Borrowed from the website Ryan listed.

Killed on his way to a funeral.

On Nov 21-1941, one of Germany's leading air aces, Oberst Werner Molders, 1913-1941, was killed whe his plane, an HE-111 bomber, in which he was a passenger, hit a factory chimney in fog and rain near Breslau while on his way to the state funeral of General Ernst Udet 1896-1941, Chief Air Inspector General of the Luftwaffe, who committed suicide on nov 17th 1941. Molders, who had achieved 115 kills, was replaced by the fighter ace, Adolf Ferdinand Galland.

Excellent site with excellent info.

[ 13 June 2002, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Yup. Germany lost two great aviators. Udet was driven to suicide by Milch. It is ashame because Udet would have given the Luftwaffe the proper aircraft it needed to fight the war and win. He was the person who started the project the produced the famous Ju 87 Stuka dive bomber.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Hallo!

Yes, Ernst Udet started the Stuka proyects. He was a WWI ace and later became an important aid on Göring's proyects to rebuild the Luftwaffe.

General Udet liked testing the new aeroplanes himself. He actually crashed more than six times. At one ocasion he was testing the Ju-87 and another dive bomber, I think from the Messerschmitt or Heinkel family. That aeroplane could not bear the pressure and its wings broke and Udet crashed. Then he tested and liked the Stuka very much...

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

I believe he got the idea after watching an American Curtiss Dive bomber. I don't remember if he flew one but he definitely saw one at an airshow.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Yes, PzJgr, you are right!

Ernst Udelt get inspired about a dive bomber after he flew a P-40. The Luftwaffe bought two to the USA in 1935 or something.

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Ill have to look it up when time permits but, there were two other top aces killed on their way to a funeral.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

PzJgr-you said that Udet's suicide was a shame beause he couldv'e started a project that would of given Germany the planes to help win the war!!!
Are you saying it's a bad thing that they lost???

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"GARRY OWEN"-Traditional war-cry of the US 7th Cavalry.
"CURRAHEE"-War-cry of the US 506th PIR.
"Everybody thinks that they are going to get the chance to punch some Nazi in the face at Normandy-and those days are over, they are long gone"-Lt Chris Burnett

No, that is not what I was saying. We all must admit that a lot of things we use today came out of the war. I was only pointing out how much the man could have achieved. I was, as all of us here, not promoting a Nazi victory.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

And do you think WE took cheerfully YOUR victory?

No, we didn't!

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

I would say no if you were a nationalist but having lived in a police state, I would imagine that the allied victory was welcomed.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!