Re: Hans-Ekkehard Bob
 

I wish I had met him in his lifetime!

Re: Hans-Ekkehard Bob
 

Met this wonderful fellow at the 1980 Grunherz reunion at Memmingen airfield. They still flew F-104's. We met often afterwards, and he visited me in New York several times also. Encouraged him to write at least some of the dozens of memories. He did, but only some. At the general yearly meeting of the Jagdflieger he would sit with me late into the night along with some of the ground crew veterans and each memory begat yet another. They were so happy to see him.
Represented his firm for a few years too. Known internationally as a very honest, dependable chap, even by his business competitors.
Last met at our yearly JG.27/26/KG.26 reunion at the soon to closed Rheine air base. Long talks again catching up, and yes some more stories.
We got up early next morning for breakfast and 'karten holen beim wetterfrosch' (get the weather report from the met office). Then, a warm see you later and he flew his Robin from that Luftwaffe base, adorned with his Green Heart below the cockpit. Still a great airman. Later, he flew a ME-108 near the bridge in London with reportage in FLYPAST I think.
One of his last flights was to take a highly decorated soldier from the eastern part of the country for a flight, his first.
Lastly, he was one of the oldest if not the oldest licensed pilot in Europe.