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Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions and fought on the Western Front and in the Defence of the Reich.
- 1932–55
Oct 31, 2023 · Adolf Galland was a famous fighter pilot who flew 104 aerial victories against the Allied forces in World War II. He was known for his leadership and skills in the air, as well as his survival of four plane crashes. Learn about his early life, career, and achievements in this article from War History Online.
- A Young “Dolfo” Learns to Fly
- The Rearmament of Germany: Giving Teeth to The Luftwaffe
- The Luftwaffe’s Lessons from Spain
- The Luftwaffe’s War in Poland
- The Rise of A Luftwaffe Ace
- Battling Over The Skies of Britain
- The Challenges of Battling The Raf
- “I Should Like An Outfit of Spitfires”
- Three Crash Landings
- Chivalry Among Pilots
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Adolf Joseph Ferdinand Galland was born on Tuesday, March 19, 1912, at Westerholt, Westphalia, in west central Germany. He was one of three sons of a well-to-do estate bailiff of Huguenot descent. After attending school in Hindenburg (now Zabrze, Poland), Adolf, like many boys of his age, became fascinated with aviation. The Versailles Treaty of 19...
After Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist party came to power in 1933, Germany began to rearm openly. Galland went to the Civil Airline Pilots Training School at Schleissheim in Bavaria in October 1934. He was ostensibly a civilian, but the school was transformed into the country’s first fighter pilot training center. The energetic, ambitious y...
As Germany built up its armed forces to war pitch during the uneasy 1930s, Galland, a dark, mustached man with a fondness for brandy, cigars, and beautiful women, itched for action. He finally got his chance with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936. He volunteered for General Hugo Sperrle’s Condor Legion, which flew for Generalissimo...
While tensions mounted across Europe in the summer of 1939, Galland was posted to the German-Polish frontier, where Wehrmacht armored, artillery, and infantry divisions were massing for the invasion that would open World War II. Galland was promoted to captain and assigned to the Luftwaffe’s II Gruppe Lehrgeschwader 2, but he was still frustrated b...
Galland was just in time for the May 10 onset of the great blitzkrieg offensive, when German forces pushed through the Low Countries and France to the English Channel coast. He wasted no time in fulfilling his dream and distinguished himself as an aggressive fighter pilot and skilled wing leader. He chalked up his first aerial kill against a Belgia...
Soon, Galland faced his biggest challenge—the Battle of Britain. History’s first major air battle raged over southeastern England in the summer of 1940 as RAF Fighter Command Supermarine Spitfires and Hurricanes challenged Luftwaffe bomber squadrons whose objective was to soften up British defenses before Hitler’s planned cross-Channel invasion, Op...
The daring Galland thrived on single combat. “The fighter must seek battle in the air,” he believed, echoing the words of his hero, Richthofen, 20 years earlier. “Fighter pilots have to rove … in any way they like, and when they spot the enemy, they attack. Anything else is rubbish.” Fearless to the point of recklessness, Galland earned the admirat...
During the fateful summer of 1940 when Western freedom hung in the balance, the casual, lighthearted pilots of RAF Fighter Command exacted a heavy price in Luftwaffe men and machines, and the German Jägers soon developed a grudging respect for their foes. Back at their base, Galland and his men looked at one another gravely. “We were no longer in d...
Because of his success as a group leader in the Battle of Britain, Galland was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He and his Me-109 crews were transferred to the Brest area on the French west coast early in 1941, but they returned to the Pas de Calais that summer. The seemingly indestructible JG 26 commander had a remarkable experience on June 21. Aft...
Galland was concerned about his pilots’ welfare, and they were devoted to him. And, while he gave no quarter in aerial combat, he clung to the chivalrous spirit of 1914-1918 that still existed among fighter pilots. Early in August 1941, Group Captain Douglas Bader, the legless Battle of Britain ace, was captured after colliding with an enemy plane ...
Learn about the life and career of Adolf Galland, a top-scoring German ace and the leader of the Luftwaffe fighter arm in World War II. Read how he flew countless sorties, defied Göring, and survived the war with his skills and tricks.
Mar 15, 2024 · Adolf Galland was a German fighter ace and officer who commanded the fighter forces of the Luftwaffe (German air force) during World War II. The son of an estate bailiff of French descent, Galland became a skillful glider pilot before age 20 and joined the civilian airline Lufthansa in 1932.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Adolf Galland was one of Germany's top aces who flew 705 combat missions and was shot down four times. He led the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War and the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and the invasion of France. He was a near-look-alike to Errol Flynn and a fearless leader who survived many intrigues and challenges.
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Sep 21, 2018 · A biography of Adolf Galland, the legendary German fighter ace who led the Messerschmitt 109s in the Battle of Britain and other air battles. Learn about his early life, career, achievements, and legacy in this comprehensive article by Barrett Tillman.
Feb 14, 1996 · General Galland died after a long illness on Friday at his home in the Rhineland town of Oberwinter. He was 83. As a schoolboy in Westphalia, Adolf Galland developed a passion for aviation.
