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#3795330 - 06/12/13 03:17 AM Meeting Gunther Rall  
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Chipwich Offline
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Not quite BoB era, but perhaps an interest to you gents. A few years ago I had the very good fortune of chatting with Gunther Rall at an aces conference. He was quite congenial and didn't mind answering a few questions. To the best of my memory the conversation went something like this.

Me: "Herr, err, General Rall, do you mind if I ask which was your favorite aircraft to fly?"

Gen Rall: "Oh that an easy one. The 109 of course."

Me: "Excellent. Do you mind if I ask which one, the E or G models perhaps?"

Gen Rall: "Oh no, it was most certainly the F."

Me: "Of course Herr General. The F. May I ask was it the F2 or the F4 perhaps?"

At this point he looked at me as if I were a crazed Star Trek fan wanting to know how many tribbles can bring down the Enterprise.

Me: "Please disregard Herr General. It is not important. It is quite an honor to meet you."

With that he handed me a copy of his autobiography. Later when I had a few moments to check what he had written, inside was simply,

To Daniel,
Horrido!
Gunther Rall



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#3795393 - 06/12/13 08:24 AM Re: Meeting Gunther Rall [Re: Chipwich]  
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HeHe. I am willing to bet that this isn't the first time a WW2 'expert' has asked him a question like that. I suppose that it would be the same as someone asking an F16 pilot, in the future, if he preferred the Block 25 vs the Block 40 versions of the aircraft.

I have gotten the opportunity, over the years, to discuss aircraft with quite a few retired WW2 pilots that have come through the Army Hospital that I work at. I have done the same thing a couple of times, gotten deep into the weeds with someone that has done more than just pretended to fly and fight in these aircraft. At times I have gotten that, 'Is this all you think about' look from some of them. I had one honestly say he couldn't remember the minute differences between the several types of P-38s that he flew and wondered how I knew so much about these aircraft.

In all honesty, I couldn't really answer him all that well. If you think about it, it really is kinda stupid going into that much detail.


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#3795519 - 06/12/13 02:35 PM Re: Meeting Gunther Rall [Re: Chipwich]  
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Awesome encounter Chipwich

#3795545 - 06/12/13 03:14 PM Re: Meeting Gunther Rall [Re: Chipwich]  
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Must have been a great experience.

We had the honor of having Sir Tim Elkinton of the RAF visit our boards a few years ago and provide a lot of insight. He was one of the first to arrive in Murmansk and fly a Hurricane off the HMS Argus. A really modest person and answered so many questions.

My great uncle (grandmother's brother) was a artillery battery commander during WW2 (served in Burma just near the end of WW2). When I asked him which was his favorite arty piece, he replied that as long as it could get the shell to the other side, he didn't care.


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#3795938 - 06/13/13 02:44 AM Re: Meeting Gunther Rall [Re: Chipwich]  
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Chipwich Offline
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Thanks gentlemen. I hardly consider myself any sort of WWII expert, but more like most of you, have a keen interest in combat aviation of that era. I do have hanging in my home office a painting by Jim Laurier entitled 'Adler Schwarm' showing then CO of 11/JG11, Rall, leading a departing flight of G6's against Zmepke's Wolf Pack. Knowing that Rall had flown most of the 109s up to the G6, I was very curious of his opinion as to which was the best. Just as I'm sure some Spitfire pilots have opinions as to the was was the pinnacle MK of that aircraft.

At the time, my Allied IL-2 squad was winding down, so I done a short stint with a group that flew Axis, and had really loved the F series 109s. Was it pure coincidence that the second highest scoring Luftwaffe ace had a similar affection, or did Oleg and co. simply get it right? Regardless, Rall was very happy to discuss, and I really think that he enjoyed the accolades more than was concerned about anyone being overzealous. The war was obviously a long time ago, with Gen. Rall having flown many other types of aircraft during his long career. He did have a little twinkle in his eye and he sat up a little straighter when I popped the question.

We can bandy about the moralities of war, the superiority of types, and the opinions of experts and historians. But this was a guy who sat in the cockpit and flew the aircraft in combat, obviously to great effect. I relished the opportunity to hear it from the source, as you would have, and as we all would have from any of these brave men while we still have the chance.

An opportunity missed, this according to my mother. My dad flew fighters in the USAF, a career that spanned the F-84 to F-4E. Mom says that while we were based in England in the late 50s and early 60s, that dad, while flying the F-101 out of RAF Bentwaters / Woodbridge, made good friends with Galland. She talks of him coming to the house for dinner, of late nights, and wild parties. Galland was a civilian then, and I am not sure where they would have met. Regardless, Luftwaffe F-104 squadrons frequently did cross country's to US bases during that time, and I remember the gregarious Germans enjoying cocktail parties in our home, and on one occasion to the point of one sleeping under the dinning room table through the night, complete in flying suit and boots. I was pretty young at the time, but I remember a lot of our time in England.

Sadly, dad became ill long before I felt the need to query him on such events, but I guess the lesson is that fighter pilots will be fighter pilots, and at some point they all decided to put the past behind them.


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#3796327 - 06/13/13 08:28 PM Re: Meeting Gunther Rall [Re: Chipwich]  
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If your Dad met Galland in England during the 60's, I wouldn't be surprised if it was during the making of "The Battle Of Britain." I met Galland at Oshkosh back in the late 80's. He, also, was more than willing to talk, to us. He looked as though he'd had a few, too.
Things like F2 or F4 Messerschmidt 109 are more important to flight simmers than they were to the men who flew them. Some of us probably know more about the ridiculous little details about these airplanes than they did.


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#3796922 - 06/14/13 09:58 PM Re: Meeting Gunther Rall [Re: Pooch]  
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A fabulous post and yes forget the morality's of it all they flew and fought to win on either side.

A comment I will never forget was during the period of the making of the Battle of Britain film ( at that time in the late sixty's their was quite a few of them still around) a gathering was formed of X RAF and Luftwaffe types.

Douglas Bader amongst others was with a group of fellow and associated pilots and looking down from a balcony spotted a large group he did not recognise.

"Who are those chaps?", asked Bader.

"OH, they are the Luftwaffe types", someone replied.

after a pause and an astonished look on his face Bader replied.

"Christ, I didn't realise we had left so many of the buggers off the hook"! 50cal

#3803818 - 07/02/13 03:53 AM Re: Meeting Gunther Rall [Re: Chipwich]  
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I B Spectre Offline
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Originally Posted By: Chipwich
Was it pure coincidence that the second highest scoring Luftwaffe ace had a similar affection, or did Oleg and co. simply get it right? Regardless, Rall was very happy to discuss, and I really think that he enjoyed the accolades more than was concerned about anyone being overzealous.


General Rall was the 3rd highest scoring Luftwaffe ace with 275 victories behind Gerhard Barkhorn (#2 with 301) and Erich Hartmann (#1 with 352). All three survived the war.


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