allied pilots in luftwaffe

[LMLassen]

I'm no Luftwaffe expert, but this may explain why few 'allied' pilots served in the Luftwaffe: A few Danes managed to join Luftwaffe in 1941-1942. They all had previous service in the Danish Army and Navy air services. But German occupied Denmark was not an Allied Nation at the time (not legally Axis either).

When they went to Berlin to be tested - they were tested with a large number of foreign nationals - among them applicants from Ukraine and China).
Six Danish pilots got accepted, but after a short while they were transferred to the Waffen SS (which had recruited a large number of at the same time).
The reason for this was a 'Führerbefehl' that demanded all foreigners should serve in the Waffen SS - this would explain the few foreign/allied pilots in the Luftwaffe.

The Danes refused the transfer claiming they joined as pilots and would only serve as pilots - only a personal protest to Reichmarshall Herman Göering made it possible for them to stay in the Luftwaffe. Göering made it clear, that no further dispensation from the Füherbefehl would be made.

Denmark gained allied status late in the war after the democratically elected Danish Government refused further cooperation with the German occupiers and the small Danish resistance movement gained enough momentum to be noted in London - Stalin was understandably very reluctant to let Denmark join the club.

Lars