Adolf Galland estate BF-109 model

[jvanzo]

I posted this in the model building forum, but I'm also posting it here because it concerns a well known Luft personality and could be of interest to some readers of this forum, too.

It's a BF-109 plastic model in 1/32 scale presented to Gen. Adolf Galland on the occasion of his 60th birthday. The Galland family sold off several items after his death, and this ended up on ebay.de. My best friend bought it and gave it to me on my birthday.

Unfortunately the model itself is very poorly made, but I've left it "as is" because to "improve" it in any way would depreciate its value. To me, its value is sentimental rather than monetary. Long ago as a kid I read Galland's autobiography "The First and the Last" and that was what got me interested in WWII German history. The model may not be expertly made, but it was done by an admirer with respect and devotion. I met Galland in the mid-1970's and he was a real gentleman with a wonderful sense of humor.

[NickG]

That's neat. Interesting that they put the swastika on the model as that is a banned symbol in Germany and not even supposed to be in the kits!

Here some of my Galland material, a signed photopraph and his (modern day) business card.

[Towarish]

Nice thread.
The next time I'm in Bonn I'll pay his former office - building a visit.

I went thru Gotenstraßen at an almost daily base.

[Theoderich]

That's neat. Interesting that they put the swastika on the model as that is a banned symbol in Germany and not even supposed to be in the kits!

It was banned from kits in Germany in the late 70`s/early 80`s, i built this kits with swastika in the 70`s.

[JG 51]

Nice, thanks for posting. Yepp germany have had a lot of restrictions in that matter. The rockband Kiss were not aloud to use their original logo on the records in germany cause the s looked much alike the SS runes

[RamJet]

Just great worked this ridiculous restriction when in the end of the 70s a German export company cut out the swastikas from the decal sheets of models going to the Soviet Union and the customers there complained bitterly ... or when they cut out the victory bars (small TR flags) from a Mustang ace model kit ...

[Bob Hritz]

It is completely undertstandable. The German government so desperately fears that if someone sees a swastika, runes, etc, they will blindly fall into fascism. Apparantly the German government believes every German is that weak minded.

Bob Hritz

[tgn]

Bob is correct. Just let a German even see a swastika and they will start goose stepping again!

Tom

[RamJet]