Maestro
Master Sergeant
Greetings ladies and gentlemen.
Okay, I know it was Udet's biography title, but I thought it fitted well to this thread.
It's amazing how this man went from national hero to Luftwaffe's zero. Mainly due to Goering acting like an ass... as he always did !
Taken from : Ernst Udet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Okay, I know it was Udet's biography title, but I thought it fitted well to this thread.
It's amazing how this man went from national hero to Luftwaffe's zero. Mainly due to Goering acting like an ass... as he always did !
Taken from : Ernst Udet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Though not interested in politics, Udet joined the Nazi party in 1933 when Göring promised to buy him two new US aeroplanes, the Curtiss Hawk II biplanes (export designation of the F11C-2 Goshawk Helldiver). The planes were used for evaluation purposes and thus indirectly influenced the German idea of dive bombing aeroplanes, such as the Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) dive bombers. They were also used for aerobatic shows held during the 1936 Summer Olympics. Udet piloted one of them, which luckily survived the war and is now on display in the Polish Aviation Museum.
After Ju 87 (Stuka) trials, Although the Ju 87 had been awarded top marks and was about to be accepted, a confidential directive issued on 9 June, 1936 by Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen called for the cessation of all further Ju 87 development. However Udet immediately rejected von Richthofen's instructions and Ju 87 development continued.
Udet became a major proponent of the dive bomber, taking credit for having introduced it to the Luftwaffe, which was already interested in such designs. By 1936 he had, due to his political connections, been placed in command of the T-Amt, the Reich Air Ministry's development wing. However, he had no real interest in this job, especially the bureaucracy of it, and the pressure led to his addiction to alcohol (brandy and cognac).
In January 1939, Udet visited Italian North Africa (Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI). He accompanied Italian Marshal Italo Balbo on a flight. In early 1939, there were distinct signs of German military and diplomatic co-operation with the Italians. In February 1939, Udet became Generalluftzeugmeister (Luftwaffe Director-General of Equipment).
When World War II began, his internal conflicts grew more intense. Aircraft production requirements were much more than the German industry could supply, given limited access to raw materials such as aluminium. Göring responded to this problem by simply lying about it, which further upset Udet. After the Luftwaffe's defeat in the Battle of Britain, Göring tried to deflect Hitler's ire by blaming it on Udet. Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union drove Udet further into despair.
On November 17, 1941, Udet committed suicide, shooting himself in the head while on the phone to his girlfriend. Evidence indicates that his unhappy relationship with Göring, Erhard Milch and the Nazi Party in general was the cause of his mental breakdown.
According to Udet's biography, The Fall of an Eagle, he wrote a suicide note in red pencil which included: "Ingelein, why have you left me?" and "Iron One, you are responsible for my death." "Ingelein" referred to his girlfriend, Inge Bleyle, and "Iron One" to Hermann Göring. The book The Luftwaffe War Diaries states something similar, that Udet wrote "Reichsmarschall, why have you deserted me?" in red on the headboard of his bed.
Udet's suicide was concealed from the public, and at his funeral he was lauded as a hero who had died in flight while testing a new weapon. On his way to attend Udet's funeral, the World War II fighter ace Werner Mölders died in a plane crash. Udet was buried in the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery, which is located in Berlin.
and a morphine addict...
