An interview with Günther Rall- in German...

[Snautzer]

i do the other part a bit later on the day.

[Snautzer]

SZ You had some benifits from your hero status

GR Sure But when you look at how the Nazi propaganda made heroes: at the start of the war it were people like Werner Mölders and Erwin Rommel (der Inspekteur der Jagdflieger und der Kommandeur des Afrikakorps; SZ)
I believe that Goebbels and the propaganda machine couldn’t imagine that heroes could become emancipated and un controllable. Mölders died in a crash when he started to oppose and Rommel was forced to take poison. The Nazi had to find means to keep the heroes on a leash when he became political unreliable.

SZ How in your case?

GR In my case it was “the Jew story” such a means. Or there was the Nachtjäger Helmut Lent, an outspoken anti nazi. His brother was a preacher his father too. The brother read out loud in church the Molders letter ( fasefied letter supposedly written by Molders with anti nazi content SZ) And was arrested by the Gestapo. Lent wrote to the head of the Sicherheitshauptamtes: ‘i am an Eichenlaubträger, I want my brother released. But they didn’t release him. The forces of power had searched for means to keep these men at bay, in order to prohibit them speaking out to the regime

SZ You lost, as you wrote, your illusions with your first encounter with Hitler

GR The first of the 4 awards for the Eichenlaubs was in 1942. After the ceremony we sat at the fire place und Hitler kicked of a speech. How he would water the Russian steppes and how he would settle german farmers there. I remembered that in the Völkischen Beobachter was written: “when the first snow falls it will all be over”. But the first snow had fallen and I was in a tent at the Ostfront freezing my balls off , so I interrupted Hitler and asked:” Mein Führer, how long will this war take? Adolf hesitated for a moment and said :’Rall, I don’t know. That surprised me very much Der Fuhrer doesn’t know something? He used to know everything

SZ You wrote in your book that you knew in 1944 that you and your kameraden didn’t mean diddly squat to the leadership. What did you think of these leaders?

GR One would get posted and used up. From the boys that from 1944 came to the front 1 in 5 survived their 10 missions. We were much to pre occupied with surviving and fighting. Our horizon was made up out of our unit and the on going day. We were like family and we looked out for each other.

SZ How important was the motive of protecting the home land for you? You were in the end in the West and battled against allied bombers destroying the homeland.

GR Terrible. When you see how 800 bombers drop their cargo on a city... unreal. Nobody of us ever forgot the view of the bomber streams, how thousands of vapour trails covered the skies.
You lived in fear of your life every day. Then it becomes no surprise anymore no sensation, You get used to it


SZ With what kind of feelings did you enter , 10 years after the war, the Bundeswehr

GR With the feeling a new time a new clear mission: to defend the Bundesrepublik and the democracies. We had allies in the West. Overthere was the aggressive Warschauer Pakt, in between the Wall. There was no doubt in what we were doing.

SZ Was it worth it?

GR It was worth it without doubt. We have today a Europe like it has never existed.. Peace friendly nations the European Union.
Only the Nato is today quite paralized. Above all a consequence of expansion at almost any price. That will put stress on its inner structures and its foreign policies.

Sz As you came to the Bundeswehr there was a new soldier image. The citizen in uniform

GR The leadership was the opposite of the Prussian Zackzack in the Reichwehr. They worked towards a better relationship between subordinates and superiors .
Decent superiors had that style in the wehrmacht but now it was systematical educated.

SZ Many veterans, like Hans-Ulrich Rudel the highest decorated soldier of the war and right wing extremist in the Bundesrepublik , glorified the war and the Nazi dictatorship.

GR His courage was in no relation to his intelligence. What he did was war, He never did get into reality.

SZ The conviction of men like Rudel were still widespread after the war. To what extent did it hinder the Bundesluftwaffe ?

GR Most of us had lived through war and dictatorship. Now we were allies with our yesterday enemies. Sure there were fools like Rudel and certain other highly decorated former Kameraden who deny the murder of the Jews. These persons however never came into the Bundeswehr. We saw the change that was offered to us by the democratie and our country.

SZ How do you see deployment in foreign countries?

GR Very sceptical. Let s look at the war in Irak that was started by George W. Bush. The war was wrong and it was good that we were not involved. That we get involved outside the Nato borders, I see as, like the former Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt under who I served for several years, the wrong way.

SZ What does it mean that German soldiers are again in serious deployments?

GR They have a peace task, and they should educate train and keep enemies apart. But it would be a mistake to believe that that will always work. There is some serious shooting in Afghanistan.


SZ You were soldier in a time that many of you’re comrades died….. fell…..
And if the society at the time could accept that , could a democratic nation that also accept that geman soldier are at war in a foreign county and die?

GR I cant and will not imagine that Germany again will participate in a war. In my last sortie on may 12 1944 900 heavy bombers from the us air force protected by 800 fighters flew in. The armada stretched from Harz to Frankfurt. And we started with 25 planes. This should never happen again. I believe no German government is prepared to sent Germans into battle.

SZ A war as you have witnessed will never be again….

GR That would be an insanity . but if humanity is more clever… I don’t know

[drgondog]

Snautzer - many thanks - this captures the man that is Gunther Rall but hard to capture the sense of humor in an intrerview like this.

Many thanks again,

Bill

[Gnomey]

Many thanks for the translation. Very interesting interview.

[Butters]

Thanks very much, Snautzer.

JL

[Amsel]

Thanks guys.

[Bill G.]

This is a good interview. I have to disagree with Rall about Iraq and Afghanistan.

I can only hope that he will come to see Saddam and the Taliban as there are, Hitler wanttabes. They are no less evil. For democracy to survive on this planet, they must be fought.

In the end, Germany is no different than the USA to Bin Laden. A people that must be forced to worship him via Islam or die.

Bill G.

[Njaco]

Thanks Snautzer! Great!

[fly boy]

cool

[Messy1]

Very interesting to hear views from the other side of the War. Thanks for translating.

[Snautzer]

My pleasure guys.