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- - Walther Dahl (http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=43107)

Re: Walther Dahl

we may wonder if this was not a strategy to shorten the captivity duration ...

Or reflect the fact that at that time , communism was not only a paradise , but also the future for Europe nd the whole world, but events , with help of Franco nd WW II, bias the trend ..

Rémi

Many thks for all the facts regarding the achievments of Walther Dahl, I always thought that Dahl, was not the bad boy depaint after the war

Re: Walther Dahl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jean-Yves Lorant (Post 258017)

Hi Michael,
….
Claims 105-116: Dahl was flying Fw 190s. He flew again a Me 262 on 24 and 26 April 1945....

Good evening Mr. Lorant,

thanks a lot for the additional info.
I keep trying hard to identify the date indicated for claim #100.
I remember having heard Dahl said his 100th kill was achieved on 1March.
However, the date in your Leistungsbuch looks more like a 4March...(?)

Best greetings from Brandenburg,

Michael

Re: Walther Dahl

[quote=Jean-Yves Lorant;258017]
As always in this kind of conversion, we may wonder if this was not a strategy to shorten the captivity duration ...

Even after the fall of the Berlin wall he was appearing in Guido Knopp documentaries stating what a great idea his defection had been. That's not exactly boasting about the communist paradise but he certainly seemed to miss the point that the Soviet system was as murderous as the Nazi one

Re: Walther Dahl

Important issue but not connected with Dahl.

Can you identify the date of Dahl's 100th claim on Mr. Lorant's document ?

Re: Walther Dahl

Quote:

Originally Posted by knusel (Post 258099)

Important issue but not connected with Dahl.

Can you identify the date of Dahl's 100th claim on Mr. Lorant's document ?

Dahl and Einsiedel both served in III./JG 3 during the Stalingrad fighting. As two men who served beside each other in the same unit, it is interesting to contrast the accuracy of their claiming and how their political beliefs played out. One remained fiercely National Socialist, the other embraced Communism

Re: Walther Dahl

IMHO, I believe Einsiedel only embraced Communism because he did not believe Hitler would win the war and he wanted to have a better existence after he was shot down.
I have his book and don't find any whole hearted support for Communism.
Remember, he came from an aristocratic family and these generally don't turn into communists

Also, we can look at the case of Graf who also became more Communist leaning after becoming a Russian POW

Re: Walther Dahl

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaki3152 (Post 258107)

Interesting to know, is his book fairly available?

Re: Walther Dahl

Here is a brief but interesting study of Dahl at 2:39 in the sunglasses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9ATh-7nQZk

Don Pearson and G.R. Morrison provided the pilot IDs in this film.

This weekly newsreel was in the cinemas on 4 June 1944.

At 2:32 - Kemethmüller
2:35 - Lt. Dieter Zink, posing in front of 'Tutti' Müller's Kommodoremaschine of the JG 3*
2:39 - Walter Dahl
2:43 - 'Tutti' Müller with Dahl
2:46 - Moritz

Re: Walther Dahl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jean-Yves Lorant (Post 257957)

Gentlemen,

First of all let me suggest to Michael "Knusel" not to trust this very "unreliable" Czech site.
I prefer the rigor of the list proposed by Hector.
When I asked him specific questions about his book "Rammjäger" in 1979, Walther Dahl advised me to read it again, making sure everything was correct. I had good reasons to doubt. A little later, in discussion with Walther Loos and especially Günther Ritzka, my doubts proved to be well founded.
Walther Dahl's voluntary collision with a B-17 on September 13, 1944 is pure fiction, none of his wingmen remember this event, there is no material loss to the Stab./JG 300 on that day. This voluntary collision does not appear in his "Leistungbuch" which Hans Ring gave me the copy, a document written during the war and therefore theoretically more reliable than his colourful autobiography . He nevertheless inverted the dates of September 11 and 13, 1944 in this document, the writing of which might have been entrusted to a not talented secretary. This Leistungbuch poses many other problems because it is often difficult to find allied losses at the places and times indicated. Unfortunately, I did not access Walther Dahl's logbook of the 1945 war missions, which may have dispelled some of my doubts because even the presence of both Fw. Walther Loos and Fw. Werner Bohnenkamp is an insoluble problem.

Finally, I find it very surprising that the impetuous Inspekteur der Tagjäger was able to perform as many war missions in 1945 and reach a total score of ... 133 aerial victories (see Leistungbuch's last page). But one thing is sure: "Ramm-Dahl" never rammed !

Regards
Jean-Yves Lorant

Hello Jean-Yves,

Yes, I agree, there was never any evidence (aside from his book!) of Dahl's intentional crash into a B-17 on September 13, 1944. Most telling, there is no mention of the "ramming" on that date in his flugbüch. However, Dahl did record claims for an Abschuss & Herrausschutz against B-17s on September 13. Attached is the relevant page from Dahl's FB.

Regards,

Russ

Re: Walther Dahl

Good morning Russ,

thanks for posting this interesting document.
However, as far a I can see the Flugbuch entry for 1+1HSS kills is for 13Sep.
Is there an according entry in his Leistungsbuch ? (Mr Lorant mentioned above that there is no ramming documented in the latter.)

Best autumn greetings from Germany,

Michael