Günther Rall

Günther Rall
Günther Rall as Inspector of the Air Force of West Germany, 1970s
German Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee
In office 1974–1975
Preceded by	Peter von Butler
Succeeded by	Herbert Trebesch
Inspector of the Air Force
In office 1971–1974
Preceded by	Johannes Steinhoff
Succeeded by	Gerhard Limberg
Personal details
Born	(1918-03-10)10 March 1918 Gaggenau, German Empire
Died	4 October 2009(2009-10-04) (aged 91) Bad Reichenhall
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Bundesverdienstkreuz
Military service
Allegiance	Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe  German Air Force
Years of service	1936–45 1956–75
Rank	Major (Wehrmacht) Lieutenant General (Bundeswehr)
Unit	JG 300
Commands	III./JG 52 and II./JG 11
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France Battle of Britain Balkans Campaign Eastern Front Defense of the Reich

World War II

Günther Rall (10 March 1918 – 4 October 2009) was a German lieutenant-general, the third most successful fighter ace in history and later head of the West German Luftwaffe during the Cold War.

He achieved a total of 275 victories during World War II: 272 on the Eastern Front, of which 241 were against Soviet fighters. He flew a total of 621 combat missions, was shot down eight times and was wounded three times. He fought 1940 in the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain, 1941 in the Balkan Campaign and over Crete. He began the conflict as a Second Lieutenant, and was a Major and Geschwaderkommodore of JG 300 when the war ended. He claimed all of his victories in the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

In 1956 he again became a pilot in the West German Luftwaffe, and from the 1960s he held increasingly prominent command posts. He served as Inspector of the Air Force 1971–1974 and as the German Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee 1974–1975. He attended the NATO Defense College in 1964.

Rall was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 of the Luftwaffe in July 1938. He first saw combat during the Battle of France, and on 12 May 1940, he scored his first victory. Three French Curtiss H75-C1 (P-36 Hawk) fighters were attacking a German reconnaissance aircraft at a height of 26,000 feet. Rall "bounced" them and shot down one. He later said:"I was lucky in my first dogfight, but it did give me a hell of a lot of self-confidence... and a scaring, because I was also hit by many bullets."