Opening of the Sir Dermot Boyle Wing of the RAF Museum.
with inserts shown.
Signed by.
Major Erich Alfred 'Bubi' Hartmann KC with Diamonds
World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace and highest scoring fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. Hartmann claimed 352 victories from 1,404 combat missions. He engaged in aerial combat 825 times while serving with the Luftwaffe. During the course of his career, Hartmann was forced to crash-land his damaged fighter 14 times. This was due to damage received from parts of enemy aircraft he had just shot down or mechanical failure. Hartmann was never shot down or forced to land due to fire from enemy aircraft.
Along with the remainder of JG 52, he surrendered to United States Army forces and was turned over to the Red Army. In an attempt to pressure him into service with the Soviet-friendly East German Volksarmee, he was convicted of false war crimes, a conviction posthumously voided by a Russian court as a malicious prosecution. Hartmann was sentenced to 25 years of hard labour and spent 10 years in various Soviet prison camps and gulags until he was released in 1955.
Generalleutnant Adolf Joseph Ferdinand 'Dolfo' Galland KC with Diamonds
German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western front and in Defence of the Reich. On four occasions he survived being shot down, and he was credited with 104 aerial victories, all of them against the Western Allies.
Galland, born in Westerholt (now Herten), Westphalia was a glider pilot in his youth, joined the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic later in 1932. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, he volunteered for the Condor Legion and flew ground attack missions in support of the Nationalists under Francisco Franco. After finishing his tour Galland was employed writing doctrinal and technical manuals about his experience and served as an instructor for ground-attack units. At the outbreak of World War II he again flew ground attack missions before he persuaded his superiors to allow him to become a fighter pilot.
Galland flew in the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain fighting the Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English Channel and Northern France. By November 1941 his number of aerial victories claimed stood at 96, which earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. In November 1941 he replaced Werner Mölders, who was killed in a flying accident, as Germany's commander of the Fighter Force (General der Jagdflieger), staying in this position until January 1945 when he was relieved of his command because of his constant criticism of the Luftwaffe senior leadership, climaxing in the Fighter Pilots Conspiracy. As General der Jagdflieger Galland was forbidden to fly combat missions. For commanding Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26--26th Fighter Wing) with distinction, he earned the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.
In March 1945, Galland returned to operational flying and formed a jet fighter unit which Galland called Jagdverband 44. He flew missions over Germany until the end of the war in May. After the war Galland was employed by Argentina's Government and acted as a consultant to the Argentine Air Force. Later he returned to Germany and managed his own business. Galland also befriended many former enemies, such as RAF aces Robert Stanford Tuck and Douglas Bader, and became a consultant on the set of the movie Battle of Britain in 1969. He died in February 1996.
Major Erich Rudorffer KC with Swords
World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace and the 7th most successful fighter pilot in the history of air warfare. Rudorffer claimed a total of 222 victories, fighting in all the major German theatres of war, including the European and Mediterranean Theatre of Operations and the Eastern Front. During the war he flew more than 1000 combat missions, was engaged in aerial combat over 300 times, was shot down by flak and enemy fighters 16 times and had to take to his parachute 9 times. His 222 aerial victories include 58 heavily armoured Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft. He was also responsible for sinking a British submarine.
Oberst Johannes 'Macky' Steinhoff KC with Swords
World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace credited with 176 victories. He was one of the first to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in combat as a member of the Jagdverband 44 squadron led by Adolf Galland. Steinhoff was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, and later received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and several foreign awards including the American Legion of Merit and the French Legion of Honour. He played a role in the so-called Fighter Pilots' Revolt late in the war, when several senior air force officers confronted Hermann Göring.
Generalleutnant Gunther Rall KC with Swords
World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace, credited with 275 aerial victories, making him the third most successful fighter pilot in aviation history. Rall was shot down five times and wounded on three occasions.
Flugkapitan Wendelin Trenkle
Messerschmitt Chief Test Pilot, who test flew the first ME-108 to be produced and went on to fly the ME-109 and ME-262.
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We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
We hope you will love your purchase, however if you need to return it, we have a 60 day return policy.
