Wilhelm-Ferdinand "Wutz" Galland
Major

Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland

    Wilhelm-Ferdinand “Wutz” Galland was born on 23 October 1914 at Bochum. He enlisted in the Luftwaffe in 1935 serving with a flak regiment. Galland participated in the invasion of the Low Countries and France with a flak regiment before volunteering for flight training at the end of 1940. He competed operational training with Ergänzungsgruppe/JG 26 and reported to II./JG 26 on 27 June 1941. JG 26 was under command of his brother Adolf Galland (104 victories, RK-Br). His younger brother Paul Galland (17 victories, killed in action 31 October 1942) was also serving with the unit. Assigned to 6./JG 26, “Wutz” scored his first victory on 23 July 1941, shooting down a RAF Spitfire fighter near Hesdin. By the end of 1941 his victory total had climbed to three. On 5 May 1942, Galland was appointed Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 26. He had eight victories to his credit. On 2 June, he claimed two Spitfires shot down over the Somme Estuary to record his ninth and 10th victories. Galland recorded his 20th victory on 4 December when he shot down another Spitfire near Boulogne. His score had risen to 21 by the end of 1942. Hauptmann Galland was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 26 on 3 January 1943. On 13 January he claimed a Spitfire shot down, but, it was, in fact, a 6th Staffel Bf 109G-4 piloted by Unteroffizier Johann Irlinger. The mistaken identification of the Messerschmitt for a Spitfire cost Irlinger his life. The incident was cleaned up for the official records... On 28 January, Galland received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold for 24 victories. He recorded his 30th victory on 15 February, when he shot down a Spitfire near Ramsgate. Galland was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 18 May 1943 for 35 victories.

Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland

    On 21 April, Galland scrambled at the head of II./JG 26 to intercept an RAF formation targetting the Abbeville railroad yards. He led the attack on the bombers claiming two Ventura twin-engine bombers shot down to record his 39th and 40th victories. On 14 July, Galland entered combat with USAAF P-47 fighters escorting B-17 four-engine bombers raiding Villacoublay. He calimed two of the fighters shot down to record his 49th and 50th victories. On 17 August 1943, at 16:52, three Staffeln from II./JG 26 took off from Lille-Nord, under the command of Major Galland, to intercept a formation of USAAF four-engine bombers on their return course from a bombing raid on Schweinfurt. Over Lutych, the unit encountered a formation of 150 to 200 bombers, escorted by nearly 200 escort fighters. II./JG 26 bounced the bombers but were, in turn, attacked by a unit of P-47 fighters from the 56th Fighter Group, USAAF. Their fire crippled the FW 190 A-5 (W.Nr. 530 125) <<+- flown by “Wutz” Galland which crashed at high speed near Liegne, 5 km west of Maastricht. The impact left a large crater in the ground from which it was impossible to remove all the wreckage. Some sources suggest that “Wutz” Galland was shot down by the American ace Walker “Bud” Mahurin (24.25 confirmed, 4 probable and 2 damaged victories) of the 56th Fighter Group, USAAF.
    “Wutz” Galland was credited with 54 aerial victories in 186 missions. All his victories were recorded over the Western Front and included seven four-engine bombers and 37 Spitfires.
 
No
Date
Time
A/c Type
Unit
Location
Comments
1.
23.7.1941
20:50
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 NW Hesdin -
2.
27.9.1941
15:35
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 Boulogne -
3.
6.11.1941
15:35
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 Calais Spitfire of 452 Sqn, RAF
4.
28.3.1942
18:50
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 Cap Gris Nez -
5.
10.4.1942
17:45
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 4-6km W Etaples Spitfire of 340 Sqn, RAF
6.
24.4.1942
14:54
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 Cap d’Albert Spitfire of 234 Sqn, RAF
7.
1.5.1942
19:45
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 Dover -
8.
5.5.1942
14:53
 Spitfire 6./JG 26 Boulogne Spitfire of 41 Sqn, RAF
9.
2.6.1942
7:10
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 Somme Estuary -
10.
2.6.1942
7:18
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 Somme Estuary -
11.
20.6.1942
15:46
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 Guines -
12.
31.7.1942
15:07
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 WNW Somme Estuary -
13.
31.7.1942
15:07
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 WNW Somme Estuary -
14.
19.8.1942
7:55
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 N Dieppe -
15.
27.8.1942
13:45
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 15-18km NW Somme Estuary Spitfire of 350 Sqn, RAF
16.
28.8.1942
14:35
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 10km ESE Amiens Spitfire of 401 Sqn, RAF
17.
5.9.1942
11:35
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 Le Tréport -
18.
15.10.1942
16:34
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 WNW Fécamp Spitfire of 122 Sqn, RAF
19.
4.12.1942
14:55
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 20km NW Boulogne -
20.
12.12.1942
11:39
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 2km NW Boulogne -
21.
31.12.1942
14:45
 Spitfire 5./JG 26 NNW Gravelines Spitfire of 306 Sqn, RAF
22.
9.1.1943
13:45
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 W Somme Estuary Spitfire of 340 Sqn, RAF
23.
22.1.1943
15:30
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 WNW Gravelines Spitfire of 350 Sqn, RAF
24.
26.1.1943
12:52
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 Watten -
25.
3.2.1943
11:05
 Hudson Stab II./JG 26 10km N Fort Phillip Ventura of 21 Sqn, RAF
26.
3.2.1943
11:12
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 12km N Port Phillip Spitfire of 308 Sqn, RAF
27.
3.2.1943
15:28
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 12-15km N Dunkirk Spitfire of 416 Sqn, RAF
28.
13.2.1943
10:17
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 6km W Hardelot Spitfire of 340 Sqn, RAF
29.
13.2.1943
10:20
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 SE Le Touquet Spitfire of 485 Sqn, RAF
30.
15.2.1943
16:04
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 6-8km SE Ramsgate -
31.
26.2.1943
10:35
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 5-15km W St Omer Spitfire of 122 Sqn, RAF
32.
8.3.1943
14:04
 B-24 Stab II./JG 26 Tôtes B-24 of 44 BG, USAAF
33.
13.3.1943
15:35
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 Etaples -
34.
14.3.1943
17:55
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 10km SW Boulogne -
35.
4.4.1943
14:40
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 SE Fécamp -
36.
4.4.1943
14:45
 B-17 Stab II./JG 26 8km N Fécamp -
37.
4.4.1943
14:55
 B-17 Stab II./JG 26 20-30km N Fécamp -
38.
5.4.1943
15:25
 B-17 Stab II./JG 26 S Antwerp B-17 of 306 BG, USAAF
39.
17.4.1943
15:06
 Mustang Stab II./JG 26 20km WNW Somme Estuary Typhoon of 56 Sqn, RAF
40.
21.4.1943
12:14
 Ventura Stab II./JG 26 NE Somme Estuary Ventura of 21 Sqn, RAF
41.
21.4.1943
12:20
 Ventura Stab II./JG 26 10-20km W Somme Estuary Ventura of 21 Sqn, RAF
42.
16.6.1943
7:10
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 Calais-Dover Spitfire of 91 Sqn, RAF
43.
20.6.1943
13:30
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 NE Hesdin Spitfire of 403 Sqn, RAF
44.
22.6.1943
9:22
 B-17 Stab II./JG 26 10km NW Vlissingen -
-
22.6.1943
9:25
 B-17 e.V Stab II./JG 26 20km NW Vlissingen -
45.
26.6.1943
18:52
 P-47 Stab II./JG 26 N Neufchatel P-47 of 56 FG, USAAF
46.
26.6.1943
19:04
 P-47 Stab II./JG 26 10km NW Dieppe P-47 of 56 FG, USAAF
47.
4.7.1943
17:37
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 Near Amiens Spitfire of 122 Sqn, RAF
48.
9.7.1943
8:16
 Spitfire Stab II./JG 26 Near Boulogne -
49.
14.7.1943
7:50
 P-47 Stab II./JG 26 NW Hesdin P-47C of 78 FG, USAAF flown by Lt A DeGenero
50.
14.7.1943
8:05
 P-47 Stab II./JG 26 10-15km W Etaples P-47C of 78 FG, USAAF
51.
15.7.1943
16:50
 Boston Stab II./JG 26 Somme Estuary Boston III of 107 Sqn, RAF
52.
15.7.1943
16:55
 P-47 Stab II./JG 26 10km NW Somme Estuary Typhoon of 181 Sqn, RAF
53.
30.7.1943
10:05
 B-17 Stab II./JG 26 Near Apeldoorn B-17F of 381 BG, USAAF
54.
12.8.1943
9:08
 B-17 Stab II./JG 26 Near Siegburg -

Victories : 54
Awards : Ehrenpokal (12 October 1942)
                Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (28 January 1943)
                Ritterkreuz (18 May 1943)
Units : JG 26

Home