General
Adolf Galland
Having led a squadron in the Spanish Campaign, between 1937
and 1939, Adolf Galland was an experienced Ace when WWII commenced.
He fought in the Battles of Poland, France and Britain, leading
the famous JG-26 Abbeville Boys in the West until promoted
to “Inspector General of the Fighter Arm" in 1941,
a position he held until the end of 1944. In February 1942
he organized and conducted the fighter escort for the spectacular
‘Channel Dash’ – the break out of the German
battleships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and the Prinz Eugen, through
the English Channel. In 1943 he was given the responsibility
for Fighter Operations in Sicily just before the Allied landings,
He became the youngest General in the German High Command,
but disagreements with Goering’s tactics led to his
dismissal. He reverted to combat flying, forming the famous
JV-44 wing flying the Me262 jet fighter, to become the only
General in history to lead a squadron into battle. With 104
air victories, all in the West, Galland received the Knight’s
Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.
General
Hannes Trautloft
Hannes Trautloft began his combat flying career in Spain flying
in the Condor Legion, gaining the first German victory of
that war and later was the first Legion pilot to test the
newly arrived Me109. He got his first victory in World War
II in the Polish Campaign, then in September 1939 took command
of I./JG-20 which he led in the West until – in the
summer of 1940 – taking over JG-54 as Kommodore, with
its 2500 men, including 120 pilots – a position he held
for 3 years. He took part in the Balkan Campaign before leading
JG-54 in Russia, in heavy fighting around the northern region
of the Eastern Front. He later joined Adolf Galland’s
staff but was eventually sacked by Goering as one of the supposed
‘mutineers’. As a holder of the Knight’s
Cross, he flew 550 combat missions, achieved 57 aerial victories
but, above all, he built JG-54 into one of the Luftwaffe’s
greatest fighting units. |
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General
Dieter Hrabak
This leading personality of the Luftwaffe is held in great respect
by all the fighter pilots who flew under his command. After
being shot down in his first aerial combat in the Polish Campaign,
he survived to take part in the great air battles over France
and the Channel during 1940. He scored his first victory in
the Battle of France, and achieved 15 more during the Battle
of Britain. By ‘Eagle Day’ he was in command of
II./JG-54, and was the first JG-54 Ace to be awarded the Knight’s
Cross. He fought in the Balkans, Greece and Russia and in November
1942 was promoted to Kommodore of JG-52. Dieter Hrabak became
the dominant influence in JG-52 and during his period of command
he helped shape the careers of some of the Luftwaffe’s
greatest fighter pilots. During all this time he flew and fought
with his pilots, himself recording 125 aerial victories during
820 combat missions. He ended the war back in command of JG-54.
After the war he became a founder member of the new German Air
Force.
Colonel Herbert
Ihlefeld
Known throughout the Luftwaffe as “Ihle”, Herbert
Ihlefeld gained 9 victories in Spain with I./JG-132 “Richthofen”.
He flew in the Polish and French Campaigns and during the
Battle of Britain commanded I.(J)/LG-2. On 13th September,
1940 he was awarded the Knight’s Cross and by October
1940 he was commanding the Group, having recorded 24 aerial
victories in the Battle. After surviving being shot down over
the Channel he took part in the Balkan Campaign. In June 1941
he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross
and by April 1942 his victories had risen to 100 and he received
the Swords to the Oak Leaves as only the ninth recipient.
In May he became Kommodore of the famous JG-52 Fighter Wing,
before injury took him out of combat. He returned to command
both JG-52 and JG-11 for short periods before, in 1944, after
the loss of the great Ace Walter Oesau, he moved back to France
to command JG-1. By 1945, promoted to Colonel, this brilliant
fighter pilot had flown more than 1000 missions and recorded
140 victories. He ended the war as Kommodore of JG-1 equipped
with the Heinkel He162 “Peoples Fighter” jet. |
