9. Josef Priller served as a movie consultant on a film which included his own exploits
The World War II film The Longest Day includes a sequence in which two Luftwaffe bf 109s strafe the troops landing on the beaches in Normandy. The flight is led by Josef Priller. The movie fictionalizes the event to the extent that it presents it as the only aerial attack mounted by the Germans against the invasion. In reality, there were several. The real Josef Priller’s war service concentrated on the Western Allies. He flew 307 sorties against the French, British, and Americans, and is credited with 101 victories, including 68 against Spitfires. Priller also destroyed at least ten heavy bombers of the USAAF over the course of the war.
He emerged from the Battle of France as one of the Luftwaffe’s most successful fighter pilots, a reputation he enhanced throughout the Battle of Britain. In 1943 Priller was assigned to command a unit scheduled to be transferred to the Eastern Front. The transfer was subsequently canceled, and Priller remained on the Western Front for the duration of the war. In January, 1945, Priller received orders to assume the role of Inspector of Day Fighters, removing him from operational flight status. He married the owner of a small brewery, Riegele and managed the brewery in Augsburg for the remainder of his days. The brewery remains in operation in the 21st century.