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Re: Subordinates' opinions of Hans Dortenmann;
Hi Nick,
I've just re-read the book by fellow pilot Willi Heilmann, "Alert in The West" in which Dortenmann figures on many pages and in several air battles described.
I've found no remarks in the direction you indicate.
Like the comments based on Axel Urbankes's book ("Green Hearts. First in Combat With the Dora 9" in Engl. transl.) by 'Yogybär' he comes through as a very good and experienced fighter pilot and the relation to other pilots seems to be good.
He gives the impression of being a professional fighter pilot and unit leader and not a fanatic and rather despising higher Luftwaffe authority and hard core Nazis – “Der Dicke” and the OKL included.
Were did you get the impression he got the “Neck itch” chasing for a Knight's Cross? I quickly skimmed through “The JG 26 War Diary Vol 2”, Caldwell, Grub Street, 1988, and on p. 466 there is a remark:
“Oblt. Dortenmann was awarded his Knight’s Cross, to the joy and the probable relief of his 3rd Staffel pilots”
Is there any other reference supporting the view that he was chasing a Knight’s Cross?
The units he led suffered heavily, being vastly outnumbered in many air battles, but so were also other Staffeln in 1944/45 over the Western Front.
He gives me the impression of trying to achieve results but find no indication he is sacrificing his wingmen or Staffel members for a victory. From time to time rather being upset over the high losses inflicted on his unit because of the in his mind stupid decisions by the Lw headquarter staff handed down to unit level.
In the carnage in the West where a new pilot was lucky if he survived 10 missions I can imagine that some, or several, young pilots found it nerve-racking to be led into murderous air fights by their Staffel (later Gruppe) leader and taking terrible beatings day after day, concluding that the leader’s only motivation can have been a Knight’s Cross as it must have been obvious to all that at this point the war could never have been won by the Germans – So why keep on attacking until a sure death or injury came to you? Because the boss wanted a “Gong”!
I don’t know if that was the case – Only an alternative explanation and pure speculation from my end.
Cheers
Göran
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