The First and the Last

by Adolf Galland

The incredible saga is told by the Luftwaffe's commander of fighter forces himself.

Adolf Galland was a legendary hero, an air ace with 104 victories and a dauntless leader of other men. This is his own story of Germany's war in the air, from smashing victories in Poland and France to the last desperate battles to save the Reich.

Genres: History, Aviation, Nonfiction, Biography, Military History, World War II, Military Fiction

302 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1954 this book is historically very accurate and well written by one of the most heavily involved fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe in World War 2. The book focuses on the battle against the Western allies mostly as this was where Galland was stationed for the majority of the war, it is filled with all the obstacles the fighting units faced from the Nazi high command, which was one of the reasons for it's ultimate defeat by the Allies. There are also some nice anecdotes from his times with the different units and it's pilots, which is along the lines of the classic British pilots' memoirs. Two stand out chapters for me was where they organized the delivery of Douglas Bader's prosthetic legs and the Channel Dash operation which was probably one of the biggest German successes/British blunders during the war. Highly recommended for aviation enthusiasts.

[Marijan Šiško · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adolf Galland, jedan od najuspješnijih njemačkih pilota-lovaca u drugom svjetskom ratu, prvi general lovačkog zrakoplovstva, i jedan od prvih koji je letio i ostvario zračnu pobjedu na mlaznom lovcu, u svojoj ratnoj autobiografiji iznosi svoje viđenje rata u zraku od Španjolske do zadnjih dana Reicha. Iako knjiga nije u potpunosti subjektivna, što bi bilo i previše za očekivati, kritična je i prema njemčakoj i prema savezničkoj politici zračnog ratovanja, i oslobođena svih natruha nacističkog apologizma, za razliku od recimo Hitlerovog omiljenog Stuka pilota Rudela i njeogve biografije. Iz prve ruke iznosi sve probleme taktike, strategije i proizvodnje njemačkih lovačkih zrakoplova ovog perioda.
Za ljubitelje Drugog svjetskog rata u zraku, svakako preporučeno štivo

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of respect for Adolf Galland. The first and the last describe the good parts of this book. The first chapters are enough to hook you and then it gets good from chapter 27 on. I really wanted to hear more personal accounts that Galland had with the Condor Legion and his personal experiences with all of the aircraft that he piloted, but instead I got a lot of complaining about the high command and I really hate to say it and it probably wasn't his fault, but excuses. I do realize the bad situation that he was in but that isn't really what I wanted to read about. I must give his other book a chance, perhaps it is the book that I was looking for.
I still greatly respect Adolf Galland but working for Hitler and Göring definately had its disadvantages, to say the least!

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saksalaisen hävittäjäkenraalin Adolf Gallandin "Ensimmäiset ja viimeiset" (Werner Söderström, 1956) taitaa olla eräs parhaista lukemistani ilmasotaa käsittelevistä muistelmateoksista.

Galland kuvailee kiinnostavasti niin nuoruuttaan purjelentokoneen ohjaimissa, yli sata ilmavoittoa saavuttaneena hävittäjälentäjänä kuin myöhempää uraansa hävittäjäkenraalina, joka joutui taistelemaan pystyäkseen takaamaan aselajilleen parhaat mahdolliset toimintaedellytykset liittoutuneitten ylivoiman ja monesti täysin kujalla olevan johdon puristuksessa. Erityisen kovaksi palaksi muodostuivat Hitlerin ja kumppaneiden tekemät virheet Me262-suihkuhävittäjän kanssa. Galland yritti puskea läpi ajatuksiaan koneen optimaalisesta käyttötavasta, ja ajautui sen seurauksena esimiestensä kanssa usein konflikteihin.

Lentäjä-ässä ei ole kirjailijana sieltä omahyväisimmästä päästä. Hän ei käsittele omia pudotuksiaan erityisen tarkasti ja uskaltaa myöntää myös tekemiään virheitä, mutta toisaalta ohittaa Guernican terroripommituksen "valitettavana erehdyksenä".

"Ensimmäiset ja viimeiset" loppuu toisen maailmansodan päättymiseen. Valitettavasti Galland ei siis käsittele kuin satunnaisessa sivulauseessa myöhempiä vaiheitaan Argentiinassa, mikä olisi voinut olla sekin aika kiinnostavaa.

Vahva suositus kaikille, joita aihe yhtään kiinnostaa!

[Uber Hund · Rating 1 out of 5]

For such a gifted pilot and warrior, Galland is a terribly inept writer. His egotistical self-promotion left no room for the kind of details his readership - pilots and/or history buffs - would find requited in other war diaries.
His prose reads like an Excel spreadsheet or the excruciating who-begat-whoms of Genesis. His agenda appears to be to quantize the folly of Allied strategic bombing - an obvious conclusion already known to anyone familiar with the more didactic treatments by Joseph Heller or Kurt Vonnegut.
So sad that no one rescued what was in Galland's head for those of us thirsting for hands-on, pilot-savvy anecdotes from flying 109s, 190s, and 262s.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrow.

If you’ve read the memoirs of other German pilots from WWII then this can feel quite repetitive. It can also feel repetitive and limited if you know the European air war well. Galland does, however, bring a unique and high ranking perspective from the German side. I think it often gets a little too bogged down in details, better left to historians, and comes up short on personality - maybe something a bit trickier to show in a real genuine way when you are working for the bad guys. Sadly missing are also any post-war words and reflection.

[Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A professional and non-political insight into the inner workings of the Luftwaffe during the second world war. It describes well how the Western Front was largely possible due to the air superiority as enjoyed by the allies. It also gives a shocking insight into the hardships that were endured by both the British and German people during the bombing campaigns that took place. The book manages to capture the horrific experience of being a fighter pilot without attempting to make it heroic. An excellent read!

[Mark Lisac · Rating 3 out of 5]

The legendary German fighter pilot and long-serving general of the Luftwaffe's fighter force delivered here a high-level overview of how that force was developed, used and underused during the Second World War. A lot of the book covers strategic decisions and conflicts over aircraft use and development — particularly the self-defeating insistence by Hitler and some high-ranking officers on making bomber production the priority. That's all fairly well known but the book offers a first-hand view, and does nicely explain some high-level tactical developments. It disappoints in the nearly complete lack of any description of what life was like in the cockpit and on the air bases; the description of a few moments which saw Galland shot down four times and of his harrowing escape after crash landing a jet while under fire from U.S. aircraft attacking his base in the final weeks of the war suggest how the story could have been made more vivid. He apparently thought he had bigger fish to fry in the form of explaining how the Luftwaffe's fighter force could have been much more effective had Nazi leaders gone along with more of his recommendations.
It's somewhat disconcerting to read words like "unfortunately" and "alas" and "tragic" in discussions of lost opportunities. There's no reason to expect apologies for Galland's service in the war, but his wistful memories of what could have been do raise the question of how he thought the world might have been a better place if Germany had held out longer.
The main steps in the decline are fairly clear. The German air force received a rude wake-up the first time it faced a determined and capable enemy, over Britain in July and August of 1940. Resources were spread so thinly as to be barely adequate even at that point. The invasion of Russia in June 1941 guaranteed that there would never be enough aircraft and pilots unless the war on the Eastern Front was won by the end of 1942. There's plenty of evidence of the courage and resilience that kept German forces dangerous long after the war's outcome was clear. There's also more evidence of the effectiveness and crucial role of Albert Speer.
A few matters get quick treatment or are ignored. The Wikipedia entry on Galland provides more perspective, and a biography by David Baker (which I have not read) sounds as if it covers a number of matters more fully. Still, it's an informative and interesting read.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The First and The Last". by Adolph Galland, 1953. The parents of a colleague of mine shared a table with Adolph Galland sometime during the 1970's at a reunion of fighter pilots. Apparently there was a disagreement regarding the allocation of a bottle of fine Champaign on their table, leading to my friend's mother to exclaim in retrospect, "Adolph Galland, he was an ace all right. - he was also an ass." I am not sure what to make of this story, except that I wish I could have been at their table. Adolph Galland became somewhat of a celebrity after WWII. Very few accomplished Luftwaffe pilots survived the conflict, even fewer high ranking Generals. Galland's memoir does not focus on his impressive string of arial victories, but instead, concentrates on his time as General of the Fighters and his conflict with Hitler and Goering on how the air war should have been conducted. Galland's hatred of Goering is legendary, referring to him in derogatory expletives, describing how he was continually dismayed at his bazaar behavior. Galland, obviously alienated by Goering's appearance, describes his dress, "He was clad in a green suede hunting jacket over a silk blouse with long puffed sleeves, high hunting boots and a miniature Germanic sword at his hip". Hitler's portrayal is one of instability, continually ranting and raving, insisting on an offensive strategy at a time when Germany was clearly in retreat. In general, Galland represents the Nazi high command as irrational, basically disconnected from reality. He conveys well, the unbearable stress felt by the decision makers, relentlessly fighting a war that was clearly lost. "The First and the Last" is a very polished, well written memoir, indispensable to the narrative of WWII history.

[Colin Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating inside look at the chaos and poor decisions inside the third reich. Must read for anyone interested in this period.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic, along with Rudel's memoire, from the Luftwaffe side of the war.

[Michał Hołda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good biographical book about German pilot who has fought in The Condor Legion in Spain, unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939.

He was actually not very happy, rather sad from defeating Poland. Because Poland was not that threatening enemy and it was to easy, easy path to destroy. He like more when he was on the bring of getting shot in air space.

In Battle of Britain he talks about strategy from General Giulio Douhet, who was an Italian general and air power theorist. He was a key proponent of strategic bombing in aerial warfare.

possibility of taking any offensive action against the enemy: to reign in the air - that is, to forbid the enemy from flying, while ensuring this possibility for himself.

The Douhet model rests on the belief that in a conflict, the infliction of high costs from aerial bombing can shatter civilian morale. This would unravel the social basis of resistance, and pressure citizens into asking their governments to surrender.

Göring launched the Battle of Britain Maltese lightning bolt in an attempt to finally exclude the island from hostilities under the dictates of Douget's tactics.

And author speaks of Flight itself being ability to use 3D, third dimension. As it was believed that we took might in acting in third dimension, in flight.

So I say Driving car is II Dimensional, Flight plane is III Dimensional, traveling in space can be sure possible with IV Dimensional approach. So invent please. : D

His last battle was against 1200 bombers covered by P51 planes bombing Capitol of the Reich, Berlin.

Although there was much less MG 262 and JG 7, thay has shot one by one, American bombers

In his last flight he was about to shot down Martin B-26 Marauder with rockets, but he forgot to release them, Me 262A of Eduard Schallmoser "jet battering ram " shots that bomber.

Then P-51 Mustang shot authors plane, to the bone, dashboard broken,right jet engine gone, left jet engine hit.

His plane is responding again.And pilot has under him motorway, in front Munich, on the left Riem. He started to land on landing Ground but P-47 Thunderbolt has been destroying that airport .

After landing he reports five certain planes he got.

He also mentions that In last days of III Reich Erprobungskommando 25 had been testing rockets, reinforced deck harrow, dropping bombs on bomb formations,line towed with and without a bomb,rocket batteries and a pepperbox like revolver beam weapon fired automatically by an impulse from a photocell.

This book is fast pace reading of extraordinary life of soldier who fought all his life for his country. Having been injured in knee(from metal sticking out in his cabin), with brain damage, during one of flights, where piece of his skin from head came off. And overall lucky one.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding at an early age that both sides of a story are vital to get a true picture, I found this Ballantine Book by Adolph Galland quite an eye-opener. Anything from the other side was very hard to find at that time.

Galland's account of his role in Germany's air war was largely just factual, and he didn't shy away from too many details, but it was a long book. Back then that didn't bother me. His content told more about the odds, advantages, and aerial hardware in WWII.

I was always an aviation fan and hadn't yet realized that my motor skills and eyesight would prevent me from flying the planes flying overhead. I could still dream at that stage, and that made the long book read quicker, too. I finished it right before school started.

[KOMET · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a teenager in 1980. Galland presents the reader both with the story of his WWII combat service (which began in Poland in 1939, where he served as a ground attack pilot, and onward to the Battles of France and Britain, during which time --- with a fighter unit --- he rose to fame and renown as one of Germany's top fighter aces; by the end of 1941, with his victory score at 94, he was taken off frontline service) and his time as Germany's youngest General and head of its day fighter arm, the Jagdwaffe. A fascinating story.

[Svein M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and interesting read, the book is a four, but the kindle version could have been better due to a bit of lazy typsetting and spelling mistakes lax translation to Englisg carried over in my version. But happy i finaly got to read Gallands own story. Would have been interesting to hear about his postwar life too and maybee his viewe of the "third reich" in hindsight. Not as a politician but a person thet lived throu it and served his country.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a clear picture of Galland’s perspective of the Luftwaffe. Minor differences between his writings and what modern history has recorded. His personal thoughts on the justification of the war are never mentioned. He does admit mistakes but he was a dedicated warrior. Would have liked him on our side.

[Tom Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book. It really gave me an understanding of what it was like for the German fighter pilots of WWII from the beginning to the end of the war. No Hitler. No Nazis. Just the story of the pilots flying in the war.

[Rod · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting account of Gallands time through the war years

[Michael Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book ages ago, but still recommend it to anyone wanting a first hand account of the aerial war in world war 2.

[T.O. Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adolf Galland is perhaps most famous for asking Herman Goering for "a squadron of spitfires" when the Reichmarshall gave him the opportunity to ask for anything he needed to pursue the war in Britain. This quote was then given to his alter-ego in the 1968 film The Battle of Britain where like a lot of less senior officers/characters Galland and his friend and contemporary Molders were renamed (along with British Aces like Sailor Malan).

As the book makes clear, Galland's flippant off the cuff remark was more to insubordination towards Goering than disloyalty towards the German Me109 in which Galland fought many dogfights on the western front.

Other war memoirs may focus on the daily grind and fatigue of aerial combat - for example Pierre Closterman's The Big Show or Guy Gibson's Enemy Coast Ahead - two books I picked up in a school bookshop as a ten year old which perfectly complemented my growing interest in AIrfix plane kits.

However, Galland's elevation from tactical airborne wing commander to strategic deskbound head of Fighter Command enables him to cover deliver both insightful combat observations and astute comments on the conduct of the war. He had several conversations with Hitler, and also characters from my A'level History books like Albert Speer whose logistical genius kept they German war machine not just operational but expanding even as Bomber Harris tried to blast it into oblivion.

It makes for an interesting companion piece to Stephen Darlow's D-Day Bombers: The Veteran's Story which I had read immediately previously. Galland highlights the impression the first massive Hamburg raid made in highlighting Germany's vulnerability to this all out war, and also how the various allied strategies each had their advantages but the US General Spaatz's determination to attack the synthetic fuel industry was the most crippling approach against the German war machine.

There are lots of highlights. I enjoyed Galland's take on Douglas Bader, the famous legless ace who did write a forward to the book in 1954. It was Bader who, in 1968, rallied the British veteran experts to reject an evening of conviviality with their German counterparts, much to Galland's chagrin. Galland describes Bader's determination to meet the man who shot him down, alongside his fear that it would be humiliating to have been shot down by an NCO, and also Bader's various attempts to escape which reflected badly on Galland who had shown him hospitality at the time. The thumbnail portrayal captures the blend of arrogance, ingenuity and snobbery that made Bader formidable when confronting both his enemies and his superiors.

I also enjoyed Galland's observations on the roles of fighters and bombers which are - somewhat counterintuitively - agents of defence and attack respectively. The bombers as Harris and others realised deliver the attack to enemy forces on the ground, the fighters defend against it. Hitler's political strategy and philosophy spilled of unending attack spilled over into his military strategy. As Galland cried out for focus on systematic defence (better fighters like - Me 262 - and better organised) Hitler demanded more bombers, more retaliatory attacks. Even though the Battle of Britain had shown how the small two engined German bombers with limited range were quite unequal to the attack without total air superiority having been established.

While accounts of Allied strategy are full of blunders (eg Arnhem) these are blunders born of flawed military thinking, rather than ideological obsessions. It is fascinating to see through Galland's eyes how the knee-jerk impulses and dreadfully hectoring bullying leadership of Hitler and Goering constantly stymied wiser but more junior heads.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adolf Galland, the best known German fighter pilot, commander of the Luftwaffe's fighter force, and the leader of Jagdverband 44, describes his career in the Luftwaffe during WWII. The book was written somewhere around 1954, and reading it now it shows its age.

If you expect to read about his whole career, so including pre-WWII, you will have to turn elsewhere. This book only covers his involvement during WWII. I also found that the coverage of his career as a pilot fell below expectations. Yes, there are a few dogfights in here, but they do not go into much detail and are scattered throughout the book. With 100+ kills one would expect more action. What the book does do quite good is showing how the Luftwaffe did well in the early days of the war, but the longer the war lasted it fell short on many fronts. Both in the tactical and strategic realm it showed signs of bad planning, unhealthy politics, and men that were going for their own gain and status. The pilots in the frontline paid the price for this.
What feels odd is that Galland often states things like '...imagine what could have happened if...' or '...if Göring/Hitler/etc. had only listened to us pilots...', etc. Doing this he seems to indicate or point to a German victory. Hmmm... Not so sure I would like to have seen that happen. (I probably wouldn't be typing this if so...)

Well, some chapters are really good, with the chapter covering the Channel Dash giving a good insight of what planning took place to pull this off.

The book is okay, but I would have loved to read more real flying stuff.

[Tracy Saulino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book giving a perspective rarely found. Be careful with what version you get, mine had atrocious editing failures throughout. Many errors that caused difficulty figuring out what Galland had actually written. I wouldn't be surprised if there are 2x more editing errors than pages in the book. It is like a 1995 attempt scanning text into digital - a letter like ü becomes "in, " and much worse.

HOWEVER the book is very, very good. He doesn't address the elephants in the Reich at all, we don't learn anything about Galland's knowledge, participation, or thoughts about the massive systemic murders and enslavement of anyone deemed less-than by the National Socialists.

Fascinating look inside the air war mismanagement: YES! Exciting look into the amazing technology leaps during WWII: Yes Any type of reckoning with being a significant cog in spreading and supporting evil: *crickets*

[V.G.GUY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting

Thought this was going to be about Gallands flying experience, but it is more geared towards internal politics within the German Air force and the Nazi Party.

[Michael Olfky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

This is an absolutely fantastic war memoir. Adolf Galland doesn’t hold back in his analysis of the various failure modes in the German command structure. Well worth reading.

[Juan José · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las memorias,esas vivencias en primera persona siempre son un tesoro para el lector,y más si son escritas con gusto e interés.

[Gino Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather vague

[Dave Drohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a real fighter pilot

The real top gun. The right stuff. Zehr gut! This is how germany lost. I am so impressed. Read it.

[Ronald Casares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information on tactics used on both sides of the conflict.

[David Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Galland wrote this book almost ten years after the conclusion of the war. This means that, even if he wasn't aware of the atrocities of the regime he supported at the time, he certainly knew the story by the time this book was published. I'm used to German soldiers claiming in their memoirs that they knew nothing of the war crimes, that their units weren't involved. And I accept that the Luftwaffe (and particularly the fighter arm) were generally not directly involved, but I find Galland's attitude curious, to say the least. At one point, he says Hitler's decision (never actually implemented) to switch war production from fighters to anti-aircraft guns as "one of the most monstrous orders of the war." It amazes me that he can write these words even after knowing about the death camps, the march of the 2nd SS Panzer Division through France in June, 1944, and so on. Perhaps the head injuries Galland suffered early in his career affected his thinking.

Some of the reviews I've read talk about Galland's disdain for the Nazi leaders. However, early in the book Galland describes Hitler and Goering as lucid, calm, intelligent, and supportive. Galland seems to have liked his superiors when the war was going well. It wasn't until things got bad that his attitude seems to have changed. I'm somewhat amused at Galland's ego. Yes, he as an accomplished pilot with over 100 aerial combat victories. But several times he argues that if his leaders had listened to his suggestions the tide of war could have been changed. And he characterizes the failure to implement the jet fighter program earlier as "tragic". This is clearly not the verdict of history.

But this is a book review, not a critique of the man.

The book reads like two much different books combined into one. One book, the book about Galland -- what he did, where he went, what he thought -- was interesting. The other book, a general history of the air war in the west, is terribly slanted, ignores many hard facts, is not particularly well-written, and is certainly not a scholarly work. I would have enjoyed Galland's work much more if he'd stuck to the first and only had enough of the second to provide context.

Although the book includes photos from post-war Argentina, the text ends with the war.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First and the Last (1953) by Adolf Galland is an account of Luftwaffe fighter arm from the perspective of a man who was both a highly successful pilot with 104 kills and a General of the fighter arm who was very familiar with Hitler, Goering, Speer and other senior German politicians and commanders. The book has been sufficiently influential that a number of the points that Galland makes have become popular wisdom.
Galland flew in Spain and then flew in the Luftwaffe in France and during the Battle of Britain, he then became a General and was finally demoted at the end of the war and flew ME-262s so he was both a first and last flyer in WWII.
The book is really very interesting. It discusses the technical attributes of WWII fighter aircraft, the men who flew them and how they were organised. Galland makes many interesting points about bomber warfare and how it was ineffective for the Germans in the Battle of Britain while for the allies it did become effective but with German defences German industrial war production actually peaked in September 1944. Galland says that Hitler disliked fighters and discounted their importance and critically slowed the ME-262 program that Galland believes could have crippled the allied bomber campaign. He makes Hitler out to be a commander whose interests were dominated by the Army and who put too much faith in himself. There is also quantitative analysis of how effective the bombing campaign was. Speer is seen as a man who appreciated the importance of air defence and fighters in order to keep German industrial production going.
For anyone interested in WWII the book is definitely worth reading. It’s the most interesting wartime flying and air warfare book I’ve read.