JG26 disaster, 1940
 

Hi guys

This has probably been discussed many times, but ......

In his book The First and the Last, Adolf Galland stated that on one occasion a dozen of his aircraft ran out of fuel on returning from operations, and that seven were obliged to ditch while five force-landed in France. Was this correct and, if so, on which date did this occur?

Stay safe
Brian

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

See the book "9./Jagdgeschwader26" by John Vasco p.18,19,27 and 28.
Date 21 July 1940 Le Havre,lack of fuel.

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

All suffered 40% damage so not really a disaster. No ditchings

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

So, was Galland mistaken when he wrote (page 85)

"During a single sortie of my group we lost twelve fighter planes ... five of these fighters managed to make a pancake landing on the French shore with their last drop of fuel; seven of them landed in the drink... It turned out that a forced landing in the water was preferable to a parachute descent into the sea ... the lucky ones were fished out of the drink by the tireless ASR Service."

Brian

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

Galland's book was telling a story which he wasn't averse to dramatising in places.

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

Dramatising is common, especially among those who were frequent participants in Veterans "Treffen". They started to believe the stories of others and suddenly it is the truth because several repeat the same story.......or even particpated in it....

J.

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

...and this now is the job of us modern day historians to constructively confirm or disprove such. What I do not like is, as is in a UK magazine this month, comments like "What if Frank Whittle got the jet engine operational 5 years earlier how would it have effected the war". Like saying "what if Adolf Hitler's dad never met his mum"

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

Fully agree Chris, facts are facts and we should write history how it actually happened. If you do not know certain acpects, you can write your theory but please mark it so. The "what ifs" are a total waste of time. There is still more than enough to research....

Re: JG26 disaster, 1940
 

To say, that probably Galland hv no diary, for events in july 40, far from the climax time of the battle, the event has a tiny importance compare to the dozens of pilots lost by the JG26 , during the posterior phases of the BoB, july was still the happy period after the great victory against France.

Galland hv not J.Vasco at his sides when writing his book ??

Maybe also purpose of the book, was maybe to show career of Galland, nd totally disculp him from final disaster.

"Humain trop humain"

Rémi

It was NOT a JG26 disaster, 1940
 

Sorry to contradict you but Galland didn't report these 12 emergency landings (including 7 ditchings in the North Sea) about JG 26 but about "a fighter wing". He didn't name this JG.

Stand by for more details I'll write offline.

Mr. Jochen Prien did not like this passage at all and wrote that it was not accurate.