Nazi-Era Pilot Helped Lead Germany's Postwar Military
One of Nazi Germany's most formidable fighter pilots, Günther Rall survived the war to become a leader of his country's rehabilitated military during the postwar period.
Mr. Rall, who died Oct. 4 at the age of 91, was credited with shooting down 275 planes during World War II, making him one of the most lethal fighter pilots in history.
A decade after the war, he returned to the military, where he helped establish and then lead the West German Air Force. He also developed strong military ties to the U.S., undergoing training on U.S. fighter jets during the Cold War and eventually serving as a top official in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
A squadron commander for most of the war, Mr. Rall flew more than 800 missions over France, England, Crete and the Eastern Front, where he and the fliers he commanded downed less-advanced Russian planes in large numbers. He was shot down several times but evaded capture by Allied forces until shortly before the end of the war.
"He was one of the most outstanding fighter pilots of the 20th century, an extraordinary marksman" says Von Hardesty, a curator in the aerospace division of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
Raised in a small village in southwestern Germany, Mr. Rall joined the German Army in 1936 at the age of 18, but after studying at the War College in Dresden he decided to switch to the Luftwaffe, the German air force. He qualified as a fighter pilot in 1938 and shot down his first plane when Adolf Hitler's army invaded France in the spring of 1940.
After France fell to the Germans, Mr. Rall took part briefly in the Battle of Britain, during which he was made a commander. His squadron was next ordered to Romania and then to Crete.
After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Mr. Rall's unit returned to Romania to protect oil refineries under attack by Russian bombers.
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Mr. Rall, who died Oct. 4 at the age of 91, was credited with shooting down 275 planes during World War II, making him one of the most lethal fighter pilots in history.
A decade after the war, he returned to the military, where he helped establish and then lead the West German Air Force. He also developed strong military ties to the U.S., undergoing training on U.S. fighter jets during the Cold War and eventually serving as a top official in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
A squadron commander for most of the war, Mr. Rall flew more than 800 missions over France, England, Crete and the Eastern Front, where he and the fliers he commanded downed less-advanced Russian planes in large numbers. He was shot down several times but evaded capture by Allied forces until shortly before the end of the war.
"He was one of the most outstanding fighter pilots of the 20th century, an extraordinary marksman" says Von Hardesty, a curator in the aerospace division of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
Raised in a small village in southwestern Germany, Mr. Rall joined the German Army in 1936 at the age of 18, but after studying at the War College in Dresden he decided to switch to the Luftwaffe, the German air force. He qualified as a fighter pilot in 1938 and shot down his first plane when Adolf Hitler's army invaded France in the spring of 1940.
After France fell to the Germans, Mr. Rall took part briefly in the Battle of Britain, during which he was made a commander. His squadron was next ordered to Romania and then to Crete.
After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Mr. Rall's unit returned to Romania to protect oil refineries under attack by Russian bombers.