Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. (from 1933 styled as Deutsche Lufthansa and also known as Luft Hansa , Lufthansa , or DLH ) was a German airline. It served as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout Nazi Germany , when it had close links to the Nazi Party .
117-513: Galland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Adolf Galland (1912–1996), German air general during World War II Antoine Galland (1646–1715), French orientalist and archeologist; first European translator of The Arabian Nights Antoine Galland (1763–1851) , publisher and printer during the French Revolution and First Empire Barbara Galland , New Zealand academic in
234-625: A B2 certificate. Early in 1933, Galland was sent to the Baltic Sea training base at Warnemünde to train on flying boats . 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). The group were interviewed by military personnel in civilian clothing. After being informed of
351-524: A Hurricane to take his tally to 27. His 25th victim may have been from 19 Squadron which was claimed 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Cambridge at 09:42. Klaus Mietusch also accounted for one for his 7th victory. Three 19 Squadron Spitfires were shot down in the morning near North Weald . Pilot Officer R. A. C Aeberhardt was killed in a crash-landing in Spitfire R6912 while Flying Officer T. J. B Coward
468-527: 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. Galland flew his first of 300 combat missions in Spain with the J/88 commander Gotthard Handrick , on 24 July 1937, near Brunete . During his time in Spain, Galland analysed
585-713: A classic ambush style from the enemy's blind spot. His wingman claimed the other. The two fighters were from the Czechoslovak No. 310 Squadron RAF . Galland's victim, Sergeant J. Hubacek reported that he did not see his assailant. The other pilot also survived. On 23 September, Galland became the third member of the Wehrmacht to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves for achieving his 39th and 40th aerial victories. On 25 September, he
702-517: A competent leader. In July 1933, Galland travelled to Italy to train with the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force). In September 1933, 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
819-594: A number of experimental and survey missions, most notably for developing the best airborne crossing of the South Atlantic, and during the Third German Antarctica Expedition in 1938–39, when two Dornier Wal aircraft performed a photographic survey of 350,000 square kilometres, an area which became known as New Swabia . With the outbreak of the war on 1 September 1939 all civilian flight operations of Luft Hansa came to an end, and
936-595: A part of his training, beginning in October 1933, Galland flew Lufthansa airliners. Flying the Junkers G24 from Stuttgart to Barcelona in Spain , via Geneva and Marseilles . In December 1933, Galland was recalled to the ZVS headquarters and offered the chance to join the new Luftwaffe . Galland found the choice hard. He wanted the adventure of a military flying career, but as an airline pilot, Galland had enjoyed
1053-457: A point where operational efficiency was being impaired." Several factors contributed to this situation; Göring's interference with tactics without regard for the situation or the capabilities of German aircraft; rapid adaptation to German tactics by the British; the poorer quality replacement pilots to JG 26. This situation led to a conflict between the two significant psychological needs of
1170-403: 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 Galland recovered, he was declared unfit for flying by the doctors. A friend, Major Rheital, kept
1287-458: A problem in September. The Luftwaffe lacked the pilots and aircraft to maintain a constant presence over Britain. To compensate, commanders demanded three to four sorties per day by the most experienced men. Galland recognised the manifest fatigue of his pilots. By the end of September, Galland noticed that "the stamina of the superbly trained and experienced original [cadre of pilots] was down to
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#17327733174141404-589: 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 . Galland's Geschwader flew intensive sorties in support of the division and XVI Army Corps at Kraków , Radom , Dęblin and L'vov . The German Army had reached the Vistula river near Warsaw by 7 September. and the Luftwaffe had been executing
1521-456: 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, 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. Galland was impressed by Göring and believed him to be
1638-735: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Adolf Galland Spanish Civil War World War II Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He 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
1755-464: Is reasonable. He was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—Fighter Wing 27) on 10 February 1940 as the adjutant , restricting him from flying. After his transfer to JG 27, Galland met Mölders again. Due to his injuries, Galland could never match Mölders' sharp eyesight; the shards of glass in his eyes denied him that capacity. However, Mölders, by that time a recognised ace shared what experiences he could with Galland; leadership in
1872-658: The Battle of France and the Battle of Britain . By the end of 1940, his tally of victories had reached 57. In 1941, Galland stayed in France and fought the Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English Channel and Northern France. By November 1941, his tally had increased to 96, by which time he had earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords . In November 1941, Werner Mölders , who commanded
1989-557: The Charleville-Mézières airfield in the valley below. He sent back a can of fuel for his wingman, who had also landed short of the runway. He continued flying and the next day, claimed another three more aircraft, making a total of seven. For this he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class ( Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse ) from Erhard Milch on 22 May. With the effective defeat of Belgium JG 27
2106-642: The Chinese transport ministry, granting Luft Hansa a monopoly position for mail transport between Germany and China, as well as access to the Chinese market. To this end, the Shanghai - Nanjing - Beijing route was launched in the following year using Junkers W 34 specially deployed there. A record was set in 1930 when the mail route from Vienna to Istanbul (with stopovers in Budapest , Belgrad and Sofia )
2223-535: The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 and Henschel Hs 129 . During his test piloting career at Tutow, Galland received unwelcome news; he was to become Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II.(Schlacht)/ Lehrgeschwader 2 (II.(S)/LG 2 – 2nd battle group of the 2nd Demonstration Wing). It was not a fighter unit, but a special mixed Geschwader of ground attack aircraft. On 1 November 1938, I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 433 (JG 433—433rd Fighter Wing)
2340-724: The Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic later in the year. Galland's application was accepted, but he never took up the offer. In February 1934, he was transferred to the Luftwaffe. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War , he volunteered for the Condor Legion and flew ground attack missions in support of the Nationalists under Francisco Franco . After finishing his tour in 1938 Galland was employed in
2457-547: The Treaty of Versailles . This allowed the route network to be quickly expanded to cover major European cities. The initial fleet consisted of 162 aircraft, nearly all of them outdated World War I types, and the company had 1,527 staff. The most important airfield for DLH was Berlin Tempelhof . From there a Fokker F.II took off on 6 April 1926 for the first scheduled flight to Zürich via Halle , Erfurt and Stuttgart . In
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#17327733174142574-556: The 17-year-old 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. Galland became an outstanding glider pilot; he became an instructor before he had passed his Abitur . In February 1932, Galland graduated from Hindenburg Gymnasium (high school) in Buer and
2691-533: The Air Ministry writing doctrinal and technical manuals about his experiences as a ground-attack pilot. During this period Galland served as an instructor for ground-attack units. During the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, he again flew ground attack missions. In early 1940, Galland managed to persuade his superiors to allow him to become a fighter pilot. Galland flew Messerschmitt Bf 109s during
2808-531: The Baltic Sea area for hundreds of years, and is well regarded in Germany to this day. The airline was created by the merger of Deutscher Aero Lloyd, formerly Deutsche Luft-Reederei (1917 to 1923) , and Junkers Luftverkehr (c. 1919) in 1926. The two companies, Germany's largest airlines at the time, were forced to merge by the German government, while all other airlines were shut down. This reorganization
2925-477: The Battle of Britain, Galland accounted for 14% of all JG 26's aerial successes, from a unit of around 120 pilots. Four of the wing's fighter pilots claimed an astounding 31% of all aircraft shot down. Deutsche Luft Hansa Although Deutsche Luft Hansa was the forerunner of modern German airline Lufthansa (founded in 1953) and both airlines share the same logo, there is no legal connection between
3042-527: The Belgian Air Force's Hurricanes had been destroyed on the ground in the first two days, without seeing combat. On 19 May, Galland shot down a French Potez aircraft. During this flight he ran out of fuel short of the runway and landed nearby, at the base of a hill. With the help of soldiers from a German Flak battery, he pushed the Bf ;109 up the hill and then half-flew, half-glided down to
3159-463: The Bf 109 for offensive sweeps, but he regarded the Spitfire as a better defensive fighter, owing to its manoeuvrability. During the Battle of Britain, the question of killing enemy pilots while in their parachutes was raised. In another conversation with Göring, Galland recalled: "Göring wanted to know if we had ever thought about this. "Jawohl, Herr Reichsmarschall!" He looked me straight in
3276-624: The Bf 109; deeply impressed with the performance of the aircraft, it persuaded him to change from a strike pilot to a fighter pilot. Galland's fellow student and friend at the Kriegsschule in Dresden, Johannes Janke, later said of him "a very good pilot and excellent shot, but ambitious and he wanted to get noticed. A parvenu. He was crazy about hunting anything, from a sparrow to a man." From May to August 1938, Galland took leave and visited Spanish Morocco . On his return to Germany, he
3393-484: The Eurasia Corporation had to be shut down following an intervention by the Chinese government . Syndicato Condor was nationalised and renamed Cruzeiro do Sul in 1943, in an attempt to erase its German roots. The last scheduled flight of Deutsche Luft Hansa – from Berlin to Munich took place on 21 April 1945, but the aircraft crashed shortly before the planned arrival. Another (non-scheduled) flight
3510-632: The German Fighter Force as the General der Jagdflieger , was killed while a passenger in a flying accident and Galland succeeded him, staying in the position until January 1945. As General der Jagdflieger , Galland was forbidden to fly combat missions. In late January and early February 1942, Galland first planned and then commanded the Luftwaffe's air cover for the Kriegsmarine Operation Cerberus , which
3627-456: The 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. Galland was removed from his post as a direct ground support pilot. 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
Galland - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-467: The Iron Cross ( Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes ) for his 17 victories. Galland continued to make fighter sweeps over southern England before the main assault opened . On 11 August, Galland's unit engaged 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 Galland suspect a high level of organisation
3861-615: 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 Galland left Spain and was replaced by Werner Mölders . Before leaving he made ten flights in
3978-563: The Middle East. Politically, the company leaders were linked to the rising Nazi Party ; an aircraft was made available to Adolf Hitler for his campaign for the 1932 presidential election free of any charge. The Nazi party used footage of those flights for their propaganda efforts and gained an advantage in being able to hold events featuring Hitler in different places in far quicker succession than other parties which relied largely on rail transport. Erhard Milch , who had served as head of
4095-547: The Netherlands . Galland remembered; "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"— Galland pursued one of the "scattering" Hurricanes and shot down another at low level. The pilot, a Canadian, Flying Officer Jack Campbell was killed. Galland claimed his third Hurricane later that same day over Tienen . He had long believed that his opponents had been Belgian, not knowing that all of
4212-517: The Spitfire's ability to outmanoeuvre Bf 109s at low speed and to turn into the Bf 109s within little airspace. Only by executing a " Split S " (a half-roll onto his back, followed by pulling into a long, curving dive) that the Spitfire could not follow without its float carburettor causing a temporary loss of engine power, could his aircraft escape back to France at low altitude. The II. Gruppe of JG 52 covered their retreat, losing two Bf 109s to Spitfires from No. 610 Squadron . During
4329-467: The action, two Spitfires were shot down for the loss of four Bf 109s. Galland was shocked by the aggression shown by pilots he initially believed to be relatively inexperienced. Galland later said he realised there would be no quick and easy victory. As the battles over the Channel continued, Galland shot down Spitfires on 25 and 28 July. On 1 August 1940, Galland was awarded the Knight's Cross of
4446-483: The aftermath of Galland's appointment, he became aware his pilots were dissatisfied with themselves, the bombers, and particularly the leadership. Galland could not change Göring's mind with respect to the escort fighter mission, but he did take immediate actions to improve pilot morale. The first thing Galland did as Kommodore was to replace ineffective group and squadron commanders with younger, more aggressive, and more successful—in terms of aerial engagements—officers in
4563-488: The aggressive attitude which marks all successful fighter pilots. Galland returned to action on 22 August 1940, replacing Gotthard Handrick as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26. Major Handrick was an ineffective and indecisive combat commander by some accounts and took a passive role in leading his fighter pilots. Göring grew frustrated with the lack of aggressiveness of several of his fighter-wing commanders, and on 22 August, he replaced Handrick with Adolf Galland. In
4680-636: The air war. In March 1945, Galland returned to operational flying and was permitted to form a jet fighter unit which he called Jagdverband 44 . He flew missions over Germany until the end of the war in May. After the war, 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. Galland also became friends with many former enemies, such as RAF aces Robert Stanford Tuck and Douglas Bader . Galland
4797-426: The air, tactics and organisation. Mölders was Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 53 at the time of their meeting. For Galland to gain experience on the Bf 109E, which he lacked, Mölders offered him the chance to join his unit. Galland learned Mölders' tactics, such as using spotter aircraft to indicate the position of enemy formation. Galland learned to allow a Staffel to operate freely in order to seize
Galland - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-655: The aircraft fleet came under command of the Luftwaffe , along with most staff. The company focused on aircraft maintenance and repair. There were still scheduled passenger flights within Germany and to occupied or neutral countries, but bookings were restricted and served the demands of warfare. During the later years of the war, most passenger aircraft were converted to military freighters. The Luft Hansa co-operations in foreign countries were gradually dismantled: Deruluft ceased to exist in March 1940, and by November of that year,
5031-525: The airline since 1926, was appointed by Hermann Göring to be head of the Aviation Ministry when Hitler came to power in 1933; Milch had been a member of the Nazi party since 1929, and was later convicted of war crimes. According to a leading scholar of the history of German aviation, from this point, "Lufthansa served as a front organization for armament, which took place secretly until 1935 - it
5148-584: The anime/manga Strike Witches See also [ edit ] Groupe Galland , Canadian bus operator [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname Galland . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galland&oldid=1150313521 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
5265-450: The battle, the fighter pilots were criticised by Göring for the growing bomber losses. In a front line general officer briefing on Luftwaffe tactics, Göring asked what his fighter pilots needed to win the battle. Werner Mölders replied that he would like the Bf 109 to be fitted with more powerful engines. Galland replied: "I should like an outfit of Spitfires for my squadron." which left Göring speechless with rage. Galland still preferred
5382-536: The bombing accuracy of his pilots; he did not discipline those pilots who were prone to jettison their bombs early; he only participated as an escort, violating his own dictum of not asking the men to do something that he would not, while failing to convey to his men these missions were worthy of his attention. Galland's decision was even more difficult to understand given his service as a ground attack pilot. The Battle of Britain continued with large-scale dogfights well past 31 October, considered by some historians as
5499-551: The campaign passed without incident and on 26 June, Major Gotthard Handrick took over command of JG 26. Galland was pleased, having served under him during his Condor Legion days. From June 1940 on, Galland flew as the Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 26 (JG 26), fighting in the Battle of Britain . On 19 July 1940, he was promoted to major and JG 26 moved to the Pas de Calais , where they were to remain for
5616-503: The campaign. 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, Galland was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class ( Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse ). After the end of the campaign, Galland claimed to be suffering from rheumatism and therefore unfit for flying in open-cockpit aircraft, such as
5733-511: The charts passing the test and was permitted to fly again. During the Spanish Civil War , Galland was appointed Staffelkapitän of a Condor Legion unit, 3. Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88 – 88th Fighter Group), which was sent to support the Nationalist side under Franco at Ferrol from mid-1937. Galland flew ground attack missions in Heinkel He 51s . In Spain, Galland first displayed his unique style: flying in swimming trunks with
5850-507: The country by the United States for political reasons. On 1 April 1939, Deutsche Luft Hansa launched scheduled transatlantic flights to Natal, Rio Grande do Norte and Santiago de Chile using Fw 200 aircraft, a route which had previously been operated by Syndicato Condor . With Bangkok , Hanoi and Taipeh , further Asian destinations were added to the route network. During the 1930s, Luft Hansa aircraft had also been deployed on
5967-552: The disastrous losses suffered by other German units and the defeat of their attacks by the RAF. 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, Göring insisted that, in combat, Bf 109 fighters escort Bf 110s, which could not survive against single-engine fighters. As high-scoring aces, both Galland and Mölders shared their concerns that close escort of Bf 110s and bombers robbed fighter pilots of their freedom to roam and engage
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#17327733174146084-477: The doctor's report secret to allow Adolf to continue flying. The expansion of the Luftwaffe and his own Geschwader (wing) flooded the administration officers and Galland's medical report was overlooked. Within a year, 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 Galland's unfit certificate
6201-399: The end of the Battle of Britain, JG 26 had gained a reputation as one of only two fighter wings that performed escort duties with consistently low losses to the bombers. The fighter-bomber mission was also a problem Galland had to deal with. Göring was committed to fitting one-third of all fighter wings to use modified Bf 109s to carry bombs. Galland accepted the mission but damaged
6318-423: The end of the campaign. A further eight victories—six Spitfires and two Hurricanes—were claimed in October including three on 30 October, which took his tally to 50—the last two victims were claimed at 16:00 CET and were likely from 41 Squadron . Pilot Officer G. G. F. Draper was wounded and Sergeant L. A. Garvey was killed. On 15 November, Galland flew his 150th combat mission and
6435-479: The enemy on 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. Galland resented his pilots having to carry out a task unsuited to their equipment but Göring would not move from his position. Galland claimed that fighting spirit was also affected when his pilots were tasked with close-escort missions: The worst disadvantage of this type of escort
6552-554: The engagements, evaluated techniques and devised new ground-attack tactics which were passed on to the Luftwaffe. His experiences in pin-point 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 Udet's, used them to push for the opposite: Schlachtflieger dual combination fighter-bombers. After trials with Henschel Hs 123s , Bf 109s and Ju 87s,
6669-409: 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, Galland.'" Galland later stated that he thought Göring may have been asking him this question so as to have an answer if the question
6786-457: The failure to prevent the Allied strategic bombing of Germany in daylight. The relationship collapsed altogether in early January 1945, when Galland was relieved of his command because of his constant criticism of the Luftwaffe leadership. Galland was then put under house arrest following the so-called Fighter Pilots' Revolt , in which senior fighter pilots confronted Göring about the conduct of
6903-717: The field of paediatric sleep health Bertha Galland (1876–1932), American stage actress Bruno Galland (born 1964), French medievalist Edward Galland, triplet profiled in the 2018 documentary film Three Identical Strangers Jean Galland (1887–1967), French film actor Jérémie Galland (born 1983), French cyclist Jordan Galland , American entertainer Pierre-Victor Galland (1822–1892), French decorative painter Stéphane Galland (born 1969), Belgian drummer Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland (1914–1943), German World War II fighter pilot Yves Galland (born 1941), French politician and entrepreneur Fictional [ edit ] Adolfine Galland, fictional character in
7020-437: The fighter pilots: confidence in their aircraft and tactics. Galland innovated tactically to improve the situation and found a partial solution to Göring's irrational order to maintain close escort. He developed a flexible escort system that allowed his pilots constantly to change altitude, airspeed, direction, and distance to the bombers during these close-escort missions. The results were better and acceptable to his pilots. By
7137-621: The first aircraft not manufactured in Germany were introduced into the Luft Hansa fleet: two Boeing 247s and one Douglas DC-2 . The grip on the domestic South American markets was further tightened in 1937, when the Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Transportes Aéreos (SEDTA) and Lufthansa Perú were founded as Luft Hansa co-operations in Ecuador and Peru respectively, operating Junkers W 34 aircraft. The Middle Eastern network
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#17327733174147254-460: The flight network of leading European airlines of that time and vice versa. The agreements were with air lines including Aerotransport , Ad Astra Aero , Adria Aerolloyd , Aero Oy , Air Union , Balair , CIDNA , CSA , DDL , Imperial Airways , KLM , Lignes Aeriennes Latécoère , LOT , ÖLAG , Malert , SABENA , SANA , SGTA , and Ukrpovitroshliakh , as well as Syndicato Condor from Brazil and SCADTA from Colombia . During that period,
7371-424: The following European destinations saw scheduled passenger flights: Due to the war and the de facto end of commercial air transport in Germany, Luft Hansa operated scheduled passenger flights only on some domestic trunk routes and international services on a limited number of routes to occupied or Axis -affiliated countries. These routes deteriorated during the war as Germany came closer to defeat. As of 1940/41,
7488-448: The following day claimed his 53rd and 54th successes against No. 17 Squadron RAF . The accuracy of Galland's claims have been assessed, and one source asserts that 44 of his 54 claims can be verified through British records and five definitely could not be reconciled with RAF losses. In November, a further six victories including four Hurricanes were accounted for – to raise his recorded victories to 51–56, putting him level with
7605-536: The following destinations were served. At that time, interline agreements were in force with Iberia , Aeroflot , Malert , LARES (Romania), Aero Oy (Finland), DDL ( occupied Denmark ), ABA (Sweden), and CSA ( occupied Czechoslovakia ). Additionally, there were scheduled sea plane flights along the Norwegian coast (from Trondheim to Kirkenes ), which was then part of the Atlantic Wall . Over
7722-589: The gliders for flight until his father bought him a motorcycle. By 19 Galland was a glider pilot. In 1932 he completed pilot training at the Gelsenkirchen Luftsportverein . Under the Treaty of Versailles , Germany was denied an air force. They were however allowed gliders, which became the way for aspiring pilots to begin their flight training. The sport became so popular that the Reichswehr set up ten schools, at least one in each of
7839-461: The highest number of enemy aircraft destroyed and who was wounded and grounded with a damaged knee. One of Galland's claims was against 54 Squadron RAF that had surprised him with their aggressive attacks three weeks before. JG 26 claimed nine Spitfires in the air battle—Galland himself filing a claim for a Spitfire at 12:55 off Folkestone . Only two 54 Squadron Spitfires were lost in the late-morning early afternoon battle. Galland's claim matches
7956-537: The initiative. Taking his experiences back to JG 27, its commander Max Ibel , agreed to their implementation. Galland gained further experience as a combat leader acting as Gruppenkommandeur , when the officer commanding went on leave. On 10 May 1940, the Wehrmacht invaded the Low Countries and France under the codename Fall Gelb . JG 27 supported German forces in the Battle for Belgium . On
8073-508: The invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938. However, the invasion did not take place. Unluckily for 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 Bf 109 . During his time there, he gave positive evaluations on types such as
8190-483: The kind of close air support operations Galland had been advocating. 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
8307-666: The land manager or bailiff to the Count von Westerholt. 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 "Toby", Adolf was "Keffer", Wilhelm-Ferdinand was "Wutz" and Paul was "Paulinchen", or since they were expecting a girl, occasionally "Paula". His two younger brothers also became fighter pilots and aces. Paul claimed 17 victories, before being shot down and killed on 31 October 1942. Wilhelm-Ferdinand, credited with 55 victories,
8424-534: The late Helmut Wick , who had been shot down and killed on 28 November. On 5 December, 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. Analysis conducted by James Corum found that the number of leading fighter pilots were small, but they shared special and indefinable qualities in piloting, particularly marksmanship, hunting skills and situational awareness. Corum found that during
8541-574: The latter incident. Galland applied to join the German Army in the belief he had failed to pass. In the meantime, he carried on with his flight training. Flights in an Albatros L 75 and the award of a B1 certificate allowed him to fly large aircraft over 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) in weight. He discovered the Army accepted his application, but the flying school refused to release him. By Christmas 1932, he had logged 150 hours flying and had obtained
8658-675: The lifestyle 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 Galland was now part of 900 airmen waiting to be inducted to the new ReichsLuftwaffe . In March Galland was ordered to report to Jagdgeschwader 2 (Fighter Wing 2), arriving at its headquarters in Jüterbog-Damm on 1 April 1935. Galland's performance had not yet been impressive enough for
8775-604: The loss of a Spitfire piloted by Sergeant N. A Lawrence who was rescued with severe shock. In the afternoon of that same day, Galland claimed two more Spitfires from 64 Squadron . JG 26 claimed eight of the unit's Spitfires which were all officially "confirmed" by the Germans. However, only two of the RAF fighters were hit and both were destroyed. Pilot Officer C. J. D Andreae was killed in R6990 and R. Roberts bailed out of K9964 . Galland and his pilots remained ignorant of
8892-607: The mail delivery time between Europe and North America. Both the Bremen and her sister ship Europa launched mail planes on their scheduled North Atlantic crossings until 1935. Even though the early years of the decade saw a difficult financial situation due to the Great Depression , Deutsche Luft Hansa further expanded its international route network in South America, and launched scheduled flights from Germany to
9009-444: The morale he had cultivated. Galland's response to the situation was to develop tactics that mixed the bomb-laden Bf 109s with the fighter escort in an effort to deceive the enemy and confound their intercept plans. This tactic slowed down the fighter-bomber losses, but the pilots still felt as though they were being wasted. Galland's leadership still made several errors; Galland did not capitalise on training opportunities to improve
9126-426: The nature and style of the air battles over the beaches should have provided a warning as to the inherent weaknesses of the Luftwaffe's force structure. 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, Galland took over the command of III./ Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (III./JG 26–3rd group of the 26th Fighter Wing) with
9243-451: The need for specialised tactics for escorting bomber fleets; Galland did not subscribe to the prevailing idea in the Luftwaffe (and RAF) that the bomber "would always get through" (alone). All of Galland's suggestions were adopted and proved successful in the early campaigns, 1939–41. During his time in the RLM, he instructed, trained and equipped ground-support wings for Fall Grün (Case Green),
9360-633: The newly founded East German national airline operated under the same name but, having lost a lawsuit with the West German company, it was liquidated and replaced by Interflug . From 1926 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Deutsche Luft Hansa built up an extensive network centred on its base at Berlin Tempelhof Airport covering many German cities and towns, as well as the major European cities. There were early interline agreements which granted Luft Hansa passengers access to
9477-609: The newly founded Iberia in Spain its longest scheduled route was 2,100 kilometres from Berlin to Madrid (though with several stopovers). The establishment of Syndicato Condor in Brazil served the airline's interests in South America where there were important German minorities at that time. The first east–west crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean (from Baldonnel Aerodrome in Ireland to Greenly Island, Canada )
9594-472: The next 18 months with III./JG 26 based at Caffiers . On 24 July 1940, almost 40 Bf 109s of III./JG 26 took off for operations over the English Channel —a phase of the battle known as the Kanalkampf . They were met by 12 54 Squadron Spitfires. The Spitfires forced the larger number of Bf 109s into a turning battle that ran down the Germans' fuel. Galland recalled being impressed by
9711-408: The night train connection was discontinued some years later. During its first year, the airline operated more than six million flight kilometres, transporting a total of 56,268 passengers and 560 tons of freight and mail. Over the following years, the domestic network grew to cover all the important cities and towns of Germany. More international routes were added through co-operation agreements. With
9828-444: The position of Gruppenkommandeur . Under his command were the 7., 8. and 9. Staffels with an establishment of 39 Bf 109Es. His Staffelkapitäns included Joachim Müncheberg , Wilhelm Balthasar and Gerhard Schöpfel . Balthasar, Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffel had mistakenly attacked Galland during Fall Rot (Case Red). Being on the same radio frequency, Galland was able to warn Balthasar before he opened fire. The remainder of
9945-524: The same year, Deutsche Luft Hansa acquired a stake in Deruluft , a joint German- Soviet airline, and launched non-stop flights from Berlin to Moscow , which was then regarded as an exceptionally long distance. Shortly after that flights to Paris were commenced. Deutsche Luft Hansa was one of the first airlines to operate night flights, the first of which connected Berlin with Königsberg using Junkers G 24 aircraft. This route proved so successful that
10062-465: The scheduled European routes and a total of 254,713 passengers and 5,288 tons of mail transported. From 1936 Deutsche Luft Hansa carried out route proving flights to carry mail across the North Atlantic. This service was intended to replace the mail planes launched by catapult from trans-Atlantic steamers. However this never materialized, as German planes were denied the right to carry mail into
10179-443: 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. Galland had learned the basic laws of flight and flying technique on paper, but found they did not always work in reality; his inexperience caused a few accidents. One of his tutors, Georg Ismer, taught him various techniques and in 1929
10296-434: The third day of the offensive, 12 May 1940, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of Liège , Belgium, at a height of about 4,000 metres (13,000 ft), flying a Bf 109, Galland, with Gustav Rödel as his wingman , claimed his first aerial victories, over two Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawker Hurricanes . Both aircraft were from No. 87 Squadron . The Hurricanes had been escorting Bristol Blenheim bombers to bomb bridges in
10413-537: The time. Galland passed another serious test on 15 September, the date known as Battle of Britain Day . In large-scale clashes Galland claimed his 33rd air victory over a Hurricane while leading JG 26. Over the Thames Estuary , Galland fought an unsuccessful battle with eight Hurricanes which caused a loss of altitude to 800 metres (2,600 ft). Galland spotted two more Hurricanes below and attacked in
10530-705: The trans-Atlantic leg These were replaced by the Dornier Do 18 in 1936 making operations in non-visual conditions possible. The European network saw the introduction of the Junkers G.38 (at that time the largest passenger aircraft in the world) on the Berlin- London route via Amsterdam , as well as the Junkers Ju 52/3m and Heinkel He 70 , which allowed for faster air travel. This was promoted by so-called " Blitz Services" (German: Blitzstrecken ) between Berlin , Hamburg , Cologne and Frankfurt . In 1935,
10647-489: The two. However, the new Lufthansa took over staff from the old airline and claims DLH's legacy. For this reason it is controversial in the historical reappraisal to what extent the modern Lufthansa should confess to crimes committed by the old airline. Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin . The name of the company means "German Hansa of the Air". The Hansa or Hanseatic League dominated maritime trade in
10764-529: The wing. He also increased the wing staff flight from Handrick's two-aircraft formation to a more lethal four-fighter formation. Galland was not content to lead from behind as his predecessor had been. Galland flew as often as possible and led the most difficult missions in order to encourage his men and gain respect. Galland's appointment made no impact on his successes. From 25 August until 14 September, Galland filed claims for victories 23–32. This included three claims on 31 August, for two Spitfires and
10881-477: Was a major success. It earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds . Over the ensuing years, Galland's disagreements with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring about how best to combat the Allied Air Forces bombing of Germany caused their relationship to deteriorate. The Luftwaffe fighter force was under severe pressure by 1944, and Galland was blamed by Göring for
10998-558: Was among 20 personnel who were accepted to the aviation school of Germany's national airline, Luft Hansa . During the final years of the Weimar Republic , jobs were scarce, and life was hard for the 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
11115-470: Was an air force in disguise." The historian Norman Longmate reported that during its peacetime flights in the 1930s, the airline had secretly photographed the entire British coastline as preparation for a possible invasion. A key interest of Deutsche Luft Hansa at that time was the reduction of mail delivery times. In 1930, the Eurasia Corporation was established as a joint-venture with
11232-477: Was at work controlling RAF fighters. The cloudy skies of Britain were a dangerous environment to confront an enemy that had an effective ground control system. Galland resolved to fly higher, where he could see most things and where the Bf 109 performed at its best. By 15 August, in two weeks' fighting over Britain, Galland had increased his own tally to 21. On this day he claimed three Spitfires. This put him to within three victories of Mölders, who had claimed
11349-466: Was born in Westerholt (now Herten ), Westphalia on 19 March 1912 to a family with French Huguenot ancestry. The first Galland in Westerholt arrived from Veynes in 1792, becoming a bailiff to the count von Westerholt, and beginning a family tradition. Adolf Galland (junior) was the second of four sons of Adolf Galland (senior) and his French wife Anna, née Schipper. Galland (senior) worked as
11466-456: Was completed in only 24 hours. By comparison, the first transatlantic passenger flight by the airline (from Warnemünde to New York City using a Dornier Wal flying boat ) took roughly one week. After several years of testing, a scheduled postal route between Europe and South America was inaugurated in 1934. This was the first regularly scheduled airline service across an ocean in the world. Wal flying boats were used, catapult launched for
11583-797: Was credited with 104 aerial victories, all of them against the Western Allies . Galland, who was born in Westerholt , Province of Westphalia , Kingdom of Prussia , in the German Empire , became a glider pilot in 1929 before he joined the Luft Hansa . In 1932, he graduated as a pilot at the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (German Commercial Flyers' School) in Braunschweig before applying to join
11700-422: Was discovered. Major Rheital was rumoured to have undergone a court-martial , but the investigators dropped the charges. Galland, however, was grounded. He admitted having fragments of glass in his eye, but convinced the doctors he was fit for flying duty. 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
11817-410: Was ever posed to him, as opposed to the implication that Göring would be in favour of such an action. In practice, this act of mercy was usually not applied. German airmen in parachutes were lost as prisoners of war, but British airmen could live to fight again and were considered combatants. Hugh Dowding , air officer commanding , detested the practice but in his view it conformed to the laws of war at
11934-508: Was expanded with the launch of the Berlin- Baghdad - Tehran route in the same year. In 1938 the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 long range aircraft was introduced making it possible to fly non-stop between Berlin and New York and from Berlin to Tokyo with only one intermediate stopover. This last year prior to the outbreak of World War II turned out to be the most successful one in the history of the airline, with 19.3 million flight kilometres on
12051-680: Was formed at the Ingolstadt-Manching Airfield , 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Munich . Initially the Gruppe was placed under the command of Hauptmann Dietrich Graf von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth and equipped with the Bf 109 D-1 fighter aircraft. That day, Galland was appointed Staffelkapitän of the Gruppe ' s 1. Staffel (2nd squadron). On 1 May 1939, the Gruppe was renamed and became I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing). Galland served in this capacity until 31 July 1939 when he
12168-454: Was intended to reduce the amount of financial support the government provided to the airline industry. Like many other countries, Germany subsidized the airlines, which also gave the German government control over them. The stylised flying crane symbol predates Luft Hansa and had been used by DLR and Deutscher Aero Lloyd. The foundation of the airline coincided with the lifting of restrictions on commercial air operations imposed on Germany by
12285-613: Was made by the Luft Hansa pilot Hermann Köhl , Ehrenfried Günther Freiherr von Hünefeld and the Irish pilot James Fitzmaurice using the Junkers W 33 aircraft Bremen in April 1928. The airline launched scheduled multi-leg flights to Tokyo . A Heinkel HE 12 aircraft was launched (by catapult ) off the NDL liner Bremen during her maiden voyage crossing the Atlantic in 1929, shortening
12402-474: Was moved into forward airfields to support the invasion of France . During the Battle of Dunkirk , after encountering the Supermarine Spitfire for the first time, Galland was impressed with these aircraft and their pilots. On 29 May, Galland claimed he had shot down a Bristol Blenheim over the sea. Over Dunkirk, the Luftwaffe suffered its first serious rebuff of the war. As Galland has noted,
12519-418: Was not aerodynamic but lay in its deep contradiction of the basic function of fighter aircraft—to use speed and maneuverability to seek, find, and destroy enemy aircraft, in this case, those of Fighter Command. The [Bf 109s] were bound to the bombers and could not leave until attacked, thus giving their opponent the advantage of surprise, initiative, superior altitude, greater speed, and above all fighting spirit,
12636-452: 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. Galland's first flight was in an Albatros L 101 . Galland had two notable accidents; a heavy landing damaged the undercarriage of his aircraft and a collision. Galland was judged to have employed poor formation tactics in
12753-607: 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 . 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 World War I , some of the Officer Corps were still pessimistic as to whether that kind of coordination
12870-460: Was particularly used from 1940 to 1942. Forced laborers were used to install and maintain radar systems and to assemble, repair, and maintain aircraft, including military aircraft. Forced laborers were lodged in barracks run by Luft Hansa on the Tempelhof site and elsewhere in Berlin were surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by authorities with machine guns; sanitation in these camps, was poor, as
12987-473: Was performed the next day, from Berlin to Warnemünde , which marked the end of flight operations. Following the surrender of Germany and the ensuing Allied occupation of Germany , all aircraft in the country were seized and Deutsche Luft Hansa was dissolved. The remaining assets were liquidated on 1 January 1951. During World War II, Deutsche Luft Hansa employed more than 10,000 forced laborers, including many children, from occupied countries; forced Jewish labor
13104-460: Was possible. 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 Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 . He also recognised the innovation of drop tanks to extend the range of aircraft as well as
13221-544: Was shot down and killed on 17 August 1943. In 1927, 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. Galland travelled by foot or horse-drawn wagon 30 kilometres (19 mi) to help prepare
13338-537: Was summoned to Berlin to receive the award from Adolf Hitler. Galland was granted a personal audience with Hitler and during the meeting Galland reported to Hitler that the British had proven tough opponents, and that there were signs of declining morale in the German fighter force in the absence of operational success. Hitler expressed his regret for the war with the "Anglo-Saxons", who he admired, but resolved to fight until total destruction. Morale and exhaustion became
13455-403: Was the level of medical care and nutrition. In 2012, a team of archaeologists excavated the site of the camp run by Luft Hansa on Tempelhof airport. Lufthansa , today's German flag carrier , acquired the name and logo of the 1926–1945 airline upon its foundation in 1953 and claims DLH's history as its own. However, there is no legal link between the two companies. Between 1955 and 1963,
13572-552: Was transferred to take command of 5.(S)/LG 2. Just before the outbreak of war, Galland was promoted to Hauptmann . During the invasion of Poland from 1 September 1939 onward, he flew with 4. Staffel of II./ Lehrgeschwader 2. Equipped with the Henschel Hs ;123, nicknamed the "biplane Stuka," supporting the German Tenth Army . On 1 September, Galland flew alone in a Fieseler Fi 156 'Storch' on
13689-456: Was wounded in the foot and F.N Brinsden was unhurt. He bailed out of R6958 . On 6 September, Galland claimed his 30th victory over a 601 Squadron Hurricane. JG 26 claimed two more of them shot down that morning; 601 lost four Hurricanes; Flying Officer W. H. Rhodes-Moorehouse and Flight Lieutenant C. R. Davis were killed while Flying Officer J. Toplnicki and Pilot Officer H. T. Gilbert were wounded. During
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