
Galland while flying
Focke-Wulf
Fw 190s.
Galland's conflict with leadership
Adolf Galland's position as General der Jagdflieger brought
him into gradual conflict with
Hermann
Göring as the war continued. In 1942 to 1944 the
German fighter forces on all fronts in the European Theatre
of Operations (ETO) came under increasing pressure and Adolf
Galland's relationship with
Hermann
Göring began to turn sour. During the late summer,
1943, the USAAF fighters operated over German air space for
the first time. Several aircraft crashed near Aachen on the
cusp of Germany's west border. Adolf Galland presented these
wrecks as proof that the Luftwaffe was facing an enemy that
could soon escort its heavy bombers with fighter aircraft
to industrial targets inside Germany. Adolf Galland submitted
his findings to
Hermann
Göring.
Hermann
Göring was livid with Adolf Galland and the fighter
force. The Reichsmarschall called the report the rantings
of a worn-out defeatist, and gave Adolf Galland an order,
that no Allied fighters had crossed into Germany.
Hermann
Göring declared the only possible reason could have
been that short range fighters ran out of fuel at high altitude
and they were shot down much further west... and glided quite
a distance before they crashed. Adolf Galland and
Erhard
Milch, responsible for production and procurement in the
Luftwaffe, denied this and argued that they must increase
fighter production to reach a three or fourfold advantage
over the attackers immediately to prepare for this new threat.
Adolf Galland's efforts to produce a fighter force fit for
an war of attrition conflicted with
Hermann
Göring's bias in favour of bombers, to maintain the
offensive on all fronts, an attitude the Reichsmarschall had
even as late as the autumn, 1943.
By October 1943, the fractious relationship came to the surface
again.
Hermann
Göring met Adolf Galland at his estate, Schloss Veldenstein.
During the conversation the need for new and improved interceptor
aircraft arose. The demands made by
Hermann
Göring, that heavily cannon-armed fighters be used
in mass numbers to defeat bomber formations, were unreasonable
to Adolf Galland.
Hermann
Göring, prompted by the desires of
Adolf
Hitler, wanted cannons of some 2,000 lb in weight which
fired at a rate of one shell per second. Adolf Galland explained
that such a weapon could not be used effectively in an aircraft
the cannon would be prone to jamming and the aircraft would
be too difficult to manoeuvre. Adolf Galland also asserted
the use of inappropriate weaponry such as the
Messerschmitt
Me 410, a favourite of
Adolf
Hitler's, had caused heavy losses. Adolf Galland argued
such measures were deplorable and irresponsible.
Hermann
Göring ignored Adolf Galland's arguments and continued
his frequent attacks on the fighter force, accusing them of
cowardice. Adolf Galland, as he always did, defended them,
risking his career, and near the end of the war, his life
in doing so. Adolf Galland stated that he could not agree
to follow
Hermann
Göring's plans and requested to be dismissed from
his post and sent back to his unit.
Hermann
Göring accepted, but two weeks later he apologised
to Adolf Galland and attributed his behaviour to stress. Adolf
Galland continued in his post.
The arguments, mainly over aircraft procurement and armament
for the defence of Germany from Allied bombing began to give
rise to a growing personal rift between
Hermann
Göring and Adolf Galland.
Galland's innovations
To retrieve the situation for the fighter force, Adolf Galland
looked to employ new technology in the air war. On 23 May
1943, Adolf Galland flew an early prototype of the
Messerschmitt
Me 262 jet fighter. After the flight, he described his
experience:
For the first time I was flying by Jet propulsion! No engine
vibrations. No torque and no lashing sound of the engine propeller.
Accompanied by a whistling sound, my jet shot through the
air. Later when asked what it felt like, I said, It was as
though angels were pushing.
Adolf Galland became an enthusiastic supporter of the aircraft,
realising its potential as a fighter rather than a Blitzbomber.
Adolf Galland hoped that the
Messerschmitt
Me 262 would compensate for the numerical superiority
of the Allies:
In the last four months January April 1944 our day fighters
have lost 1,000 pilots we are numerically inferior and will
always remain so I believe that a great deal can be achieved
with a small number of technically and far superior aircraft
such as the
Messerschmitt
Me 262 and
Messerschmitt
Me 163. I would at this moment rather have one
Messerschmitt
Me 262 in action rather than five
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109. I used to say three
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 but the situation develops and changes.
However, because of persistent problems with its turbojet
engines and later,
Adolf
Hitler's determination to use it as a bomber, the
Messerschmitt
Me 262 was not developed as a fighter until late in the
war.
Hermann
Göring refused Adolf Galland's requests to have equal
numbers of
Messerschmitt
Me 262 fighter and bomber variants built. However, Adolf
Galland's close relationship with
Albert
Speer, the German armaments minister, enabled him to retain
a small operational number. Even this was difficult, as
Adolf
Hitler had taken personal control of turbojet production
and checked where each batch of the aircraft were being deployed.
It was not until September 1944 that
Adolf
Hitler rescinded his directive that the
Messerschmitt
Me 262 be used as a fighter-bomber.
Owing to his keen interest in the type he followed, with interest,
the exploits of Kommando Nowotny, the all jet fighter unit.
Although it had low serviceability rates, its aircraft achieved
considerable success. To see how new aircraft performed in
action, Adolf Galland often visited the front line airfields
close to the scene of the fighting. On one occasion, he was
present when ace Walter Nowotny took off with a force of Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt
Me 262s in an overcast to engage a USAAF raid. Adolf Galland
listened to it over the radio waves. Walter Nowotny claimed
a bomber but his
Messerschmitt
Me 262 was damaged. He was then jumped by USAAF fighters
and crashed close to the airfield. Adolf Galland heard the
firing but did not see the event. It did not dissuade Adolf
Galland from believing in the capabilities of the aircraft
as a fighter.
In the meantime, Adolf Galland pursued innovations with existing
designs. The
Focke-Wulf
Fw 190 aircraft was formed into several Geschwader with
distinctly upgraded firepower. Called the Sturmbock (Battering
ram) these machines could inflict heavy damage on unescorted
bomber formations. Adolf Galland supported the conversion
of units such as Jagdgeschwader 300 (300th Fighter Wing) to
the Sturmbock role. The Sturmbock were heavily armed and armoured,
which meant they were unmanoeuvrable and vulnerable without
protection from escorting
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109. Still, the tactics quickly became widespread and
were one of the few Luftwaffe success stories in 1944. Adolf
Galland said after the war, had it not been for the Allied
landing in Normandy which increased the need for lighter fighter
variants, each Geschwader in the Luftwaffe would have contained
a Gruppe of Sturmbock aircraft by September 1944.
Adolf Galland himself flew on unauthorised interception flights
to experience the combat pressures of the pilots. Adolf Galland
witnessed USAAF bombers being escorted by large numbers of
North American P-51 Mustangs. Nevertheless, on occasions the
Sturmbock tactics worked. For example, on 7 July 1944 Eighth
Air Force bombers belonging to the 492nd Bomb Group were intercepted
unescorted. The entire squadron of 12 B-24s were shot down.
The USAAF 2nd Air Division lost 28 Liberators that day, the
majority to a Sturmbock attack.
Galland's dismissal and revolt
Despite
Hermann
Göring's apology after their previous dispute, it
did not improve the relationship between the two men.
Hermann
Göring's influence was in decline by late 1944 and
he had fallen out of favour with
Adolf
Hitler.
Hermann
Göring became increasingly hostile to Adolf Galland,
blaming him and the fighter pilots for the situation. In 1944,
the situation worsened. A series of USAAF raids termed Big
Week won air superiority for the Allies in February. By the
spring 1944, the Luftwaffe could not effectively challenge
the Allies over France or the Low Countries. Operation Overlord,
the Allied invasion of German-occupied Europe took place in
June 1944. According to a report made by Adolf Galland, in
the previous four months 1,000 pilots had been killed. Adolf
Galland reported that the enemy outnumbered his fighters between
6:1 and 8:1 and the standard of Allied fighter pilot training
was astonishingly high.
To win back some breathing space for his force and German
industrial targets, Adolf Galland formulated a plan which
he called the Big Blow (German: Großer Schlag). It called
for the mass interception of USAAF bomber formations by approximately
2,000 German fighters. Adolf Galland hoped that the German
fighters would shoot down some 400 to 500 bombers. Acceptable
losses were to be around 400 fighters and 100 to 150 pilots.
Whether this operation would have worked is a matter of academic
debate. Historians remained divided, with some believing it
was a lost opportunity while others think it would have had
much less impact than Adolf Galland estimated.
However, the operation never took place. Instead, the fighter
force was committed to the disastrous Unternehmen Bodenplatte,
designed to support German forces during the Battle of the
Bulge. In its aftermath, on 13 January 1945, he was finally
relieved of his command after protesting against the operation
and being particularly critical of
Hermann
Göring.
On 17 January, a group of senior pilots took part in a Fighter
Pilots Revolt. Adolf Galland's high standing with his fighter
pilot peers led to a group of the most decorated Luftwaffe
combat leaders loyal to Adolf Galland including Johannes Steinhoff
and Günther Lützow into confronting
Hermann
Göring with a list of demands for the survival of
their service.
Hermann
Göring initially suspected Adolf Galland had instigated
the unrest. Reichsführer-SS
Heinrich
Himmler had wanted to put Adolf Galland on trial for treason
himself. The SS and Gestapo had already began investigations
into who he associated with. The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe
(OKW) appointed the more politically acceptable Gordon Gollob,
a National Socialist supporter, to succeed him as General
der Jagdflieger on 23 January. Although professional contemporaries,
Gordon Gollob and Adolf Galland had a mutual dislike, and
after Adolf Galland had removed the Austrian from his personal
staff earlier in the war Gordon Gollob started to gather evidence
to use against Adolf Galland, detailing false accusations
of his gambling, womanising and his alleged private use of
Luftwaffe transport aircraft. The official reason for his
being relieved of command was his ill health.
For his own safety, Adolf Galland went to a retreat in the
Harz Mountains. He was to keep the RLM informed of his whereabouts.
but was effectively under house arrest.
Adolf
Hitler, who liked Adolf Galland, had not heard of the
events. However, when he learned of them he ordered that all
this nonsense the treatment of Adolf Galland, was to stop
immediately.
Adolf
Hitler had been informed by
Albert
Speer, who in turn had been informed of events by one
of Adolf Galland's close friends. In the end,
Hermann
Göring contacted Adolf Galland and invited him to
Karinhall. In light of his service to the fighter arm, he
promised no further action would be taken against him and
offered command of a unit of
Messerschmitt
Me 262 jets. Adolf Galland accepted on the understanding
Gordon Gollob had no jurisdiction over him or his unit.
Self appraisal
Adolf Galland did not pretend to have been error free. After
the war, he was candid about his own mistakes as General der
Jagdflieger. Production and aircraft procurement were not
his responsibility but Adolf Galland identified four major
mistakes by the OKL during the war, and accepted partial responsibility
for the first three:
Fighter pilots received no instrument training until very
late in the war, after the training course had already been
curtailed because of fuel shortages and the need to produce
pilots more quickly to replace losses. Adolf Galland also
did not make sure all-weather flying was incorporated into
pilot training, which was of decisive importance in an effective
air defence force.
Attrition by 1942 had created a shortage of experienced combat
leaders. No special training was made available for this role.
Adolf Galland set up a course in late 1943, but it only lasted
a few months. Adolf Galland was quoted as saying he thought
they could learn the skills while on operations, as he had.
This ignored his own talents, and blithely expected other
pilots to reach his high standards.
The
Messerschmitt
Me 262, while not a war winner, might have extended the
Defence of the Reich campaign. The problems with the engines,
failures of production priorities and
Adolf
Hitler's meddling are well known, but the long delay between
operational testing, tactical and doctrinal development and
training were largely Adolf Galland's fault. The German pilots
were increasingly lacking in quantity and quality. Adolf Galland
recognised this but could not correct it without stepping
outside his own authority. Adolf Galland noticed that the
highly educated engineers and trainees were selected for the
bomber arm in the early war years. Most of the brightest youth
were pulled by expert campaigners, toward the Waffen SS and
Kriegsmarine. The Luftwaffe did not match this effort.
Galland's return to front line service
Adolf Galland was initially assigned to command a Staffel
of Jagdgeschwader 54 (54th Fighter Wing), at that time stranded
behind Soviet lines in the Courland Pocket. Adolf Galland
never took up this command but was given the task of forming
Jagdverband 44 (JV 44). On 24 February 1945 the order for
formation of Jagdverband 44 read:
JV 44 is established at Brandenburg-Briest with immediate
effect. Ground personnel are to be drawn from 16./Jagdgeschwader
54 (54th Fighter Wing), Factory Protection Unit 1 and III./Erg
Jagdgeschwader 2 (2nd Fighter Wing). The commander of this
unit receives the disciplinary powers of a Divisional Commander
as laid down in Luftwaffe Order 3/9.17. It is subordinated
to Luftflotte Reich and comes under Luftgaukommando III (Berlin).
Verband Adolf Galland is to have a provisional strength of
sixteen operational
Messerschmitt
Me 262s and fifteen pilots. Generalleutnant Karl Koller,
Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe.
Adolf Galland was allowed to hand pick a number of experienced
fighter pilots and aces for the unit, including Johannes Steinhoff,
Erich Hohagen, Heinrich Bär and Gerhard Barkhorn.
Erich
Hartmann was also asked but would not leave his unit.
The unit was officially formed on 22 February 1945. Adolf
Galland did everything he could to introduce the
Messerschmitt
Me 262s to the wing as quickly as possible.
Hermann
Göring showed sympathy for Adolf Galland's efforts,
which thus far had only 16 operational jets in February. General
Josef
Kammhuber was asked to assist Adolf Galland. Kampfgeschwader
51 (51st Battle Wing), Kampfgeschwader 6 (6th Battle Wing)
and Kampfgeschwader 27 (27th Battle Wing) were behind their
training schedules on jets, and they were to hand over their
pilots and
Messerschmitt
Me 262s to Jagdgeschwader 7 (7th Fighter Wing) and Kampfgeschwader
54 (54th Battle Wing). Adolf Galland added a suggestion that
all experienced fighter pilots flying with
Messerschmitt
Me 109 or
Bf
109 or
Focke-Wulf
Fw 190 units should be made to join the
Messerschmitt
Me 262 unit. If this could be done Adolf Galland believed
he could get 150 jets in action against the USAAF fleets.
The general chaos and impending collapse prevented his plans
from being realised.
On 31 March 1945 Adolf Galland flew 12 operational jets to
Munich to begin operations. On 5 April 1945 he organised the
interception of a USAAF raid. The
Messerschmitt
Me 262s destroyed three B-17s. On 16 April Adolf Galland
claimed two Martin B-26 Marauders. Within the space of six
days, Adolf Galland's friend, Johannes Steinhoff was badly
burned in a crash on 18 April, and then, on 24 April 1945,
his friend Günther Lützow was posted missing. On
26 April Adolf Galland claimed his 103rd and 104th aerial
victories against B-26s, escorted by the 27th Fighter Group
and 50th Fighter Group. Adolf Galland again made a mistake
he stopped to make sure his second victory was going to crash
and he was hit by a USAAF P-47 Thunderbolt piloted by James
Finnegan. Adolf Galland nursed his crippled
Messerschmitt
Me 262 to the airfield, only to find it was under attack
by more P-47s. Adolf Galland landed under fire and abandoned
his jet on the runway. The battle was his last operational
mission. Soon afterwards he was sent to hospital for a knee
wound sustained during his last mission.
In the 1970s, a San Jose State University graduate student
came across Adolf Galland's memoirs The First and the Last
while researching records of United States Army Air Forces
records and matching them to German victory claims. He found
that James Finnegan, a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot of the 50th
Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force, had made a probable claim
on 26 April 1945, the day of Adolf Galland's last mission.
The details of the engagement matched. Adolf Galland and Finnegan
met for the first time at an Air Force Association meeting
in San Francisco in 1979.
Galland's surrender
By late April the war was effectively over. On 1 May 1945
Adolf Galland attempted to make contact with United States
Army forces to negotiate the surrender of his unit. The act
itself was dangerous. SS forces roamed the countryside and
towns executing anyone who was considering capitulation. The
Americans requested that Adolf Galland fly his unit and
Messerschmitt
Me 262s to a USAAF controlled airfield. Adolf Galland
declined citing poor weather and technical problems. In reality,
Adolf Galland was not going to hand over
Messerschmitt
Me 262s jets to the Americans. Adolf Galland had harboured
the belief that the Western Alliance would soon be at war
with the Soviet Union, and he wanted to join American forces
and to use his unit in the coming war to free Germany from
Communist occupation. Adolf Galland replied, making his whereabouts
known to the Americans, and offering his surrender once they
arrived at the Tegernsee hospital where he was being treated.
Adolf Galland then ordered his unit, which had then moved
to Salzburg and Innsbruck, to destroy their
Messerschmitt
Me 262s. Upon his surrender, Adolf Galland had filed claims
for 104 Allied aircraft shot down. His claims included seven
with the
Messerschmitt
Me 262.
On 14 May 1945 Adolf Galland was flown to England and interrogated
by RAF personnel about the Luftwaffe, its organisation, his
role in it and technical questions. Adolf Galland returned
to Germany on 24 August 1945 and imprisoned at Hohenpeissenberg.
On 7 October 1945 Adolf Galland was returned to England for
further interrogation. Adolf Galland was eventually released
on 28 April 1947.
Galland after the war
After his release, he travelled to Schleswig-Holstein to join
Baroness Gisela von Donner, an earlier acquaintance, on her
estate and lived with her three children. During this time,
Adolf Galland found work as a forestry worker. There he convalesced
and came to terms with his career and knowledge of Nazi war
crimes. Adolf Galland began to hunt for the family and traded
the kills in the local markets to supplement meagre meat rations.
Soon Adolf Galland rediscovered his love of flying. Kurt
Tank, the designer of the
Focke-Wulf
Fw 190, requested that he go to his home in Minden to
discuss a proposal. Kurt
Tank had been asked to work for the British and Soviets,
and had narrowly avoided being forcibly kidnapped by the latter.
Kurt
Tank, through a contact in Denmark, informed Adolf Galland
about the possibility of the Argentinian Government employing
him as a test pilot for Kurt
Tank,s new generation of fighters. Adolf Galland accepted
and flew to Argentina. He settled with Gisela in El Palomar,
Buenos Aires. Adolf Galland enjoyed the slow life. His time
there, aside from work commitments, were taken up with Gisela
and the active Buenos Aires night life. Adolf Galland found
South America a world away from post-war shortages of Germany.
Soon, he took up gliding again.
In a professional capacity, Adolf Galland spoke fluent Spanish
which eased his instruction on new pilots. During his time
with the Argentinian Air Force (AAF) he flew the British Gloster
Meteors. Adolf Galland commented, mindful it was a contemporary
to the
Messerschmitt
Me 262, that it was a fine aircraft. If he could fit the
Meteor engines to the
Messerschmitt
Me 262 airframe he would have had the best fighter in
the world. Adolf Galland continued training, lecturing and
consulting for the AAF until 1955. During his later years
in Argentina Adolf Galland returned to Europe to test fly
new types. While there, he teamed up with Eduard Neumann,
the former Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 27 (27th
Fighter Wing) and mentor of Hans-Joachim Marseille The Star
of Africa. Eduard Neumann had joined Adolf Galland's staff
in April 1943. They flew a Piaggio P.149 in an international
air rally across Italy. The weather was appalling and seven
aircraft crashed taking two lives. Adolf Galland and Eduard
Neumann came in second place.
Galland's return to Germany
Adolf Galland's time in Argentina was running out. For his
services he was awarded a pilot's wings badge and the title
Honorary Argentine Military Pilot. Later that year Adolf Galland
left South America. By that time, he had begun writing his
autobiography, The First and the Last (Die Ersten und die
Letzten), and it was published in 1954 by Franz Schneekluth.
It was a best-seller in 14 languages and sold three million
copies. It was very well received by the RAF and USAF as a
frank and honest statement. Adolf Galland returned to Germany
and was approached by a commissioner for Chancellor Konrad
Adenauer for the purpose of joining the new Bundeswehr now
that West Germany was to join NATO as a military power. Adolf
Galland joined with Johannes Steinhoff, and went over the
proposal. However, France objected to West Germany's proposal
for a pan-European defence pact and chose to go its own way.
That changed the organisation structure of the German armed
forces. Adolf Galland got on with his life as the months rolled
by. In 1956 Josef
Kammhuber, the leader of the German Nachtjagdgeschwader
(Night Fighter Wings) during the war, became the new commander-in-chief
of the Bundesluftwaffe. Adolf Galland now accepted he had
been turned down as a potential leader of, or in, the new
air force. Adolf Galland suspected that it was more to with
his technically illegal departure from Germany in 1948 and
his association with Argentina, a state which was on poor
terms with the United States, the dominant partner of NATO.
In the summer, 1957, Adolf Galland moved to Bonn and rented
an office on Koblenzerstrasse, beginning his own aircraft
consultancy there. Adolf Galland worked hard but continued
flying, taking part in national air shows. In 1956 he was
appointed chairman of the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger, the
Association of Fighter Pilots. Through this he came into contact
with contemporaries in Britain and America. In 1961 he joined
the Gerling Group of Cologne who contracted Adolf Galland
to help develop their aviation business. With business going
well, Adolf Galland bought his own aircraft on 19 March 1962,
his 50th birthday. The aircraft was a Beechcraft Bonanza,
registered D-EHEX, which he named Die Dicke (Fatty).
In 1969, he served as technical adviser for the film Battle
of Britain, in which the character Major Falke is based on
Adolf Galland. Adolf Galland was upset about the director's
decision not to use the real names. While making the film,
Adolf Galland was joined by his friend Robert Stanford Tuck.
In 1973 Adolf Galland appeared in the British television documentary
series The World at War, in episodes four and twelve, Alone
May 1940 to May 1941 and Whirlwind: Bombing Germany September
1939 to April 1944.
Adolf Galland took part in many engagements throughout the
1960s and 1970s. In 1974 he was part of the remaining German
General Staff that took part in the war game Operation Sea
Lion, the planned invasion of Britain in 1940 (which the German
side lost). In 1975 he was a guest at the RAF Museum Hendon,
during the unveiling of the Battle of Britain Hall, where
he was entertained by Prince Charles. In 1980 Adolf Galland's
eyesight became too poor for him to fly and he retired as
a pilot. On 16 October he was reunited with two Merkel shotguns
stolen by American soldiers after his capture in 1945. Adolf
Galland had located them before and had tried to buy them
back, only to be told no, as they would be worth more after
his death. Towards the end of the 1980s, Adolf Galland's health
began to fail.
Galland's personal life
Gisela had refused to marry Adolf Galland as the restrictions
imposed upon her former husband's will would deny her the
wealth and freedom she had enjoyed. She left for Germany in
1954. Adolf Galland married Sylvinia von Dönhoff on 12
February 1954. However, she was unable to have children and
they divorced on 10 September 1963.
On 10 September 1963, Adolf Galland married his secretary,
Hannelies Ladwein. They had two children: a son, Andreas Hubertus
(nicknamed Andus) born 7 November 1966 and a daughter, Alexandra-Isabelle
born 29 July 1969. The RAF ace Robert Stanford Tuck was the
godfather of his son Andreas. Adolf Galland remained friends
with Tuck until the latter's death on 5 May 1987. Adolf Galland
felt this loss greatly. Adolf Galland's marriage to Hannelies
did not last and on 10 February 1984, he married his third
wife, Heidi Horn, who remained with him until his death.
By the 1980s Adolf Galland was now regularly attending the
funerals of friends like Tuck, and also Douglas Bader, who
had died on 4 September 1982 after speaking at a dinner for
Arthur Harris. In June 1983 he attended the funeral of Gerhard
Barkhorn and his wife Christl, who had died in a traffic accident.
Later that year, Adolf Galland tracked down his mechanic,
Gerhard Meyer, who had installed the armour that saved his
life in 1941. On 25 June 1983 he entertained them at his home
in Oberwinter outside Bonn on the Rhine river. They were invited
every year until Adolf Galland's death. In early February
1996 Adolf Galland was taken seriously ill. He had wanted
to die at home and so was released from hospital and returned
to his own house. With his wife Heidi, son and daughter present
he was given the last rites. Adolf Galland died at 0115 hrs
in the morning of Tuesday, 9 February 1996. Adolf Galland
was buried at St Laurentius Church, Remagen-Oberwinter on
21 February. A memorial service was held on 31 March.
For a complete list of
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