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I am interested in the opinion of everybody about Hanna Reitsch.
She is well known for her flying abilities and bravery as a test flyer but during digging in my older sources I found an article of 1970 by Manfred Jurleit. Jurleit wrote two brilliant books about the Me 262 during the early 90s - the best what I was ever reading about this topic.
Now it seems to me that Hanna Reitsch is personal responsible for the senseless death of some German SO-Flieger. SO = Selbstaufopferung or Selbstopfer means sacrifice oneself and is the German equivalent to the Japanese Kamikaze.
Hanna Reitsch
1. suggested (?) to use SO-flyers and
2. was inflaming or misleading young pilots to volunteer for this kind of flights.
An eye whitness, Unteroffizier Hans Joachim Hartung, had heard at first in 1943 about this idea. Later in Hanau he listened to Hanna Reitschīs speech encouraging pilots to sacrify their lifes. Hartung became member of one of these commands but only a group of 20 of 50 pilots had to do their last flight on 20.April 1945. Another group of 17 died earlier on 16.April in a senseless attempt to destroy the bridges over the river Oder. Donīt know more about this activities.
Gentlemen, your opinion please!
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