Adolf Galland Quotes

Flying is more than a sport and more than a job; flying is pure passion and desire, which fill a lifetime.

An excellent weapon and luck had been on my side. To be successful, the best fighter pilot needs both.

The colossus of World War II seemed to be like a pyramid turned upside down, and for the moment the whole burden of the war rested on the few hundred German fighter pilots on the Channel coast.

Only in the spirit of attack, born in a brave heart, will bring success to any fighter aircraft, no matter how highly developed it may be.

The battle is tough but if you reach where you want to go, then at least in some sense it is worth it.

I had to inspect all fighter units in Russia, Africa, Sicily, France, and Norway. I had to be everywhere.

Never abandon the possibility of attack. Attack even from a position of inferiority, to disrupt the enemy's plans. This often results in improving one's own position.

It's unbelievable what one squadron of twelve aircraft did to tip the balance.

Superior technical achievements - used correctly both strategically and tactically - can beat any quantity numerically many times stronger yet technically inferior.

"He who wants to protect everything, protects nothing," is one of the fundamental rules of defense.

When I was fired from my post as General of the Fighter Arm, I was to give proof that this jet was a superior fighter. And that's when we did it. I think we did it.

And most of these pilots were lost during the first five flights.

As a fighter pilot I know from my own experiences how decisive surprise and luck can be for success, which in the long run comes only to the one who combines daring with cool thinking.

Today it is even more important to dominate the . . . highly sophisticated weapon systems, perhaps even more important than being a good pilot; to make the best use of this system.

To use a fighter as a fighter-bomber when the strength of the fighter arm is inadequate to achieve air superiority is putting the cart before the horse.

Nine g's is good, if the pilot can stand it. We couldn't stand it. Not in the airplanes of World War II.

Of course, the outcome of the war would not have been changed. The war was lost perhaps, when it was started. At least it was lost in the winter of '42, in Russia.

According to Goering and the Luftwaffe High Command, they were supposed to be the fighter elite.

The German Luftwaffe always fought without any reserves. This is also the reason why we have pilots with extremely high numbers of victories.