What constitutes the legend of Dolfo Galland

[Franek Grabowski]

I have started to wonder, what makes Dolfo Galland so special among other German aces, that he remains an icon. I believe there are some points, that I have listed below, but could anyone add to the thread?
He did a meteoric career with the Luftwaffe.
He always led his people to combat.
He was the youngest Luftwaffe General (by the way is General der Jagdflieger a rank or a position?).
He was a talented leader.
He was in opposition to Goering.
He smoked cigars.
He was an anti-nazi, who served bad guys.
He masterminded German tactics and was the key figure behind German successes.
He was keen supporter of modern technologies.
He decided to go to fight with his jet unit rather than to remain at desk job.
He was a gentleman.

[Rob Romero]

He was CHARISMATIC with a captial C -in my view the most charismatic of the great Luftwaffe Aces.
-He was image/media conscious and always played to the camera.
-I heard that during the war (though I can't cite the soucre), he lived with two women who must have openly accepted/tolerated such an arrangment (more impressive than his 94-104 Victories if you ask me ;-).

Rob Romero

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Good night to all!
I tried to communicate with him in 1996, but he died before answering my first letter. I, however, met some airmen who knew him personally and even went to his Funeral. I believe that:
1- He cared about his airmen (as Franek pointed out positively)
2- He tended to surpass himself ( I mean to push his limit up, always ). I remember reading his authorized biography and his earliest flights with gliders when he was 15...always trying to broke records. Later his flights with the Italian Air Force, trying to push the inverted flying record of the base...Later when he was shot down, he went to fly again the same day..and was shot down again!! So, he always seems to have pushed his limits to the LIMIT! I never heard something like that, only when Rawnsley wrote about his wartime experience with W/C John Cunningham (the famous NF ace). It seems that when Cunningham did not land how he wished to, he used to open the throttles again and try to land better! So, those are quite fantastic persons!
I do believe that one single word can resume Adolf Galland´s personality: CHARACTER!
Those are my humble opinions...from an admirer who never met him personally, only from books or hearing those who met him tell about him....
Yours
Adriano

[Nick Beale]

"What constitutes the legend" is writing your self-serving memoirs early on.

He could have stood on his outstanding record as a pilot and a formation leader but "The First and the Last" is something other than that, I think.

[Franek Grabowski]

He was good in self promotion, no doubt, but it is the way he constructed a legend of himself, rather than a recognised point. Nonetheless point taken. Looking for more.
BTW
Personally, I disliked The First and the Last, and I would rather like to read original interviews of Toliver and Constable.

[rldunn]

Franek

Was Marco Polo the first to venture to the far east or the merely first to write about it? On the other hand if Marco Polo had done nothing but travel thousands of miles in an uninteresting fashion perhaps few would care.

Clearly the fact that Galland wrote his memoirs and had them published in English at an early date has made an impact. On the other hand he was a fighter pilot whose fame was promoted in official German communiques at an early date. He along with Moelders created a new conception of the fighter leader, a leader of a Geschwader that flew in combat as leader and comrade as well. The Japanese had nothing like this nor did the US or Brits either although their lower level (UK wing, US group) headquarters eventually followed this example. As General of Fighters he had a unique position with no foreign equivalent. He made many mistakes but also demonstrated inspired leadership as well as physical and moral courage. He has an impressive number of 'firsts' to his credit.

I only met the man once and that but briefly at an appearance at the US Air and Space museum. He had a charming personality, sense of humor, and was an interesting and engaging speaker. If he has graduated to the level of 'Legend' perhaps it is almost deserved.

Hey, Columbus gets credit for the discovery of America when Norwegians were there at least 400 years earlier and Portuguese fishermen were probably on the Grand Banks about the same time Columbus was doing his 'discovery.' Legends are in the eye of the beholder.

Regards,

Rick

[John Vasco]

I understood that 'The First and the Last' was based on the document produced as a result of the prolonged interrogation of Galland at the end of the war. Interrogation in the sense that the Allied inteligence officers sat down with him for many sessions and covered a whole host of things concerning his service career, and Galland was quite forthcoming on a complete range of Lw matters. So the first complete mapping out of Galland's career was actually done in English, and I understand that he had full access to it when he came to write his book.

rldunn,
"...Hey, Columbus gets credit for the discovery of America when Norwegians were there at least 400 years earlier and Portuguese fishermen were probably on the Grand Banks about the same time Columbus was doing his 'discovery.' Legends are in the eye of the beholder..." The Basques, who were always a great seafaring nation, could also lay claim to have been on the shores of North America hundreds of years before Columbus also. And Nelson gets credit for the victory at Trafalgar when in fact Collingwood was the person who masterminded the victory due to Nelson being shot and taking no part in the major decisions that ultimately led to the defeat of the French fleet. Yet Collingwood is an almost forgotten figure in the Battle of Trafalgar.

[Primoz]

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

(by the way is General der Jagdflieger a rank or a position?)

It was a rank (the second highest General rank).

[Andy Fletcher]

General der Jagdflieger was a position (as was General der Aufklärungsflieger etc)

Not to be confused with the rank for General der Flieger (GdF) which was senior to Generalleutnant (GenLt) but junior to Generaloberst (GenObst)

GdF was equivalent to Air Marshal (RAF) and Lieutenant General (USAAF)

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by John Vasco

Collingwood is an almost forgotten figure in the Battle of Trafalgar.

Typical rock musician! Those of us with acqauinted with English traditional music know the Lancashire Pace-Egging Song:

O the next that comes in is Lord Collingwood,
He fought with Lord Nelson till he shed his blood;
He fought with Lord Nelson through sorrow and woe -
And I hope you'll reward us before we do go.

P.S. for non-English readers, Pace-Egging is one of our many ancient customs that involve parting people from their money around Christmas/New Year.