Galland, Adolf “Dolfo” Josef Ferdinand.

Galland, Adolf “Dolfo” Josef  Ferdinand, born 19-03-1912 in Westerholt, the second of four sons of a farmer, became a glider pilot in 1929 before he joined the Lufthansa. Adolf was fascinated by aviation from a very young age. When he was barely 12 years old, he was already building gliders with which he took off from a field next to his house. When Galland was only 16, he already competed as a glider pilot. Galland did in high school baccalaureate Buer Hindenburg in 1932 and joined the school of the German national airline, Lufthansa. He completed his training in Italy in 1935 and was appointed the first battle group, located then in Döberitz airfield near Berlin. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, he volunteered for the Condor Legion  and flew ground attack missions in support of the Nationalists under Bahamond Franco.  1940 Galland managed to persuade his superiors to allow him to become a fighter pilot. Galland flew a Messerschmitt Bf 109s  During the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain under defend of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Arthur Harris “Bomber Harris” or “Butcher Harris”.  By the end of 1940 his tally of victories had reached 57. Adolf Galland was the commander of the Jagd Geschwader 26 “Schlageter”.   Galland earned the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Albert Leo Schlageter (12 August 1894 – 26 May 1923) was a member of the German Freikorps. His activities sabotaging French occupying troops after World War I led to his arrest and eventual execution by French forces.

 His death created an image of martyrdom around him, which was cultivated by German nationalist groups, in particular the Nazi Party. During the Third Reich, he was widely commemorated as a national hero.

Although many Luftwaffe records were lost at the end of the war, research suggests that Jagd Geschwader 26 claimed around 2,700 aircraft shot down, with 763 pilots killed (631 in action, 132 in accidents). Some 67 were shot down and became prisoners.

   

In November 1941, General der Flieger, Kommodore Jagd Geschwader 51, Werner “Vati” Mölders 

  who commanded the German Fighter Force as the General der Jagdflieger, was killed in a flying accident, on route to attend the funeral of Generaloberst der Flieger, Ernst Udet,

Galland succeeded him. Over the ensuing years, Galland’s disagreements with Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering (did you know), Hermann’s cousin, Lieutenant Peter Göring was the wingman of Galland    (see Göring Peter) (see Göring-Fock) (see Göring-Sonnemann) about how best to combat the Allied Air Forces bombing Germany caused their relationship to deteriorate. Galland was outspoken, something that was not often tolerated by Goering. Peter Goering was Hermann’s cousin and a wingman of Adolf Galland, he crashed over France and Hermann visited his grave in France one time. Yet, by earning and cultivating the support of other powerful personalities in the Luftwaffe, like Generalfieldmarschall der Flieger, Director of Deutsche Luft Hansa, Erhard Milch.

     Milch a 100% Jew died age 79, on 25-01-1972 and Stafchef of the Luftwaffe, Günther Korten and personalities in the industrial sector such as Albert Speer

and even Paula Hitler and Adolf Hitler, Galland was able to survive in his position for three years.

On 17-01-1945, a group of senior pilots took part in a “Fighter Pilots Revolt”. Galland’s high standing with his fighter pilot peers led to a group of the most decorated Luftwaffe combat leaders loyal to Galland, including Oberst, Kommandeur der II./J.G. 52, Johannes “Macky” Steinhoff   and Freiherr Kurt Günther von Lützow into confronting Goering with a list of demands for the survival of their service. Goering initially suspected Galland had instigated the unrest. Reichsführer-SS, Heinrich “Reichsheini” Himmler (Did you know)

   had wanted to put Galland on trial for treason himself. The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKW) appointed the more politically acceptable General der Flieger, Kommandeur II./J.G. 3, Gordon Gollob,

   a Nazi supporter, to succeed him as General der Jagdflieger Galland was captured by the Americans. Disengaging from the bombers, he was bounced by a P-47 flown by 1^st Lieutenant James J Finnegan

  of the 50^th Fighter Group , USAAF, nickname “Sky Masters”. Finnegan and Galland have met first in 1979, in California

 and have become good friends corresponding frequently. Galland was wounded in the right knee and his aircraft received further damage. He was able to bring his crippled jet back to München-Reim and successfully land, albeit with a flat nose wheel tire. He was forced to leap from his aircraft and take shelter because the airfield was under attack by American fighters. The wound suffered in this encounter were serious enough to end his combat flying. Galland surrendered himself to American forces at Tegernsee on 05-05-1945. He was held in military custody for two years. On 24-08-1945 imprisoned at Hohenpeissenberg. On 07-10-1945 Galland was returned to England for further interrogation. Galland was eventually released on 28-04-1947, He, together with Hauptmann, flying with I. Jagd)/LG2, “Star of Afrika”, Hans Joachim “Jochen” Marseille,

Oberst, who destroyed 500 tanks, Hans Ulrich Rudel and Manfred von Richthofen, is seen as one of the best pilots all time. Galland married Sylvinia von Dönhoff

  on 12-02-1954.  Sylvinia was the former wife of posthumously Generalleutnant Harald von Hirschfeld   commander of the 78th Sturm Division .  He was severely wounded during the Battle of Dukla Pass and died en route to the field hospital on 18-01-1945, age 32.
However, Sylvinia was unable to have children and they divorced on 10-09-1963. On 10-09-1963, Galland married his secretary, Hannelies Ladwein. They had two children: a son, Andreas Hubertus , nicknamed “Andus”, born 07-11-1966; and a daughter, Alexandra-Isabelle born 29-07-1969. The RAF ace Robert Stanford Tuck. After the war, Stanford-Tuck became a mushroom farmer but continued to shoot–mainly grouse.

       Tuck died age 70 on 05-05-1987, was the godfather of his son Andreas. Galland remained friends with Tuck until the latter’s death on 05-05-1987. Galland felt this loss greatly. Galland’s marriage to Hannelies did not last and on 10-02-1984, he married his third wife, Heidi Horn, who remained with him until his death in Oberwinter.  In early February 1996, 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 her, son Andreas and daughter Alexandra present, he was given the last rites Adolf Galland died of heart failure, age 83 at 01:15 in the morning of Tuesday, 09-02-1996. Galland was buried at St. Laurentius Church Cemetery, Oberwinter. His two younger brothers also became fighter pilots and aces. Paul “Paulinchen”

claimed 17 victories,   he was shot down and killed on 31-10-1942. Wilhelm “Wutz” Galland, credited with 54 victories, was shot down and killed on 17-08-1943 over Holland (see About) and is buried on the large war cemetery of Lommel in Belgium, 39.000 graves. Also buried there, Kommandeur Fallschirm Jäger Regiment 9 , the SS Obergruppenführer Friedrich “Fritz” Alpers, Flyer ace Hauptmann, 25 victories in the Spain Civil war, Walter Adolph and the General der Wehrmacht, Chief Medical Officer with the Military Commander Belgium and North France, Dr. Wilhelm Dietrich, General der Infanterie, Kommandeur of the 89^th Infanterie Division , Konrad Heinrichs and Vice Admiral, Military Replacement Inspector of Schleswig Holstein, Robert Schall Emden.

Galland later said in his autobiography: I consider myself a sportsman who plays a game with athletes from other countries. The purpose of the sport is to eliminate each other’s aircraft. Just as with car racing, fatal accidents sometimes occur. He also added:Politics has never fascinated me, I did not want to die for Germany or fight for Hitler. I just wanted to be the best. I happened to be born in Germany, if I was born in England I would have fought the Germans.

Dolfo flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western Front and in the 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.

 

Jean-François Brunet reported me that the gravestone of Adolf Galland recently is removed and no reason known. Jean-François sent me the photo’s below with great thanks. He wrote: the little picture of Adolf Galland, on the grave, is my own: he sent it to me when I was 16 years old….

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