Walther Dahl
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| Walther Dahl | |
|---|---|
| 27 March 1916 — 25 November 1985 (aged 69) | |
 Walther Dahl |
|
| Nickname | Rammdahl |
| Place of birth | Lug near Bad Bergzabern |
| Place of death | Heidelberg |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |  Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1935-1945 |
| Rank | Oberst |
| Unit | JG 3, JG 300, EJG 2 |
| Commands held | III./JG 3, JG 300 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves |
Walther Dahl (27 March 1916 - 25 November 1985) was a German Oberst Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II.
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[edit] World War II
Walther Dahl was born in Lug near Bad Bergzabern and joined the army in 1935, initially serving in Infantry Regiment 119 in Stuttgart, before transferring to the Luftwaffe and becoming a fighter pilot.
Dahl was also known as Rammdahl. On 27 June 1944 Dahl took command of Jagdgeschwader 300. JG 300 was to become famous for flying the heavily armed and armored Focke Wulf FW 190A-8 "Sturmbock" in close formation, driving their attacks to point-blank range. As a last resort, after depletion of all ammunition, the pilots had to ram enemy bombers. On 13 September, Dahl brought down a USAAF B-17 four-engined bomber by ramming.
On the morning of 30 November 1944, Dahl was informed that Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring was coming to visit the troops and to present Dahl with the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. At 12:20 PM Göring and Generaloberst Bruno Loerzer arrive and Dahl made a formal report. Soon the discussion came to the point if Dahl was of the opinion that given these bad weather conditions the Geschwader could not engage in combat. Dahl explained that only good conditions would they stand a chance against the overwhelming odds of being outnumbered 1:20. He also refers to the inexperience and inadequate training of his young pilots. And only in good conditions do they stand a chance if they engage the enemy in close combat formation. Into this situation came the news of an approaching bomber formation. Göring ordered Dahl to take off and engage the enemy. Dahl stood his ground and continuously refused to obey. Göring became furious and threatened Dahl with court martial and execution. Only the arriving General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland, who confirmed Dahls' opinion, saved Dahl from severe punishment. Nevertheless Dahl was immediately relieved from his command and sent on sick leave. Subsequently Dahl was not presented with the Oak Leaves that day.[1]
On 26 January 1945, Hermann Göring appointed him Inspekteur der Tagjäger. Despite his promotion, Dahl continued to fly operationally.
Oberst Dahl ended the war flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter with III./EJG 2. On 27 March 1945, Dahl claimed two USAAF P-47 fighter kills. His 128th and last victory was a USAAF P-51 Mustang near Dillingen on 26 April 1945.
Dahl shot down 128 enemy aircraft in 678 missions, including about 300 ground-attack missions.[2] He claimed 30, possibly 36, four-engined bombers and 34 Il-2 Stormovik ground attack aircraft. Dahl also achieved two, and possibly as many as nine victories while flying the Me-262. 84 of his aerial victories were claimed over the Eastern Front.
Walther Dahl survived the war, and died on 25 November 1985 in Heidelberg at the age of 69.
[edit] Awards
- Iron Cross 2. and 1. class
- German Cross in Gold (2 December 1942)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross (11 March 1944)
- 724. Oak Leaves (1 February 1945)
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 9 July 1944
[edit] References
- Dahl, Walther. Rammjäger: Bericht über seine Kriegserlebnisse 1943 bis 1945. Pour le Mérite, 2000. ISBN 3-932381-01-7.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Murawski, Erich. Der deutsche Wehrmachtbericht 1939 - 1945, vom 1.7.1944 bis zum 9.5.1945. Schriften des Bundesarchivs 9, Boppoard am Rhein: Harald Boldt Verlag, 1962
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
- Spick, Mike. Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. Ivy Books, 1996. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.
[edit] External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Major Gerhard Michalski |
Commander of Jagdgeschwader z.b.V. May 20, 1944 – June 6, 1944 |
Succeeded by Major Gerhard Schöpfel |
| Preceded by Oberstleutnant Kurd Kettner |
Commander of Jagdgeschwader 300 June 27, 1944 – January 26, 1945 |
Succeeded by Major Kurd Peters |
