Birth: March 19, 1912 Death: February 9, 1996
During the Battle of Britain the question "fighter or fighter-bomber?" had been decided once and for all: The fighter can only be used as a bomb carr….
Flying is more than a sport and more than a job; flying is pure passion and desire, which fill a lifetime..
Nine g's is good, if the pilot can stand it. We couldn't stand it. Not in the airplanes of World War II..
Many pilots of the time were the opinion that a fighter pilot in a closed cockpit was an impossible thing, because you should smell the enemy. You co….
If we would have had the 262 at our disposal - even with all the delays - if we could have had in '44, ah, let's say three hundred operational, that ….
We have built a total of about 1250 of this aircraft, but only fifty were allowed to be used as fighters - as interceptors. And out of this fifty, th….
I made a written report which is still today in existence. I have a photocopy of it, and I am saying that in production this aircraft could perhaps s….
I would like to mention that I have flown the 262 first in May ‘43. At this time, the aircraft was completely secret. I first knew of the existence o….
And most of these pilots were lost during the first five flights..
"He who wants to protect everything, protects nothing," is one of the fundamental rules of defense..
An excellent weapon and luck had been on my side. To be successful, the best fighter pilot needs both..
The first rule of all air combat is to see the opponent first. Like the hunter who stalks his prey and maneuvers himself unnoticed into the most favo….
Never abandon the possibility of attack. Attack even from a position of inferiority, to disrupt the enemy's plans. This often results in improving on….
Today it is even more important to dominate the . . . highly sophisticated weapon systems, perhaps even more important than being a good pilot; to ma….
To use a fighter as a fighter-bomber when the strength of the fighter arm is inadequate to achieve air superiority is putting the cart before the hor….
For the first time I was flying by jet propulsion. No engine vibrations. No torque and no lashing sound of the propeller. Accompanied by a whistling ….
According to Goering and the Luftwaffe High Command, they were supposed to be the fighter elite..
Superior technical achievements - used correctly both strategically and tactically - can beat any quantity numerically many times stronger yet techni….
It's unbelievable what one squadron of twelve aircraft did to tip the balance..
As a fighter pilot I know from my own experiences how decisive surprise and luck can be for success, which in the long run comes only to the one who ….
The German Luftwaffe always fought without any reserves. This is also the reason why we have pilots with extremely high numbers of victories..