Colin’s Comments (group member since Dec 16, 2012)

Colin’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

I wrote about this crisis in two of my books, analyzing the legal, moral, ethical and military problems with such retaliatory actions. Interviews with participants enlightened me.

Creator of the Wilde Sau, Hajo Herrmann was a very good friend of mine, he our mutual friend and Wolf Falck (father of the Night Fighters) brought me into the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger as a member many years ago. This was where I harvested many interviews!

Dj wrote: "So I am still reading, The German Aces Speak: World War II Through the Eyes of Four of the Luftwaffe's Most Important Commanders [bookcover:The German Aces Speak: World War II Throu..."

Thanks for the comments on my book. The answer was quite simple. Galland had issued an order in January 1942, following up on Geneva 1929 and the previous understanding within the Luftwaffe under Hans Jeschonneck, that airmen were to be treated as noncombatants once the left their aircraft. Galland told Goering to his face that he would personally court martial any pilot who violated that rule.

The rule came under the test in 1944, when Klaus Bretschneider of JG-300 gunned down a parachuting airman from a B-17. His own squadron mates were appalled at the event, and his CO at that time, Col. Walther Dahl (another interview I conducted, his aircraft is my company logo), suspended/grounded him, and wrote the report to Galland, not long after Bretschneider received his Knight's Cross. Galland recommended court-martial to Erhard Milch, but Bretschneider was KIA before the ink was dry on the document.

Galland spoke in the absolute that his pilots were under strict orders NOT to do this, although when he visited JG-27 in 1942, there was a great discussion regarding Australian Clive Caldwell who strafed a German pilot from II/JG-27, and this was witnessed by 11 Germans, and several Commonwealth pilots.

Rommel even paid JG-27 a visit regarding this event (see my book The Star of Africa), speaking with Hans-Joachim Marseille and his fellow pilots (the following I interviewed) such as Werner Schroer, Gustav Roedel, Eduard Neumann, Ludwig Franzisket, Franz Elles, Emil Clade and Franz Stigler (see A Higher Call), and others.

Of interest Caldwell laughingly admitted to it, and clearly stated that he had done it before, and would continue doing so in the future, rules and laws of warfare be damned. The Germans in North Africa had a debate, on whether they should also start killing pilots who bailed out.

Marseille told Rommel and his superiors that it was a bad idea. Rommel agreed, and as a result he issued his personal addendum to Hitler's Kommando Befehl, where British captured commandos were to be executed immediately. Rommel ignored that order, much like the way he agreed with Marseille.

Regarding Galland's comment on 300 Me-262's (see my book The Me-262 Stormbird also) Galland was referring to the ability to destroy enough heavy bombers before D-Day to eliminate them as a factor in pre-invasion bombing or subsequent invasion support. He also believed that 300 jets with conventional a/c support could have wiped out or at lease seriously crippled the invasion fleet in the Channel.

Regarding Doenitz' comment, he had said that if he had 300 U-Boats he could win the war by 1942. I spoke with several of his senior U-Boat commanders, such as Reinhard Hardegen, Otto Kretschmer, Peter Erich Cremer, Thilo Bode, and others, and two of these men who were on his staff. After digesting the research and interviews, Doenitz' assumption had great merit.

If he had managed a U-Boat blockade from Iceland to Florida, and had Luftwaffe long range coastal air cover, Britain would have been starved out by 1943, if MANY things had gone according to plan. I believe personally that by 1943 Doenitz would have had to build 25 subs per month with trained crews just to cover wartime attrition, and that was never going to happen.

Well, hope that helps.

I interviewed and knew several Luftwaffe night fighter pilots, such as Wolfgang Falck, Hans-Joachim Jabs, Peter Spoden, Hajo Herrmann, etc. They really admired the RAF boys, knowing what they had to endure. My interviews with RAF men such as Bill Reid were really eye openers as well. My book Night Fighters covered this, but the Brits hammered it for being "biased" in their opinion.

Marc wrote: "Okay, so finished this one off last night and I have to say it was excellent. But then, I expected nothing less from Martin Middlebrook.

[bookcover:The Schweinfurt Regensburg Mission: The American..."

The late historian/pilot Jeffrey Ethell and I discussed this mission at great length, and we both interviewed Curtis Lemay and over a dozen Luftwaffe pilots who were involved. Middlebrook is a solid historian on all counts.

One thing that made the walls of Washington shudder and even consider cancelling long range strategic bombing (besides losing 64 heavy bombers and writing off another dozen upon their return to the UK) was the knowledge that until they had long range fighter escort, they would have to expect such losses.

Adolf Galland told me specifically that, "My plan was coordinated along with the Geschwader Kommodores; once the fighters turned back in Belgium, we hit the bombers. And we hit them in waves; I coordinated multiple wave attacks, and staggered the fighter units within belts of defense. Once my fighters hit them, they landed, and by that time the next wave hit them, and so on as they approached.

"Then we hit them again on the way out, trying to plot their return route with radar and ground observers and reconnaissance aircraft. Wave after wave would attack once the enemy exited the flak belts. On this day I had 400 fighters on station, and over 300 were operational. It was a good day for us despite the losses we suffered."

Major Georg-Peter Eder flying with 5.JG/26 scored two kills on this mission, both B-17s, and damaged a few others. He and others like Gerhard Shchoepfel said that "the sky was filled with parachutes and the ground was littered with wrecks, you could navigate by following the burning wrecks to and from their intended targets."

Al Stewart did songs about many of the Eastern Front battles, even Stalingrad, etc.

I interviewed several prominent airmen involved in Big Week planning and operations, such as Doolittle, Lemay, Galland and other leaders of the Luftwaffe and a few US fighter leaders also. Their perspectives were enlightening.

I knew John Cunningham, 20 victory RAF night fighter pilot, he was also a test pilot later. Great when we managed to get him, Hajo Herrmann and Wolf Falck together with many others for a forum once.

Manray9 wrote: "Today is the centennial of the Great Halifax Explosion. After a collision, the French cargo vessel Mont-Blanc, loaded with American explosives bound for France, blew up. Two thousand were killed, n..."

Actually, I could be wrong, but I believe that the explosion at the port of Peraeus, Greece was even larger, when Oblt. Hajo Herrmann dropped his bomb on an ammunition ship in 1941, blowing up all 11 fuel and ammo ships in the harbor, destroying the port until the 1950s. That blast also rattled and collapsed buildings for over 50 miles away also.

carl wrote: "Not that being a Ruski infantryman was a dream job, but one has to wonder about being a tanker.

In Hell's Gate, around the Cherkassy timeframe, early '44, the Ruskis would regularly send a dozen ..."

I interviewed three Waffen SS men and one Soviet tank commander at this battle, including Leon Degrelle whose actions would see him receive the Oak Leaves. Gruesome battle.

Manray9 wrote: "On Richard Townshend Bickers' Air War Normandy.

I am just digging into Air War Normandy. There was a very good presentation on the British electronic deception plan..."

Also an error, that was where they derived the Point Blank Directive, and that meeting set the tone for how the war would be prosecuted from that point forward.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I read this account by the author in regards to Soviet partisan operations behind the German front line with a pinch of salt:

"Over and over, small bandit groups would conceal themselves in marshl..."

The Geneva Conventions of 1929 then in effect (revised in 1949) made partisan/guerrilla (yes there is a distinction b/w the two) illegal under international law. Therefore when captured they could be tried in the field and executed if not in proper uniform. It only takes a general grade officer to sign the death warrant. Same went to Skorzeny's boys in the Ardennes. If Obama had any balls (among many others on both political sides) we would be holding tribunals and killing these bastards over there and not wasting tax payer dollars.

Manray9 wrote: "Dj wrote: "On Seas Contested: The Seven Great Navies Of The Second World War

So I have gotten to the chapter on the Japanese Navy. The writer for this section is pulling no punches...."

US submariners have a good claim, they were only 3% of the total Navy, but accounted for 92% of all Jap vessels sunk.

Amanda wrote: "I went on my library run for December challenge books today. I had wanted to read several books for this theme, but decided to start with [book:Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Aveng..."

That is a good book, and I can attest from having interviewed many of the Raiders, including Doolittle, Cole (last living), Dehayzer, Macia, Nielsen, etc.

Fortunately, for the US at a couple of battles, but in particular Belleau Wood, Marine MajGen (later LtGen) John A Lejuene was placed in command of the Army 2nd ID, which included the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments. They used flanking maneuvers and diversionary tactics to close with and destroy the German defenders in hand to hand combat after eliminating machine gun positions, justas the Army units were stalled and falling back. Hence both Marine regiments receiving the fourragère. I wore this when I was a scout sniper in 6th Marines as a unit award.

Many of of my Luftwaffe friends I interviewed flew against Malta, fighter and bomber pilots, and they were impressed with the defense of the island.

I know about Albert Ernst well, having also known many of the TD and tank aces. He was one of the very best. He knocked out the T-34/85 of a late friend of mine, Capt. Gregor Koronov.

Interesting group I came across a few of them in Africa back in the day.

Congrats, keep it going, all of us historians understand you.

I knew a German fighter pilot, successful ace who later joined the FFL and fought in Indochina, fascinating man indeed.