RAF B-29 Washington Rossbach cover signed Adolf Galland + Hermann Graf
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RAF B-29 Washington Rossbach cover signed Adolf Galland + Hermann Graf:
$35.13
B-29 Washington. Introduction of Boeing B-29 renamed The Washington to the RAF 22 March 1950-Hans Rossbach Special Cover
signedAdolf Galland
Adolf “Dolfo” Galland was born on 19 March 1912 at Westerholt, Westphalia. At the age of 17 he started flying gliders. He began flying for Lufthansa after graduating from the German Commercial Air Transport School at Brunswick. This was at a time when the German Air Arm was created, following Hitler\'s rise to power, and students were sent clandestinely to the Soviet Union and Italy. In February 1934, he joined the Luftwaffe, an accomplished pilot and instructor, at the Fighter Pilot School at Munich-Schleissheim. By April 1935 he was a fighter pilot with Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richtofen”. In 1937, he volunteered for service with the Condor Legion in Spain. Galland was put in command of 3 Staffel of J/88, equipped with the Heinkel He-51 biplanes, which were used in the ground attack and support role. He distinguished himself, especially on the Asturias, Teruel and Ebro fronts, completing 280 combat sorties before being relieved by Werner Mölders in mid-1938. He had met Mölders in the hotel \"Cristina\" where they were billeted, and they were to become firm friends. Galland’s many original contributions to ground support techniques brought him to the attention of the Luftwaffe High Command. However, his reward for the innovative work in Spain was flying a desk in the Air Ministry working out directives for the organisation of close support units and the training of fighter pilots in direct support operations. When World War 2 broke out Oberleutnant Galland was a Staffelkapitän of 4.(S)/LG 2 equipped with the Henschel Hs 123, a biplane Stuka. He took part in the invasion of Poland flying 50 ground attack missions. Galland was awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class for his efforts. Galland was posted away to JG 27 at Krefeld, arriving there on 15 February 1940. He was assigned to the Geschwaderstab and assumed the role of Geschwader Adjutant. On 12 May, west of Liege, Belgium, he scored his first aerial victory. Two more victories followed that day. All three victims were RAF Hurricanes. By the end of the French campaign he had accumulated 14 victories. On 6 June 1940, Hauptmann Galland was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 26. Promoted Major on 18 July, Galland stayed with III./JG 26 through the Battle of Britain.
On 24 July, Galland led III./JG 26 over the north coast of the Thames Estuary. Here they engaged Spitfires and Galland was able to shoot one down to the north of Margate. He had shot down the British ace P/O “Johnny” Allen (7.333 confirmed and 5 unconfirmed destroyed victories) of 56 Sqn, RAF, who was killed in the crash-landing that followed this combat. On 28 July, RAF fighters were scrambled to intercept a large German bomber formation headed for Dover. When confronted by the RAF fighters, the German bomber formation promptly headed for home. The RAF fighters were thus left to combat the escorting German fighters of I. and II./JG 51 and III./JG 26. Galland claimed a Spitfire shot down near Dover for his 17th victory. He had shot down another British ace, Sub-Lt Francis Dawson-Paul (7.25 confirmed and 1 unconfirmed destroyed and 1 damaged victories), a Royal Navy pilot on loan to the RAF. Dawson-Paul was shot down into the Channel where he was picked up by a German E-boat, but he died from the wounds received in this combat on 30 July. Galland was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 1 August for 17 victories. It is thought he again shot down a notable RAF pilot on 15 August, when he brought down the New Zealand ace F/Lt “Al” Deere (17.333 confirmed and 2.5 unconfirmed destroyed, 4 probable and 7.5 damaged victories) of 54 Sqn, RAF. Deere baled out of his Spitfire between Dover and Folkestone. On 24 September, Galland downed his 40th victim, another notable RAF pilot, Harold Bird-Wilson (5.2 destroyed, 3 probable and 3 damaged victories) of 17 Sqn, RAF who baled out badly burned near Chatham. Galland was awarded the newly instituted Eichenlauben on 25 September. By the end of September he had 42 victories. On 1 November 1940, Galland was promoted to Oberstleutnant and given command of JG 26. He had 50 victories to his credit. JG 26 was escorting the Bf 110 fighter bombers of EprGr 210 on a raid of Martlesham Heath on 17 November. The formation was intercepted by RAF Hurricanes. In the ensuing combat, Galland claimed a Hurricane shot down. The pilot, ace Count Manfred Czernin (17 destroyed, 3.5 probable and 3.833 damaged victories) of 17 Sqn, RAF, baled out unhurt. On 21 June 1941, Galland shot down a Spitfire east of Boulogne. He, in turn, was shot down, by the Polish ace Boleslaw Drobinski (7.133/1.333/0 victories) of 303 Sqn, RAF, and baled out wounded. Shortly after, he was awarded the Schwerten to his Ritterkreuz. Galland had, by now, been ordered by Hitler and Göring not to fly combat missions. However, he disregarded these orders and continued to rack up aerial victories. On the death of Oberst Werner Mölders (115 victories, RK-Br) on 22 November 1941, Galland was named General der Jagdflieger. Before settling into his new job, Oberst Galland directed the fighter protection for the Channel dash of the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, from Brest. Operation Donnerkeil was a striking success. He was awarded the Brillanten to his Ritterkreuz on 28 January 1942 with his victory tally at 94. As General der Jagdflieger, he commanded a small unit operating Fw 190s. He flew about 10 combat missions and, it is thought, he gained two victories over USAAF B-17 bombers during 1944. It remains unsure whether his claims during this period were submitted or confirmed. Stab G.d.J claimed two B-17s shot down on 8 March 1944 and it is thought Galland may have been one of the claimants. Galland became one of the most controversial figures of his time through his skirmishes with Reichsmarschal Göring and his frank addresses to Hitler when he emphasized the need for more fighters to oppose the increasingly intense allied bombing raids over Germany. Galland’s contemporaries in combat commands eventually began planning to force Göring’s resignation, by seeking an audience with Hitler. Although Galland took no direct part in such activities, he was aware that all this was in train. In the denouement, Göring attributed the incipient mutiny to Galland, sacked him and prepared a trial in which blame for the collapse of the Jagdwaffe would be directed to the General der Jagdflieger. Hitler intervened but then insisted, as an end to the “Galland affair”, that he be given command of a unit of jet fighters. Galland led JV 44 until 26 April 1945 gaining up to seven victories flying the Me 262 jet fighter. On this day Generalleutnant Galland led 12 rocket-equipped Me 262s from München-Reim to intercept a formation of B-26 medium bombers targetting the airfield at Lechfeld. He claimed two of the bombers, but with cannon-fire rather than the rockets with which his Me 262 was armed. During his initial approach, Galland had failed to deactivate a safety switch which prevented him from firing the rockets. During his attacks on the bombers, Galland’s Me 262 was struck by return fire. Disengaging from the bombers, he was bounced by a P-47 flown by 1st Lt James J Finnegan of the 50th Fighter Group, USAAF. Galland was wounded in the right knee and his aircraft received further damage. He was able to bring his crippled jet back to München-Reim and successfully land, albeit with a flat nose wheel tyre. He was forced to leap from his aircraft and take shelter because the airfield was under attack by American fighters. The wound suffered in this encounter were serious enough to end his combat flying. Galland surrendered himself to American forces at Tegernsee on 5 May 1945. He was held in military custody for two years. He was released in 1947. In October 1948, Galland took a position with the Argentine Air Force. There followed many offers to act as consultant to armament firms who would equip the new Luftwaffe. He made his choices and settled down to prosperous and lively decades as a businessman.
In his final years he divided his time between his home in Germany and his bungalow by the Alicante coast of Spain. Adolf Galland passed away on 9 February 1996 at Remagen-Oberwinter.
Adolf Galland achieved 104 aerial victories in 705 missions, all on the Western front. Included in his score are at least seven victories flying the Me 262 and four four-engined bombers. He was himself shot down four times
and
Hermann Graf Hermann Graf was born on 24 October 1912 at Engen in Baden. As the son of a blacksmith, his modest family origins and poor academic achievements barred access to a military career. He completed an apprenticeship as a locksmith but dropped the trade and took a clerical post at the local municipal offices. He remained in the job until the outbreak of the war. Graf had taken up gliding in 1932, and by 1936 had also qualified as a pilot of powered aircraft. He was also an enthusiastic soccer player.
In 1935, Graf applied for flight training with the Luftwaffe. On 2 June 1936, he joined the Fliegerführerschule at Karlsruhe to begin his basic flying training, graduating on 25 September 1936. Graf completed advanced flying training on 31 May 1938. Despite being selected to undergo multi-engine flying training, Graf succeeded in being posted to 2./JG 51, a fighter unit equipped with the Bf 109 E-1, with the rank of Unteroffizier on 31 May 1939. On the outbreak of World War 2, Graf was promoted to the rank of Feldwebel. He flew 21 frontier patrols over the Franco-German border without firing his guns in anger. On 20 January 1940, Graf was transferred as an instructor to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Merseburg. He was promoted to the rank of Leutnant on 1 May. Graf was transferred to JG 52 on 6 October 1940 based at Berlin-Schönwalde. Leutnant Graf was assigned to 9./JG 52. On 14 October, Graf relocated to Rumania with the unit and instructed Rumanian pilots under the auspicies of the German military mission. During this period 9./JG 52 was redesignated 3./JG 28 but was reinstated as 9./JG 52 in late December. In late May 1941, a detachment of III./JG 52 was transferred to Greece to support the invasion of Crete. Graf flew many ground-attck missions over the island. By early June, the detachment had relocated back to Rumania. On 1 August 1941, Graf accompanied 9./JG 52 to the Ukrainian airfield of Biyala Tserkov. On 4 August, he recorded his first victory when he shot down a Russian I-16 fighter during an escort mission for German Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers against Kiev. On 27 September, his Bf 109 was damaged by return fire from the Russian DB-3 twin-engine bomber he was attacking. Graf managed to bring his damaged aircraft back across the front line and a safe landing. In October, Graf claimed 12 victories, including two Russian fighters shot down on 3 October to record his ninth and 10th victories. In December he again claimed 12 victories, including three enemy aircraft shot down on 6 December (32-34), a further three shot down on 8 December (35-37) and four on 27 December (38-41).
Graf was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 24 January after reaching 45 victories. On 23 March 1942, following his 50th victory, Graf was appointed Staffelkapitän of 9./JG 52. His leadership fostered emerging fighter pilots such as Alfred Grislawski (133 victories, RK-EL), Ernst Süss (68 victories, RK, killed in action 20 December 1943), Leopold Steinbatz (99 victories, RK-S, killed in action 15 June 1942) and Heinrich Füllgrabe (67 victories, RK, killed in action 30 January 1945). Graf, began an incredible run of success when, in three weeks, commencing the last week of April, he shot down 48 Russian aircraft. On 30 April, he claimed six victories (64-69), seven on 2 May (70-76), seven on 8 May (79-86), six on 13 May (91-96) and eight on 14 May (97-104). On 17 May 1942, Graf was awarded the Eichenlaub for reaching 104 victories. He was seventh Luftwaffe fighter pilot to achieve 100 victories. The Schwerten (Nr 11) followed two days later, on 19 May 1942, for reaching 106 victories. Graf continued his amazing success during the battles over and around Stalingrad. He claimed 32 victories in August, including four enemy aircraft shot down on 13 August (112-115), five Russian fighters shot down on 14 August (116-120) and a further four Russian fighters shot down on 23 August (130-133). Graf claimed an incredible 62 victories in September, including four on 2 September (141-145), another four on 3 September (146-149), four on 21 September (182-185) and 10 on 23 September (188-197). On 26 September he shot down three enemy aircraft to become the first fighter pilot credited with 200 victories. On 16 September 1942, Oberleutnant Graf was awarded the Brillanten: only the fifth recipient. After achieving his 200th victory he was ordered not to fly operationally. During this period, Graf had had his fair share of close shaves. On 15 September 1942, he had received a cannon hit in the cockpit, on 16 September, he had received 30 hits to his aircraft and on 19 September, his aircraft received hits from ground fire in the wings and, later that day, had half of his rudder shot away. Graf was much feted by the Nazi media. His “star status” was enhanced by his appearances in goal for “die Roten Jäger” or Red Hunters, a Luftwaffe soccer team, which was effectively the German national soccer squad.
In the first half of 1943, Graf commanded Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, an advanced fighter pilots’ training school, based at Bordeaux in France. On 21 July 1943, Jagdgruppe Süd der ObdL was formed as a high altitude fighter unit to combat RAF Mosquito twin-engine reconnaisance aircraft. On 15 August 1943, the unit was redesignated JG 50. Major Graf was tasked with leading JG 50, a role he performed until the unit was disbanded in October 1943 and absorbed into I./JG 301. Graf was to claim three victories while serving with this unit, including two USAAF B-17 four-engine bombers shot down on 6 September (204-205). Oberst Graf was appointed Kommodore of JG 11 on 11 November 1943. Over the next four months he would be credited with six victories on Reichsverteidigung operations despite being forofferden to take part in combat missions. On 29 March 1944, Graf downed one USAAF P-51 Mustang and rammed another. Wounded, he was forced to bale out of his stricken Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 26 020) “< +”. On 1 October 1944, Oberst Graf was appointed Kommodore of JG 52 based on the Eastern front. He led the unit in a constant retreat through East Prussia, Silesia and Böhmen. He surrendered to American forces at Pisek on 8 May 1945. The Americans, however, promptly handed Graf to Russians. Graf was incarcerated by the Soviets, finally being released on 25 December 1949. Graf was to be heavily criticised by his peers for collaborating with his captors during his five years of imprisonment. Graf became a salesman for an electronics manufacturer and rose to become a Branch Manager in Baden and later Head of Sales. He took up flying becoming a member of the Swiss Aeroclub. From 1965, Graf was afflicted with Parkinson’s disease and he died on 4 November 1988 in his hometown of Engen.
Herman Graf is credited with 212 victories in over 830 missions. He recorded 202 victories over the Eastern Front. Of his 10 victories recorded over the Western front, six were four-engine bombers.
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RAF B-29 Washington Rossbach cover signed Adolf Galland + Hermann Graf:
$35.13