The German Aces Speak: World War II Through the Eyes of Four of the Luftwaffe's Most Important Commanders by Colin D. Heaton & Anne-Marie Lewis & Jon Guttman & Brig. Gen. Robin Olds USAF (Ret.) & Oberleutnant Kurt Schulze

Author:Colin D. Heaton & Anne-Marie Lewis & Jon Guttman & Brig. Gen. Robin Olds USAF (Ret.) & Oberleutnant Kurt Schulze [Heaton, Colin D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Motorbooks International
Published: 2011-11-14T22:00:00+00:00

Father of the Night Fighters

Wolfgang Falck

8 victories; Knight’s Cross

(August 19, 1910–March 13, 2007)

WOLFGANG FALCK WAS ONE OF THOSE MEN who simply fell into history as if by accident. As a young pilot, and a natural leader, he was a thinking man. He was very similar to other young Germans in his position, where his skills and intellect combined in a wartime environment to create a very formidable adversary. Falck was to bring his creative genius to the forefront when he devised the concept of night fighting.

Falck was on the ground floor during the creation of the Luftwaffe, and from the mid-1930s until the end of the war, he was intricately involved in the planning, policy making, and logistics of defending Germany from 1940 onward. His contributions to history, aviation, and even technology and tactics will long outlive him. He was a living legend during the war, with the ability to speak his mind openly with the likes of Hermann Göring, Adolf Hitler, and senior generals and field marshals, just as easily as with an aircraft mechanic. When asked a question, he always gave a forthright answer, politics be damned.

Falck was a very good-natured man, even during the war. He deeply cared about his pilots, as well as the millions of civilians depending upon him and his night fighters to reduce, if not eliminate, the nocturnal air raids that destroyed their cities. Falck was duty bound to serve his nation, but he was also wise enough to know his own limitations, which were few.

An intellectually gifted and deeply focused officer, Falck’s photographic memory and logistical genius were overshadowed by the politically corrupt and intellectually bankrupt leaders of his nation. Like his boss and great friend Adolf Galland, Falck did not suffer fools easily. Like Galland, he also had the tendency to irritate his superiors by using logic to refute their arguments, as demonstrated in this interview.

Falck was a major organizer and featured member at all of the annual reunions of the fighter pilots. He finally retired to his lovely home at the foot of his beloved mountains in Saint Ulrich, Tirol, Austria, where he passed away in 2007. The “Happy Falcon” will be missed.

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