Wutz Galland

[Teresa Maria]

I have come across the following piece of information, which has shocked me deeply:
'
Galland, Wilhelm-Ferdinand (“Wutz”)
Major der Luftwaffe /
SS-Mann

* 23.10.1914 in Bochum / Westfalen.
+ 17.08.1943 west of Maastricht (during an attack on a formation of USAAF 4-engined bombers [flying FW 190A-6 530125 "schwarzer Doppelwinkel"], shot down and killed in combat with a P-47 Thunderbolt).

SS-Nr.:

Promotions:
SS-Mann
00.00.19__ Leutnant (Luftwaffe)
05.05.1942 Oberleutnant (Luftwaffe)
03.01.1943 Hauptmann (Luftwaffe)
18.05.1943 Major (Luftwaffe) '

Source: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=88687

Can this be true??? Was Wutz Galland really a member of the SS, or is this just a mistake?

[Larry deZeng]

Hmmm..................
Our career notes for him do not mention this:
http://www.ww2.dk/Lw%20Offz%20-%20G-...Apr%202016.pdf
All we can say is that Michael Miller is a very reliable and respected guy, but we all make typographical errors.
On the other hand, if true, being made an honorary member of the SS would not have been extraordinary or a shocking event during the days of the Third Reich.

L.

[Teresa Maria]

Thank you very much for your answer. I am deeply relieved to hear that Wutz Galland was not an SS-man. That rumour about him (or maybe a mistake) was really disturbing.

[VtwinVince]

Who cares? Are you making a retroactive moral judgement? My uncle was a member of the Party, the DLV and the NSFK, all Nazi organizations. But he was still a front-line fighter leader, and a damned brave one.

[sidney]

Teresa Maria, I would agree with Vince - I feel that your apparent concerns about 'Wutz' Galland's membership in the said organization is superfluous.

The organization was ambitious and widespread, and, if I remember correctly, divided in three main branches: Allgemeine (general), Totenkopf (concentration camps) and Waffen (military branch) - it is only remotely likely that he belonged to either of the three. And even if he did, not just about every member there was a war criminal.

Whether Luftwaffe pilots were members of the Party is a matter of contention today. I even read in one of the early issues of LimF that "... the Party membership was something frowned upon by most of the Luftwaffe pilots...". Personally I doubt that it was the case, but the case seems hard enough to prove either way.

[edwest2]

I agree with Vince as well. The SS was wide-ranging in its operations and activities, such as the SS Technical Branch and Paratroopers.



http://www.amazon.com/SS-Fallschirmj.../dp/0764329448









Usual disclaimer,
Ed

[Larry deZeng]

Using the search discriminator "honorary" in our Officer Careers data base, I found these:

DÖRR, Julius (Flieger-Ingenieur)
LUCHT, Roluf (Rolf?) Wilhelm (Flieger-Ingenieur)
MAHNKE, Franz (Flieger-Ingenieur)
MAYR, Rudolf (Lufthansa, KG 40, Rechlin test pilot)
SPANG, Willibald (Gen.Lt. and pilot)

All honorary SS or NSDAP. There are many, many more that can be found using other search terms. For example, 9 were found just among those with a last name beginning with the letter "A" using the search term "NSDAP", with some of these also having SS affiliations.

It would be fair to say that Party and SS membership, voluntary or honorary, was common.

L.

[VtwinVince]

I believe Rudel also held honorary rank in the SS, but he's still the Luftwaffe's number one Badass in my books.

[Nick Beale]

"Whether Luftwaffe pilots were members of the Party is a matter of contention today."

Some of them definitely were — hardly surprising given the size of the NSDAP and conscription for the armed services. I've seen at least one ULTRA which reported names of airmen in a unit who were party members (but don't ask me to find it). From previous discussions I think it came up that party membership was suspended during military service.

[DavidIsby]

Udet was also a party member.

I was unaware of Roluf Lucht's party membership, but this certainly makes sense in light of how he was sent from his position in the RLM to a position at Messerschmitt.

The dynamic was different at high level in industry. Messerschmitt was a party member, but Ernst Heinkel and Claud Dornier did not join.