# Gottfried Dulias: for real or an imposter



## Morai_Milo (Feb 28, 2007)

Gottfried Dulias does the rounds of the air shows in the US claiming to be a LW ace with 5 kills and has written a book about his wartime experiences.

Another Bowl of Kapusta: The True Life Story Of A World War II Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot and P.O.W. in Russia

He is rather vague on details, like: 
- which Gruppe, staffel he flew with in JG53, 
- bases he was stationed at, 
- never mentions any names of his Kommandeur, his Staffelkapitän, his Kaczmarek or his close friends. 

He is not in Tony Woods LW claim list but that might be an oversight. No other claims for I-16s were made in early 1945, so did he get the only ones stationed on the EF?

Respected authors John Manrho and Jochen Prien have never heard of him nor came across his name in any of their research. Niether has Hans Ring.

He declined to particpate in this thread, to set the record straight and clear the dark cloud hanging over him, Gottfried Dulias - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum


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## lesofprimus (Feb 28, 2007)

Evidence points to a fraud....


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## R-2800 (Feb 28, 2007)

I've personal met him numerous times and he is a friend of the museum i work at. I didn't see anything that would point him out as being a fruad


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Feb 28, 2007)

Well I myself have never heard of him. I will not call him a fraud or not because I simply just dont know. I did a search for him on the internet and did find many things though. Here is a link with a supposed picture of him and an autograph.

eBay: WWII GERMAN ACE OF SPADE SQUAD SIGNED GOTTFRIED DULIAS (item 150060540980 end time Mar-17-07 11:34:28 PDT)

And here is a picture of him from WW2 supposadly. Erich might have more information on this.


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## Erich (Feb 28, 2007)

I have met 4 so-called veterans that claimed to be US fighter jocks and Luftwaffe fighter boys. all were bogus. In all appearance Herr G. D. is an example. not sure really why this was brought over from TOCH but here it is anyway. most likely the chap may well have been a ground crewman who decided to puff up a story and moving along with JG 53 and airfield personell knew in exact account what happened to the pilots, hierarchy. Funny that experten author Dr. Jochen P has nothing at all for Gottfired if that is his real name in any of the authors JG 53 books and indeed if Gottfried had scored at all in the air it would be included in the work(s). There is a German guy in southern Cali still living who claimed to have scored some 10 jet kills while in Gallands Circus of JV 44 pilots........bah humbug ! I searched high and low 10 years ago for nearly a year trying to find out more and German contacts said to me "who is this guy?"


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## FLYBOYJ (Feb 28, 2007)

I had a friend of mine who's dad once claimed he was a WW2 pilot. It turned out he was in the AAF, never rose above the rank of corporal.


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## Morai_Milo (Feb 28, 2007)

Well Erich, there is some very knowledgable people here. Maybe they have even met him or will meet him and ask him some pointed questions.


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## Erich (Feb 28, 2007)

go back to TOCH and read the replies... the guy was not a pilot/ace.

an example, there was a guy living in my hometown that tried to pose as a deceased Flying Tiger pilot of which there was an ace from my town by the name of Jonnie Hampshire. Not knowing who Jonnie was at the time I was buying the guys story of shooting down 10 Japanese a/c during this guys time over China until he showed me a model of the P-51 he flew later war . ..... Urban Drews P-51 of the 361st Yellow jackets. the only change on the model was a red Heart on the fuselage up by the prop which the guy presumed I knew nothing of US air forces and told me repeatedly how great the P-51 was and the missions B.S. continued until I finally said I had to go.

there was also a story about a supposed pilot flying one of the Würger Staffels red-white striped Dora 9's and in reality although he was in several magazine articles and on the web, it was found out later through his fabricated story of high flying missions agasint US P-51's that he was really a ground crewman. the pilot of the a/c he had serviced had passed on and he decided to take some of the fame and glory..........

so you see even though some are proclaiming this G. D. is who he says he is and that I am a nobody ignor-anus, I indeed have met some of the posers out there. Man can be a deceiver through and through ..........

has anyone also thought through wounds or some sort of physical problem this guy became an instructor or actually nothing at all but on the ground - was around Staffel HQ listening to the ground to air action which he possibly memorized to fill in gaps to his incredible stories. It is highly likely.

I guess Morai if a peson wnated to ask the guy questions then start off with where and what Fligerschule did he attend, fo how long and where was it located ? when did he mover from the Schule to JG 53 or what other JG as his very start of combat flying. who did he know personally from the flight school ? From answering those basic question one can find a great deal of info whether he truly was a pilot or ........ ?


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## Udet (Feb 28, 2007)

There is a _little_ problem i see regarding the scope of this thread.

Apparently the issue is approached in such a manner you were totally sure the names of absolutely ALL them men who served in the Heer/Luftwaffe during the war can be found for sure.

Luftwaffe records are not complete and i am not referring to discussing whether a pilot shot down 4, 5 or 50 enemy planes: i am referring to NAMES.

Files, records, documents that were not properly maintained -or not maintained at all- during the last months of the war. Add the papers that were lost, destroyed, stolen and/or concealed in the same final months or righ after the end of the war, and you must know the puzzle can never be completed.

I´ve been advised of entire German families who simply dissappeared by war´s end: sons that served in combat and died or dissappeared, plus mothers, fathers and sisters and brothers who were either turned to ashes during the terror bombings of "Civilian Bomber" Harris and the guys of the 8th and 15th AFs or that were deported or relocated by the occupying victorious forces after the end.

The victorious Soviets lack anything you could call a "complete" record of the millions of guys who served in the Red Army and air force during the war; now ask the defeated side.


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## Erich (Feb 28, 2007)

sorry but that is not going to work in this case Udet. The gent mentions 5 kills ........... when, where, on what front ? at least 1-2 would of been documented but none of them are. you see my point. JG 53 is well known and is covered in adequate form by the author I mentioned. The Jg 53 even has a representative. so where is or who is Gottfried really........ ? a Fallschirmjäger possibly ? the photo posted by Adler could indicate so


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## Udet (Feb 28, 2007)

Erich: hi.

Please note i was not referring the speficic case of the pilot commented here. I try to make a global approach.

Whether if he lies or not, apparently nobody can tell for sure. If Luftwaffe records were complete, then you could have an accurate opinion on the veracity of the accounts of this pilot.

Just like the case of aerial kills. There are German pilots whose kills can not be confirmed; that does not mean the kill did not occur.

Flown planes. I have lists where Me 262s of JG 7 are described as having crashed in flight, with the pilot in the cockpit, and the name of the flyer remains unknown. JG 7 was a reasonably small unit, that saw combat service during a short period of time. Not too many jets flew in combat action, and we have pilots of the jet geschwader whose names remain unknown.

This, and many other cases, remind of me Guy Sajer´s "The Forgotten Soldier"; one of my favorite books. I was surprised to read comments while surfing the net suggesting the whole thing is a lie; there was one who even suggested chances are Sajer did not even serve in the Heer, at all. From what i know nobody has yet come to prove Guy Sajer´s account is fraud and that he did not serve in the Heer.

My thouhghts.


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## Erich (Feb 28, 2007)

I understand your points Udet. If Gottfried had some sort of written evidence like his Flugbuch handy then that would settle things for sure


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## timshatz (Feb 28, 2007)

Udet said:


> This, and many other cases, remind of me Guy Sajer´s "The Forgotten Soldier"; one of my favorite books. I was surprised to read comments while surfing the net suggesting the whole thing is a lie; there was one who even suggested chances are Sajer did not even serve in the Heer, at all. From what i know nobody has yet come to prove Guy Sajer´s account is fraud and that he did not serve in the Heer.
> 
> My thouhghts.



Udet

Good one to bring up, "The Forgotten Solider". I have heard that criticism as well. Heard it from an interesting source that did not look at it from a Historical or Military perspective but one the venue of Literature. 

According to someone who read it like an editor, the book has a style at though it is written by or/with two different people. It stays very consistent until Sajer retreats back into Prussia. At that point, the writing style changes. If you read the book with that in mind, you will see the point.

The critic that Sajer did not write it is only one way to look at it (and by far the most aggressive). He also may've been writing without notes, writing to meet a deadline or had someone actually doing the writing for him from notes or descriptions. There are a multitude of ways to look at that difference. 

I personally think (and have always thought) that Sajer wrote the book. However, the style does change. I don't know why. My speculation is more along the lines of psychological/physical. I think towards the end of the war he was so beat up that he lost time, space and just forgot things. He either misses things or confabulates (unintentionally making stuff up-not big stuff, but things that go to continuity) and it accounts for the change in form.


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## Udet (Feb 28, 2007)

Tim:

Thanks for the input. I´ll be honest with you for i did not detect this change in style you are commenting. Next time i grab the book i will make a more detailed screening.

I agree with you; in general i will believe what a person tells me. Unless proven otherwise he speaks with the truth. So i do believe Sajer went through the events so intensely described in his memoir.

Also you make a very good point when referring to the physical and mental conditions a common Landser had to endure in the east, especially during the last year which was a true horror story to those who were there German and Soviets, Civilian and military alike. Countless sleepless nights, long periods of time without sufficient food and even water, sometimes medical attention would not even be in place during those chaotic weeks. The constant moves and the retreat, the slaughter of civilians trying to save their lives, the screams and crying of the dying. Do you recall his account on Memel? Really, his words are so strong in that part, i really saw or felt the very end of absolutely everything; very few times a nighmare can be described so vividly. 

One thing is to inquire and possibly doubt the accuracy of the accounts...and another -very different- is to get as far as to suggest _"he probably did not even serve in the army...he did not fight"_: totally and simply going out of the line.

In all honesty, if i came across those researchers -or whatever they are- who accuse Sajer of not even being a soldier in the Heer, i´d tell them they have no right to harrass nor accuse the veteran until they walk 1/9 of a mile in his boots, but i am sure these self-proclaimed "prosecutors" would not even last half a morning in the conditions Sajer and his fellow soldiers endured.

But it is probably our fellow members here who have been to battlefields who should tell this for they are the ones acquainted with the kind of sights Sajer had to become accustomed to during the war.


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## FLYBOYJ (Feb 28, 2007)

Just remember folks, those who falsify their past usually has it catch up to them....


Fake retired general may face charges - Peculiar Postings - MSNBC.com


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 1, 2007)

Udet said:


> But it is probably our fellow members here who have been to battlefields who should tell this for they are the ones acquainted with the kind of sights Sajer had to become accustomed to during the war.



Every person reacts to and copes differently with war. One thing is for sure a part of everyone is left on the battlefield.


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## R-2800 (Mar 1, 2007)

that is just sad that someone would do that.


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## timshatz (Mar 1, 2007)

Did you ever notice that none of these guys who claim to have been somebody are always claiming to be an ace or a general or some such? Never heare a guy claiming to be a buck private who typed through the whole war. Part of the BS detection meter. There are only so many generals but a hell of a lot of privates.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Mar 1, 2007)

That is a good point. If you really want to be believed than you have to be the grunt who did the fighting. It is too easy to look up the names of high ranking officers anyhow.


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## R-2800 (Mar 1, 2007)

i agree if you wanted to get away with it you wouldn't want to be a well known person like a general, becasue it can be trased


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## Bob C (Apr 2, 2007)

This particular thread about my good friend Gottfried Dulias was just brought to my attention. After reading the many disturbing messages that have questioned the authenticity of his formal service to his country is a complete outrage! After suppressing the countless horrors the he endured in the Russian Gulags for nearly 60 years, he has finally come to grips with the past and has made a very sincere attempt to enlighten that many generations since the war’s end of the atrocities that were committed against him and his comrades! All of which were as harsh and in many ways were more extreme than the Nazi concentrations camps and inconceivably these atrocities continued on for many years after the end of WW II. More importantly the captures that supervised the Russian Gulags were never ever punished for their actions and the countless lives that were exterminated long after the end of the war! Gottfried was a captive in the Russian Gulags until January of 1948! It was not until he had become too ill to work and too stubborn to die before he was finally released. At his time of release he had been reduced to a mere walking skeleton of only 32 Kilograms (70.5 pounds) at 6’-2” tall! 

The following is personal reply directly from Gottfried about the many personal negative posts that have been written about him:


My dear friend Bob.
I thank you very much for your E-mail with the negative report. What really amazes me, is the vast quagmire of bickering and unproven accusations and name-callings and the use of lack of proof against my story as evidence of guilt, is so un- American and unbelievable, that this is happening here in the good old USA, where Freedom of speech is one of our sacred rights as citizens.
And being convicted in public ( here by inter-net) as an imposter, charlatan, liar and what not etc, is so hurting, that words for this injustice I cannot think of in my shocked and appalled mind.

I had no idea, that such a vast army of accusers and doubting Thomas's about my book and the truth about it exists. I feel like a lonely mouse that is chased by an army of cats and have no way to stave them off.
I knew of only one doubting Thomas, that Mr. Chorney told me about with a hint, that more of his kind are possibly after me for the validity of my writings and found it beyond my dignity to have to defend myself in that 'small' matter. Mr Mike Chorney, by the way, is only one of the very few in that Forum Thread, who warned against unproven convictions in this matter. I didn't even know about the existence of that Forum and now I am overwhelmed by such a barrage of vultures trying to put me down and eat me alive for telling the truth as I remembered it after all these more than sixty years!
What do they want me to do, admitting that I am a liar and imposter against my better conscience ?
In my book in the Foreword on page XIII and in the Introduction on page XXIII I state clearly, that due to the suffering of brainwashing while in the Gulags of Russia and the starvation I had to go through I wound up as almost a zombie who had lost a lot of his short term memory, in that I am unable to recall exact names, dates and locations and tell my war experiences only in flashbacks of the many episodes as I have remembered them after so many years. 
Pictures of the happenings came up in my mind but names and places and location-names escaped
all my efforts to recall them, even names of my best friends and fellow pilots, including the names of my two faithful mechanics who did such a good job in keeping my Gustav 109 in the best of shape.The Russians did a thorough job in washing a lot of my memory away forever.
Even now, while reading my book for the sixth time, some shreds of more memories are flaring up here and there but still no names of former comrades and dialogs, as well as location names,etc come up. Only vivid pictures of that, what I lived through.
It especially hurts me, that I am even accused of making up the story of my life in the Gulags of Russia, but for that I have proof in the form of the official Russian post cards we POWs were allowed to write home with attached answer cards in late 1946. Those cards I have and I also had the official Russian discharge from prison document. Unfortunately it 'disappeared' from my display while lecturing a fairly big audience in Boalsburg, PA two years ago. So, now I have only the correspondence cards and the things I made while in the prison hospital, among them the booklets of the diary on Russian cigaret paper and the school-book pages I got from a Russian boy, that I made more booklets from. There is some Russian printing on the cover page to "prove", to my false accusers and bickerers, that they are genuine Russian.

So what am I going to do, against this vast army of vultures, for I have no other proof to proclaim my innocence. Here I am standing alone, as God is my witness and with the knowledge, that I did my best that I am capable of, to have told my life's story upon request of so many people to make it known to the general public, what POWs had to endure in Russia, and that is something nobody else has ever written about to the best of my knowledge. 
I was against writing this book, it was too hard to bring up those dreadful and painful memories until I was finally "persuaded", to put it mildly, by so many people and my co-author and Lady friend Dianna Popp to get over my reluctance of causing more of the nightmares I was suffering, just thinking about those three painful years. 
But it turned out to be the best therapy, no more nightmares, now I can fearlessly talk and think about my terrible time in the Russian Gulags and am no more negatively effected.
My military experiences were not so important for me to write about,it was anyway only a short part of my life, while there are hundreds of thousands such stories on the market. But the truth of life in the Russian Gulags was and is my main concern and effort to bring it out for the world to know. That's why the title of my book: "Another Bowl Of Kapusta" is pertaining to the"Main Event", the center of my biography.
I really should fight these 'Know it Alls" and so called "historians", but I would take up a war that I probably cannot win, there always will be those doubtful Thomas's and Know it Alls around, that are eager to show to the people in the world, that they are doing them a favor by their "corrective bickering" and 'search for the Truth'. No matter what harm they are causing with their unproven accusations. 
Not one of them ever had the courage to contact me personally and tell it to my face, that I am an imposter and liar, only from the safety of a forum they are spreading their poisonous opinions behind my back and I was never aware of it until now.

How can I, as soon to be a 82 year old lone "defendant" take up this fight? I am too tired for that and would put an unnecessary load on my shoulders, knowing I told the God's honest truth.
And for that I am punished?
So, I will not let it bather me and get sick over it, end of story !

If you, my friend Bob, want to take it upon yourself to send this, my statement, to those doubting Thomas's. I give you my wholehearted permission herewith.
It is a well known fact, that in the turmoil of the last few Month of WWII and the thorough, incessant bombings by allied planes not only towns and factories suffered great destructions, but the trains and railroad tracks, which were the main way of transporting war material and records to and from the fronts. Trucks as well as planes of the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe were also destroyed that way, and those that survived, often could not function for lack of gasoline. The whole system of communication and transport was in a total disarray.
So, it is no wonder, that a lot of documents and important papers got lost and destroyed, evidently mine among them.
Even Mr Prien's three volume book about JG 53 Pik As is not absolutely complete, and hat he never heard of me, was evidently caused by those above mentioned destructions of records near the end of the war. So, I fell through the cracks and now being punished for it through no fault of my own. I rest my case and plead innocent, Justice will prevail !
Horrido !, and cheers,
Gottfried, the triumphant survivor.


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## Erich (Apr 2, 2007)

interesting Bob but I'd like to know personally the answers to Morai's questions,
the kills, what type and where, date of awards. this all can be traced and it goes beyond Dr. Prien anyway who is just one of many German research historians, and he produced the multi-volumes on JG 53 I know well.

If Herr Dulias would like to comment further it would be enlightening, if not then so be it


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## Njaco (Apr 3, 2007)

As one who has followed this thread on TOCh and this among others I want to say that nobody is doubting any war service, nobody is doubting any Russian hardship... just what is the real story.

GD made the claim of being with JG 53 - nobody else. Give something that we can believe.

I find it interesting in that letter that the horrors of war while involved cannot be remembered while the horrors of captivity are somewhat clear.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Apr 3, 2007)

Mr. Bob C as Njaco has pointed out, no one here has doubted his military service or anything else. There is just a lot that is missing from the story and that is what people want to hear.

Please dont construe anyones words as it seems that some have. That is just as bad as what you are accusing us of.


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## Erich (Apr 6, 2007)

this is getting funnier by the minute. look sto be G.D. is not who he claims to be ...........

Gottfried Dulias - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum

read the multi pages and see that friend bob posted the very same assorted copy on the forum as this one


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 6, 2007)

Boy, that was interesting...


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## Soundbreaker Welch? (Apr 9, 2007)

I suppose Gottfried Dulias is a bit emotional from the horrible memories, but can he sound a little bit over the top with the whole vultures thing, ect.?

Of course I am an American. We are often more bland in our speech.

I guess Bob is a loyal friend at any rate, and that can be taken as some proof.

It is easy in air combat to think you shot down more planes than you ever did. All those B-17 gunners did that a lot. There may be some of them today still claiming kills that never truly happened in the German Records. 

If Gottfried was a german pilot, he could have made this mistake, and if there was no wingman present to verify or discredit his claims, he feels as sole eye witness he is a reliable enough person to claim his own kills......as many pilots liked to do. 

But since he has no mention in the Luftwaffe Records of even being a pilot as people are pointing out.......it can be doubtful if he flew a plane at all.


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## Njaco (Apr 10, 2007)

> fromSoundbreaker Welch?
> .......it can be doubtful if he flew a plane at all.


On a personal level, If he was a groundcrewman or transfer pilot or anything else in some sort of capacity I think some leeway could be given. But there is nothing reported by those who know these units, no shred of info, not even one little scrap that upholds even a part of his story.

And thats the shame. Fess up, tells us what you really did (hell, even if it ferriing food canisters to the frontline troops, that was difficult) tell us what happened. The community at large would welcome you just the same.

But to constantly ignore the issue, let friends fight for you and still bamboozle people at airshows and museums and such, is disgraceful, much more so for those who actually served.


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## Bob C (May 14, 2007)

Hello All,

After several message exchanges between myself and Gottfried and I've decided to post my final reply.

Please understand that Gottfried is now 82 years of age. In talking with him about trying to establish various dates of the many occurrences that took place more than 60 years ago I finally came to the reality that at the mere age of 43, I can’t even remember that date that I graduated high school and I’ve forgotten the majority of the names of my teachers and the majority of the names of my classmates, with the exception being my closest friends and favorite teachers. Now given my age is nearly half that of Gottfried’s I find it to be completely understandable that he can’t put specific dates on the events that took place so many years ago.

There was some mention made about how they couldn’t understand why Gottfried’s recollection about his time in captivity was so clear, but his time as an active pilot was so vague. This comes with a very good explanation. During Gottfried’s time with his squad he made no attempt to generate a daily dairy were he would have recorded many of the dates that so many have requested. However, shortly after his capture as a P.O.W. in the Russian Gulag, he carved a small wooded box and generated a concealed false bottom were he hide a daily dairy that he assembled used Russian cigarette papers. In extremely tiny tiny print he recorded many of the daily happenings of his horrifying experience. To this day he still has this carved wooden box and the very tiny dairy, which was referenced in great detail when he was writing his book. 

During the fleeting months of the war countless records were lost due to bombing and strafing not to mention the records that were personal destroyed my of the German personal due to the collapsing front lines on both war fronts. I find it too be rather appalling that with the tens of thousands of Luftwaffe pilots that flew during the war that only a few several hundred were fortunate enough to have made it to an historical list. With the rationalization that is being used here one would be falsely lead to believe that the whole war was flown and fought by only the very select few pilots that were fortunate enough to make it to an ace list, and we all know that is not true!

For what it’s worth, over the last 10 years I’ve spent countless hours talking with and assisting Gottfried at numerous autograph and book signing sessions. His complete understanding of the plane he flew and the passion that he exudes when he is discussing the time he spent in the cockpit in of his precious Gustav is without any doubt completely true and genuine! 

The following are two letters that I’ve received from Gottfried, he has encouraged me to include them here as a final reply from himself on this matter. I hope that after you read his second letter and you see that now the U.S. Air Force has completed a thorough background investigation on Herr Dulias that they have concluded that he is who he says he is, will that he has received a personal invitation to attend this year’s “Gathering Of Eagles” as a featured guest!

Sincerely, Bob C

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, Bob. 

You are absolutely right, the date of my crash landing is my best guess. I had to write a date of my crash landing in my book and to the best of my blurry recollections, I came up with that date.
I know for sure, that it was in the beginning of March 1945 and the exact date I was unable to recall, but I really thought, that it must have been the 4th of March for some reason or another. I don't remember even the day I was writing that part of my book in late 2004.

As you said, you can't remember your school teachers names or classmates, so how come, that those armchair historians expect me to remember exact pertinent facts and dates as well as locations from an 82 year old who wouldn't be able to remember those things even without having been brainwashed?

I was reading the replies after you posted my letter to you in the Forum and that one guy criticized me for having better recollections of my prisoner of war times, than of my time as a fighter pilot.
Well as I mentioned in my book, while being in the prison-hospital stays, I was writing a dairy in the form of letters to my family on Russian cigarette paper booklets I made. That I used of course as an aid to write my story. Some of those I wrote verbatim in my book, just look it up and you will find it on page 186.

These Know it Alls are picking on everything I wrote and are so eager to point out any imagined inaccuracies in my book, and therefore call me a liar, it's pathetic!

Well, as you said, let it go and rest, it's no use and surely impossible to try to satisfy all those doubting Thomas's and Know it Alls. They would have to consider all those circumstances of those bygone times, that I lived through long before most of them were born, and they completely ignore those facts and don't give a hoot, what damage they are causing me by making those accusations and demands for exact reporting.

From my short time as Fighter pilot I had no diary to fall back on as aid for the accuracy of my writing and have only my very limited memory to go on. But those armchair historians are constantly insistent that I have to be able to tell dates, locations and names for them to believe my story and for that they condemn me to be an imposter and liar or charlatan. They are not logically thinking and have no consideration whatsoever what they are doing to me in the form of damage foremost to my reputation and also to the creditability of my book, not to mention even a curtailment of me being invited as speaker or lecturer at events, like the WW II weekend in Reading. 

They really owe me an apology!!! 

Horrido !
Your friend Gottfried.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, Bob.

The US Air Force, has invited me to be honored as an Eagle at the “Gathering Of Eagles” among 14 heroes of the American Air Force and one Briton at this year's graduation ceremonies of their cadet class.

After writing humbly to the Air Force, thanking them for the invitation, I mentioned that I do not measure up to the Hero standard of the other 15 other invitees. Shortly after that I received a letter from the U.S. Air Force stating, that I am worthy to be an Eagle! After a careful investigation and consideration, their board made the decision to invite me as an honoree.

During their invitation two U.S. Air Force majors came to my house to interview me and told me that there are some dissidents who are making derogative accusations about me. They completed a thorough investigation and dismissed them as armchair historians who ought to know better.

The majors didn't tell me where the board got their information from, but they acknowledged, a lot of records got lost due to the bombing and strafing in the last few months of WW II in Europe. But, evidently they had enough info about me to make their considered decision.

The fact, that the USAF made a thorough investigation about me and found me worthy, this alone is proof, that those false accusations by the doubting Thomas's are just that: false.
The USAF could not risk an embarrassment of that magnitude and made sure, that it wouldn't happen.

With this being said I feel that I’m deserved an apology from those who sought to damage my honest reputation. I flew and did my duty, served and nearly died for my country and after all that I find myself still being persecuted by some doubters because my name didn’t find it’s way onto any historic list. 

That's all I can tell you.
Cheers and HORRIDO !,
Gottfried


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## Erich (May 15, 2007)

as you can see for whatever it is worth the last response was April 10th meaning Bob the thread is dead, but you brought it up again

good bye your gone


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## FLYBOYJ (May 15, 2007)

> After writing humbly to the Air Force, thanking them for the invitation, I mentioned that I do not measure up to the Hero standard of the other 15 other invitees. Shortly after that I received a letter from the U.S. Air Force stating, that I am worthy to be an Eagle! After a careful investigation and consideration, their board made the decision to invite me as an honoree.
> 
> During their invitation two U.S. Air Force majors came to my house to interview me and told me that there are some dissidents who are making derogative accusations about me. They completed a thorough investigation and dismissed them as armchair historians who ought to know better.
> 
> ...



Bob C - all very interesting but who from the USAF investigated Gottfried? Again, you come out with information vindicating the man but this proof becomes just as vague as the original story. Where were these two Major's from? Their command? This is a very easy piece of information that could be stated which will very easily vindicate Gottfried. I truly would like to believe Gottfried - if he would tell all who investigated him (it seems this is recent so these two Majors can be verified and even contacted) I think it would be a starting point to turn all this around. I don't believe this to be unreasonable...

BTW I work at the US Air Force Academy and have access to many active duty and reserve units and personnel. If you wanted to provide me this information I would be willing to verify this investigation in confidence and if found to be true, would be a forever lasting advocate for Gottfried...


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## Erich (May 15, 2007)

although the person feels the USAF seems to think he is legit the country that he fought for sure does not think so. The experten of the Fliegergemeinschaft of the Luftwaffe and the author of the JG 53 volumes the outfit G.D. says he flew for does not have anything on the man nor has ever heard of him. that is pretty sound evidence to me to doubt this fellow .........


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## Njaco (May 15, 2007)

He keeps going to the prisoner episode and nothing about his flying. YOU DON'T NEED A DIARY TO REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOU SHOT A PLANE DOWN. That should be as traumatic as the gulag. And with as many claims for victories he states, there should be ONE he remembers or can verify.

I don't know about a hoax but something is fishy and it should be thrown back.


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## Erich (May 15, 2007)

lock this thread please ..............


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## kriegrelic1 (Jun 2, 2007)

I don't believe that Mr. Dulias has ever claimed to be an "ace". Five aerial victoreis might qualifty an American pilot for that status, but not by Luftwaffe standards. By his own admission, Dulias says that five shoot-downs was nothing in terms of recognition, either from fellow pilots or the powers in Berlin. Most Luftwaffe aces never received their Knight's Crosses until they achieved scores of victores. That was just the nature of the beast , especially on the Eastern front. 
I believe that if Mr. Dulias was going to ebellish or inflate his wartime record he would inflated his "kill" record; if for no other reason than to sell more books. He states that he was just a junior officer (Leutnant) who was impressed into becoming a pilot late in the war and did his duty to the best of his ability and endured three years of imprisonment in a Soviet gulag.


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## Erich (Jun 2, 2007)

Someone please close this thread as it is a waste of time ......... Dulias acct and record is found nowhere in the JG 53 war diaries by Dr. Jochen Prien. that says alot........ in fact his war record is being researched right now by several European historians checking on the kills he makes claim too at the many archivs within Germany ..........

CLOSE THIS THREAD ~


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## lesofprimus (Jun 2, 2007)

Closed....


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