Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Are you sure it wasn't a fake Hasegawa? Hollow and no substance to it?

David

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Gentlemen,


I am truly sorry I ran across this gentleman, whoever he is. Now we have an autograph card on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com.my/ws/eBayISAPI....11668&indexURL=

I'm tempted to contact the seller and ask how it was determined that Mr. Dulias actually served in the Luftwaffe as he claims.



Ed

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

I've been following this story with interest, Herr Dulias is a member of The Luftwaffe Aircrew Re-enactors Association, who believe he is who he says he is.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

What was Dulias' staffel in JG53?

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

I think I'd rather trust what he calls his 'own' squadron's association that has no knowledge of him and denies him membership.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Our Herr Dulias has no lack of uniforms.
Go down to the end of the link and there he is.

http://www.wartimepress.com/wwii%20s...of%20shows.asp

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Woweeee!

He hardly looks a day older than when he featured on the front of the 'Der Adler' magazine in the photo - that's a good story I'd expect to hear next....................ho hum, when will someone be able to get this one sorted one way or the other?

David

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

'good reenactment, but Klink wore a monocle and the uniform isn't strictly correct...

Rod

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Perhaps I should've read this thread, along with the corresponding topic over on the Wehrmacht Awards forum, before attending this weekend's Warbirds Over Virginia Beach show. I had no knowledge of Mr. Dulias prior to yesterday, but listening to the tales with which he regaled visitors to his table and his answers to a few of my questions, I came away with more than a few suspicions about the gentleman.

I introduced myself and addressed him in German, and was pleased to discover he spoke "Hochdeutsch"... he was easy to understand, meaning he wasn't Schwäbisch or a Berliner. (!) I asked him a few questions about his unit and wartime experiences, and here are his answers:

- What unit did you fly with in JG 53?
GD: "3. Staffel... my commander was Helmut Lipfert." He made it clear that Lipfert wasn't his Staffelkapitän, but rather his "Kommandeur".

- What types of aircraft did you engage in combat?
GD: "You see the 'Rata' outside, the Polikarpov?" He then held up three fingers... "I shot down three of them, and I was blessed... the pilots were able to escape so I have not killed a man in my life. I am very much against killing."

(What an odd answer... and as others here have already suggested, the idea of confronting I-16s over Hungary in late 1944 is highly improbable. However, aircraft recognition was never a strong point with many Luftwaffe pilots- it seems like Werner Mölders listed half his kills as 'Curtiss', for instance!)

- Did you find that your G-14/AS offered greater performance over earlier models of ...
GD (interrupting) "Oh yes, we were trained on the Emil, old obsolete crates full of bullet holes sent back from the front. The G-14 was much better than those."

(He then went on to talk about the Bf 108, I never was able to steer him into any further technical discussion about the 109)

He went on about being included in the USAF 'Eagles' event in 2007, and was soon engaged in another conversation about 'Kapusta' with another visitor. On the whole, I found something vaguely odd about the entire encounter although I couldn't put my finger on it. I did purchase his book, and noted something last night- out of all the photos in there, there is not one single photograph of him posing with ANY fighter aircraft or fellow pilots. There is a photo of him with a 'Kranich' glider (I think), and a couple of him clowning around with a post-mounted MG 81Z... but no 109 photos at all. And the photos he was selling (printed on heavy card paper from a standard desktop printer) were definitely of a Hasegawa 1/32 Bf 109G-10 kit built as 'yellow 6', with a couple of the photos featuring a pilot figure in the foreground. The photos had been played with in Photoshop to put them in greyscale and "aged"... a decent job, but being a modeler, I recognized the kit almost immediately.

I have no doubt that he DID serve in the Luftwaffe in some capacity, and that he suffered in Soviet captivity... but I DEFINITELY doubt his claims about his wartime service as a pilot. With that said, I can't say the man serves no purpose... he was engaging, entertaining, and he wasn't making outlandish claims about aircraft performance. He was educating people about conditions in Germany during the war and about pilots in the Luftwaffe... whether that experience was based on first-hand knowledge is definitely up for debate, but I will admit that there was some merit in his 'presentations', in that people left his table with a more positive impression about Luftwaffe personnel.

One last point, specifically regarding rank... yesterday, Herr Dulias sported the insignia of a Hauptmann, with a silver Frontflugspange, Eisernes Kreuz, a JG 53 Pik As enamel pin, a Pilot's badge, and what appeared to be an observer's badge. It was certainly a diverse grouping for someone who allegedly entered combat in August 1944.

Cheers all-

Lynn

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Hello all

I drew the attention of the eBay autograph to our discussion here on this forum and he responded by immediatly withdrawing the auction and contacting his supplier informing him that no more autographs from Duliar would be accepted.

A good result I think.

Chris

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

It's sad that Dulias feels a need to do this, but at the same time, whether he was or he wasn't, he still would have an interesting story to tell of the era. I won't pass judgment on him, simply because I haven't had the opportunity to meet him face to face yet, and I don't like passing judgment on someone of that advanced of an age anyway; whether he's a confabulator or not, he still should merit some respect, as a veteran, no matter how or where he served.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

I'd like to add he's also managed a fourteen page thread here which means he clearly has entertainment value anyway. ;)

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

More items on E-bay, 280347552425 is a photo of him standing by a Bf109 and 270393327721 is I think a potted history with a signature and a small copy of a painted image showing him in uniform.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Hi guys

In my humble opinion I think we should leave this sad guy alone. Everyone has had their say. We know he was not genuine. Let him live out the rest of his days in peace. Anyway, he probably doesn't know that 'we' exist!

Cheers
Brian

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

ok, so is this guy real or not. Didi he fly with JG-52 in Russia

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

If you go back through the thread, you'll see there are two answers... he says he flew with JG 53, but JG 53 veterans, very well respected researchers and wartime documents suggest he did not. He IS a German WWII veteran, but his actual service record remains unclear at the moment.

Lynn

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Hi all...this is my first post here. I am not a historian nor an expert as many of you here are. However, I DO know a 'little'. My father was a B-17 bomber pilot during the war and THAT is easily verifiable. He was in the 603rd 398th and I was saddened to find this thread.

As you see, I visited the American War Power Museum on this past Memorial Day and...for the first time in my life, I met a 'Luftwaffe pilot'. Yes...I met Herr Dulias and paid for his autograph for my kids. He was dressed in the same white outfit that is posted here in a a photograph. He told me that he was stationed in Aachen. Other facts that he told me:
-that he was flying solo and found a sole Spitfire, approached him from underneath and hit him with a single shot from his cannon...and the pilot saluted him from his parachute
-I told him the fear that my father had while flying against the Focke Wulfe. My dad used to tell me that the FW109's used to approach from the nose and peel off down and away.....Dulias told me that they flew between the 17's sideways
-he did tell me that he did NOT fly against the 17's but attacked support, mostly Spitfire's and did say he was shot down pursuing a Russian plane and then was captured and sent to a Gulag.

I am truly saddened if this was all a hoax. My dad, flying at the same time, could tell you how much gas his 17 used..he could tell you how to back up a 17...knew all his squadron leader's names..knew every crew members name (heck..I could tell you them)..even knew every mission. He signed our photos...with the JG53/Spade insignia...with "Horrido!".

I hope...that someone here can finally lend creedence to this. History IS important. I would hate to give his autograph, framed, ..to my son...along with my father's throat mike, bailout bell, full uniform, flight helmet, arming pins, etc...if it were fake.

BTW...if anyone is interested in anything I have on my dad...feel free to email.

FLR

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Am I right in thinking that this is just the usual generic type of family surname site for anyone with the name Dulias, or derivatives?
I don't think that anyone has doubted his surname, it's just the wartime 'history' that's in question. Still of interest!

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Hi,

now after a few time there are more doubts then clearness.

Oschatz = Oschatz was till begin May 1944 a Flugplatz/-schule from may44 it called LKS3 inplace "Werder.

till may 44 Oschatz was the OB1 (ausbildungsbatalion 1) with 3 monthly trainees. the Begin for the 3 monthly trainess was alltime 1. january, 1. april, 1. july, 1. october.

never in november.

then why de dont know in wich company he was?? for to go to gatow u must be in a special company.

"Sis

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

biography dulias:

"Gottfried was considered a newcomer, referred to by his elder pilots as a “Haes-chen”, or “Little Rabbit”. As such, he was assigned to be an observer of tactics. During one of these early missions, the pilot of a British Spitfire took him for easy prey. However, after a 15-minute dogfight, Gottfried disabled the Spit, forcing the pilot to bail out. The English pilot parachuted down near the JG53 base and was taken prisoner. Leutnant Gottfried Dulias and Leftenant Fred Browning had the opportunity to discuss the dogfight and the fliers’ life in general. Gottfried commented that he believed that it was the superiority of his plane and not necessarily his skill that earned him this first victory.

biography Ltn. G. Landt JG53:

"23. Februar 1945 zwischen 09.25-10.35 Start der 11. Staffel zur Jabobekämpfung über der Pfalz, angeblich 6 P-47 abgeschossen (durch die Staffel).
Beim zweiten Einsatz an diesem Tag erneut LK mit P-47, sechs Bf 109 abgeschossen, 1 Toter, 1 Vermißter, 2 Verwundete.

Lt. Landt bekam LK mit 6 F-6 der 111. Taktischen Aufklärungsstaffel, mit einer der F-6 sties er im LK zusammen. Beide Piloten FSA, landeten etwa 300 m von einander entfernt am Boden. das Lt. Landt dem amerikanischen Piloten die Hand schüttelte, löste bei den herbeigeeilten Zivilisten und Soldaten wennig Verständnis aus. (Raum Sinsheim)

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

After Reading most of these posts I would like to say that Gottfried Dulias is definitely NOT an impostor! I would like you all to give me the names of your co-workers and bosses from say 10 years ago! If you can't, then you are certainly impostors and did not work at the places you say you were working at! How about that outrageous statement???! Now let's have you experience 3 years of starvation and hard work and terror. Then let's have you try to stay healthy and repress all those memories to stay sane. Let SIXTY YEARS go by and have those memories surface in nightmares and terrors and begin to piece it together and tell your story. Would you then say it's all a lie and fabricated because he can't recall the name of someone he flew with SIXTY YEARS ago?

Also, many of you have said that you confronted Gottfried and asked him to stand up for himself in these forums. When I asked my father, Gottfried Dulias if anyone from these forums had contacted him asking about all this, he said no one has ever e-mailed him about them. Yes he said people have asked to verify records and he can't. But this does not make his story untrue. My Dad is very religious man. He would have no motive to lie! He lives on social security, barely getting by without our help. He has never been compensated for his service to his country.

He was AWARDED the status of EAGLE by the UNITED STATES AIR FORCE a few years back and I highly doubt that they would have honored him in such a way if they did not have some kind of proof that his record is correct.

I had to grow up with a man who was emotionally shut down and turned off by the very experiences you deny he had. I heard the story of his guardian angel when I grew up. We attended air shows and my Dad took me up in a gliders and various planes while I was growing up, always talking about his flight experiences.

When I told him about these forums and what you were saying about him he said he knew that there were some people who do not believe his story. He referred to you as "armchair historians". He said because he can't prove with records, of course you will deny he flew. He has no defense against that. He must be some yarn teller if he can even fool the US Air Force! So please stop debating about this. My Dad is now 84 years old. He wrote his book when he was 80. Let's see how many names, places and dates YOU can remember when you are his age!

I have always known my Dad to be truthful to a fault. He would have no motive to lie and has nothing to gain. The experience of writing the book was a cathartic experience that freed my Dad of years of mental imprisonment from nightmares and horrible experiences. I am thankful for this and know that he would not be telling anything but the truth of what he experienced.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

I have met Gottfried on several occasions and he is the real deal. A true survivor in the ultimate sense of the word. He lived through interment in one of Stalin's most brutal POW camps. Bodies stacked like cords of wood in the winter because the ground was frozen solid would not allowing for the proper burial. Wolves feeding off the bodies at night which he could hear - yet he survived to this day, a very nice guy I should add. He did not get started his retrospective until his wife passed & at others prompting. His book provides more than ample supporting evidence to his life history. Hope to get him to do a short interview for You-Tube on his flying experiences in the near future. Artimesia you can be very proud of your father for he has served his country(s) (both America & German) with honor and distinction.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

You can now buy an autographed photo of "German ace Lt. Gottfried Dulias": :D
http://cgi.ebay.com/WW2-German-Ace-G...item230be16bec

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Great model indeed...

Cheers
Marc

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

All we need now is a decorated mug....... I could mean drinking vessel with a picture on it!

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

It seems we may have new information on Dulias in this new book:
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Peace-Sto...ords=luftwaffe

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

biography Ltn. G. Landt JG53:

"23. Februar 1945 zwischen 09.25-10.35 Start der 11. Staffel zur Jabobekämpfung über der Pfalz, angeblich 6 P-47 abgeschossen (durch die Staffel).
Beim zweiten Einsatz an diesem Tag erneut LK mit P-47, sechs Bf 109 abgeschossen, 1 Toter, 1 Vermißter, 2 Verwundete.

Lt. Landt bekam LK mit 6 F-6 der 111. Taktischen Aufklärungsstaffel, mit einer der F-6 sties er im LK zusammen. Beide Piloten FSA, landeten etwa 300 m von einander entfernt am Boden. das Lt. Landt dem amerikanischen Piloten die Hand schüttelte, löste bei den herbeigeeilten Zivilisten und Soldaten wennig Verständnis aus. (Raum Sinsheim)

No losses for the 11.JG53 that day just 2 dead for the 14+16.JG53
.....

Rémi

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

I just came across the cover photo of the mentioned book:

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Emotions aside, if claims are not supported by the historical record, people will remain dubious.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

VtwinVince- when your country has been bombed and there are no records, there is no defense. I honestly couldn't care less if anyone believes my Dad or not.

Dénes Bernád- he sells his book on Amazon.com, it's called "Another Bowl of Kapusta". He will be 90 years old in a few days, after we were told last Christmas Day by the doctor that he would not live more than a few days. He lives on social security and little else besides a few dollars here and there for the sale of his book.

Still not sure why people say he made this up. He hasn't gotten rich from this. He lived, suffered through and experienced an important era is history. He is living history.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Hi friends,

what about this entry in Kracker Luftwaffe Archive ?

Gottfried Dulias

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Nothing can be verified.....not a single shred of evidence.....

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

So Gottfried Dulias is the Sven Hassel of the Jadgwaffe?

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

FYI my family are refugees from East Prussia, who came to Canada with, literally, nothing, after being completely disenfranchised by the Bolshheviks, so get off your high horse.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

If saying I couldn't care less if you believe my Dad's story or not is being on a high horse, I will continue to ride it. Sorry to hear about your family's struggles. From what I understand, there were thousands upon thousands like them. My Dad's family was wealthy before the war and his imprisonment in the Russian Gulags. Everything was taken from them afterward. It's one of the reasons my Dad came to the US, so he could have a chance at making a decent living. Both he and my Mom were proud to become Americans. My Dad has always been honest to a fault and never spoke of his experiences until after my Mom's death. Once he started talking about the experiences he began to have nightmares reliving the events. It was a hard time but I think ultimately cathartic. Once he got his story down with the help of his friend, the nightmares stopped. So I am glad he wrote the book and told his story if for nothing else than to relieve his deep seated anxiety and find peace within himself. Everyone deserves that.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

He might be honest about his gulag experiences but he isn't being honest about his aerial victories.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

Oh and by the way, apparently the United States Air Force was able to verify his service record. My Dad, Gottfried was honored by the United States Air Force as an Honorary Eagle a few years back. They flew him to a ceremony in which he was given an award and the military even provided my sisters and myself with documentation and a lithograph of the pilots being honored. So my Dad must be some story teller to be able to "fool" you and the military with his made up stories. All I ever see on these posts is "no shred of evidence" etc etc. Does anyone have anything positive to say about someone who served their country and suffered terribly for it? Yes he was on the losing side, but from what I understand from my Dad, there was no way to say no to serving. Those people just disappeared. In addition, his older brother, who became institutionalized when he was not able to recover from high fever from the measles, was euthanized as part of Hitler's reign of extermination. My Dad's family got a letter saying his brother and many others in the ward caught another "illness" and died suddenly. It was only after the war that they found out what really happened. There are probably no records of that either. So I assume someone will say it's all made up. A few years back one of my friends did a search of Dad's name and found this thread and told me about it. I told my Dad there were people that were saying his story was made up. He didn't care at all, but I felt I had to defend him and that's why I post things on here.

Re: Gottfried Dulias
 

OK, I am going to lock this thread. It seems neither side will accept the arguments, points of the other and we're getting nowhere. Just a waste of space.

If you wish to continue this discussion on another board, please do so.