Kurt Knispel is, according to German historians, the most successful tank ace of the Second World War with 168 enemy tanks destroyed (all on the Eastern Front). This figure cannot but raise doubts, since in order to knock out a Soviet tank on the Eastern Front it was necessary to fill out a questionnaire (something similar was instituted in the Luftwaffe). And the destruction of the tank was confirmed by colleagues who
They confirmed it to you today, and you confirmed it to them tomorrow. Thus, K. Knispel could well be the greatest tank ace in filling out questionnaires.
Kurt Knispel was born on September 20, 1921 on the territory of Czechoslovakia in a family of Sudeten (Czech) Germans and died on April 28, 1945 on the territory of Czechoslovakia, namely in a battle near the borders of modern Austria and the Czech Republic, where he destroyed, according to German historians, his last tank (according to Soviet reports, it only knocked out a tank, which was later restored).
He began his military service with training from September 15, 1940 to September 30, 1940 on the Pz Kpfw I, Pz Kpfw II, and Pz Kpfw III tanks. He was transferred to active troops on October 1 of the same year, to the 29th Tank Regiment of the 12th Tank Division. Already in his unit he was trained as a loader and gunner for the Pz Kpfw IV.
During his service, Kurt Knispel managed to master almost all Wehrmacht tanks, except for the Panther, which speaks of his intelligence and ingenuity.
During his career, Kurt Knispel completed (or filled out questionnaires):
as a gunner - 126 (confirmed) enemy tanks (+ 20 unconfirmed).
as a heavy tank commander - 42 enemy tanks (+ about 10 unconfirmed).
Not a single tanker in any of the countries that participated in World War II was able to repeat this result (based on filling out questionnaires). Despite this, Knispel, like many outstanding German soldiers during World War II, remained a forgotten figure for a long time and was not mentioned in the literature.
Separately, it should be noted that Kurt Knispel won most of his victories as a tank gunner, that is, firing shots personally. Many other tank aces, whose personal scores are close to Knispel’s (for example, Michael Wittmann), were tank commanders and, figuratively speaking, “were not in the crosshairs.”
Most of Kurt Knispel's colleagues noted that he was a fairly modest and not greedy person and never chased the score, did not insist on counting the next tank at his own expense if it was rejected for some reason, and always willingly confirmed the victories of his comrades. On the other hand, as practice shows, statements by combatants about the number of enemy units destroyed are inaccurate. In the real dynamics of the battle (excluding dueling options), taking into account weather factors, terrain, combat range, interference in the form of smoke, etc. It is almost impossible to accurately assess the damage caused to the enemy. Therefore, Knispel’s results must be treated with a certain degree of criticism. In addition, one should distinguish between the concepts of “destroyed tank” and “destroyed tank” of the enemy.
He is also one of the Wehrmacht soldiers who served, survived and did not become disabled in the ACTUAL army for more than 5 years! There were only about 2000 such soldiers. This is truly an achievement that deserves attention, given the specifics of the Eastern Front.
Awards:
German cross in gold (20 May 1944)
Iron Cross 2nd class
Iron Cross 1st class
Gold medal "For tank attack"
Mentioned in the daily report of the Wehrmacht (German: Wehrmachtbericht, April 25, 1944)
He applied for the Knight's Cross four times, but never received it. This fact is associated with his character. In particular, Franz Kurowski in his book cites well-known cases when Kurt Knispel attacked an Einsatzgruppen officer, standing up for a beaten Soviet prisoner of war, or when he stole wine, champagne and food from a train guarded by the SS Viking division, hiding everything, whatever you could carry in the air filters of your Tiger.
Knispel did not look at all like a model soldier. And his behavior was not very exemplary: junior commanders nominated him four times for the Knight’s Cross, and senior commanders imposed their ban four times. This is not surprising, since Knispel did not hesitate to openly discuss the command abilities and behavior of senior commanders. In addition, he was accused of such disciplinary violations as “organizing the theft” of food from a bombed transport or fighting with soldiers of other units...
Until recently, there was much uncertainty about his death.
This happened when Soviet military units, which at the end of April 1945 advanced towards the Czech city of Znojmo and fought on the front between the settlements of Stronsdorf in Austria and Vlasatice in the Czech Republic.
As for publicly available information about K. Knispel’s last fight, there is very little of it and it is contradictory. The German publicist Franz Kurowski wrote about K. Knispel in his book “Tank Aces,” which was recently translated into Russian. In this book, he adhered to the version of Hauptmann Diest-Korber, the last commander of the 503rd heavy tank battalion "Feldgernhalle" (sPzAbt.503 "Feldgernhalle"). According to this version, K. Knispel died in a battle with Soviet tanks (and/or self-propelled guns) on April 28, 1945 near the village of Vlasatice on the territory of the modern Czech Republic.
But there is a certain inaccuracy here. Vlasatice was occupied by the Soviet army on April 25-26, 1945, after the capture of Hodonin, Brzeclav, Mikulov as a result of the Bratislava-Brnov offensive operation. Vlasatice is located 5 km from Mikulov. There were no heavy battles in Vlasatitsa, and there were no military hospitals either!
The Austrian historian Franz Jordan, in his book “Fighting in Lower Austria in 1945,” adheres to the version of Horst Bechtel and Alfred Rubbel, veterans of the 503rd Feldgernhalle heavy tank battalion. According to this version, K. Knispel was seriously wounded in a battle with Soviet tanks (and/or self-propelled guns) on April 29, 1945 near the village of Stronsdorf in the territory of modern Austria. units and units of the German tank corps operated in the area of the settlements of Patzenthal - Patzmannsdorf - Stronsdorf - Stronegg - Unterschoderlee - Oberschoderlee - Unterstinkenbrunn - Gaubitsch – Kleinbaumgarten – Altenmarkt – Ungerndorf – Fallbach – Ungerhof. Presumably, on April 29, 1945, K. Knispel's tank was knocked out at Stronsdorf in a battle with tanks/self-propelled guns of the Soviet 23rd Tank Corps. And Knispel himself was seriously wounded and taken to a hospital in Vrbovec/Urbau (Czech Republic). The only known place of burial of K. Knispel is the village of Vrbovec/Urbau, in which at the end of April 1945 there was an infirmary. This village was located behind the front line in the German rear (20 kilometers from Stronsdorf and 37 kilometers from Vlasatice).
On April 28, 1945, the front line ran along the Dyje River, between Hranice (Czech Republic) and Laa der Thaya. The bridges were blown up, one bank of the river was steep. and the other is swampy and fortified with bunkers from 1938. And this does not allow for a direct attack across the river.
By the way, the attack on Laa was carried out along the river, from Vienna.
Vrbovec is located 6 km from Znojmo, 5 km from the Dyje River and 24 km from Laa, where the main battles took place. Znojmo was captured on May 8, 1945, as a result of the withdrawal of German troops to surrender to the Americans.
All of the above confirms the death of Kurt Knispel in Vrbovec, and not in Vlasatica!
He died at the age of 23!
But it is still unknown exactly where his tank was hit and it is unknown exactly where his last battle took place. But recently, information has appeared that most likely K. Knispel’s tank was shot down in the Vlastice area by a Soviet SU-100 self-propelled gun under the command of Guard Junior Lieutenant Sheiko. From the post-war stories of Sheiko himself and his letters home to his parents, in one of the villages in the Znojmo region, his self-propelled gun destroyed the Royal Tiger tank under the following circumstances. SU-100 Sheiko advanced and took a position on the outskirts of the village (presumably Vlastitsa). At this time, a German tank, having knocked out the T-34-85, which was moving on the attack in the direction of the village, left cover to conduct aimed fire at two other advancing Soviet tanks on the left flank, thus exposing the side to the fire of the SU-100. The Sheiko self-propelled gun hit a German tank with the first shot from a distance of 100-120 meters. Sheiko, from his memories, definitely saw how the “Royal Tiger”, which caught fire, left the crew. Most likely, it was Knispel’s crew who evacuated their wounded commander from a burning tank.
Little is known about junior lieutenant Sheiko. He was originally from Kyiv, and before the occupation he was evacuated with his family to Tashkent. He graduated from accelerated courses at the Tashkent Tank School and was sent to the front. This was the first battle of the young SU-100 commander, which completely dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the “best” German tank ace.
Our magazine in Nos. 7/96 and 4/97 talked about Soviet tank aces during the Great Patriotic War. What was the situation with the aces in the enemy camp?
Heavy tank Pz Kpfw VIH "Tiger", Normandy, 1944.
If you believe Western literature (the facts I presented below must, of course, be treated critically), the Wehrmacht's No. 1 tank ace is Michael Wittmann.
He began fighting on the Soviet-German front at the end of January 1943. But he managed to distinguish himself only during the Battle of Kursk. On the morning of July 5, 1943, in the Olkhovatka area, Pz Kpfw VIH "Tiger" tanks from the 13th company of the 1st tank regiment of the Adolf Hitler division, where Lieutenant Wittmann served, attacked the positions of the 15th and 81st Soviet rifle divisions. Wittmann's crew, together with another crew, destroys 2 anti-tank guns and 3 T-34 tanks. By noon of the same day, he knocks out 3 more "thirty-fours". By evening, he had 8 Soviet tanks and 6 anti-tank guns. On July 7 and 8, Wittmann will destroy 2 T-34s, 2 SU-122 self-propelled guns and 3 light tanks. He won 2 victories over the “thirty-four” during the famous Prokhorov battle. Wittmann increased his combat score during the autumn battles for Kyiv in November 1943. On November 13, he burned 20 T-34 tanks. In the battles near Zhitomir - the SU-85 self-propelled gun and several other tanks, including those that were supplied to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. On January 9, 1944, Wittmann disabled 6 T-34 tanks. On January 13, he chalked up another 19 tanks and 3 SU-76 self-propelled guns. On February 6, 1944, in a battle with tanks of the 5th Guards Tank Army, he destroyed 9 KB and T-34 tanks.
Pz Kpfw VIB "Tiger-2" moves to a combat position
In less than a year, Michael Wittmann brought the number of his victories to 117. In April 1944, he was transferred to Normandy, as the commander of a company of Tiger tanks in the 501st Tank Battalion of the 1st SS Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". The first German tank ace carried out his most famous battle on June 13 of the same year near the village of Villiers-Bocage.
You can give a description of this battle by Michael Wittmann, which was included in Max Hastings’ book “Operation Overlord”: “...However, Nemesis had already raised its hand over the British in the form of a single German “Tiger”, commanded by Captain Michael Wittmann, commander of a group of five tanks of the 501st SS heavy tank battalion. On June 7, his company left Beauvais and, having suffered greatly from air raids on June 8 near Versailles, began to move only after dark, in order to reach the place where they were now located by June 12... Wittmann stood in the turret of his tank and carefully watched as the British column of tanks in Villers-Bocage calmly went about its business. “They act as if they had already won the war,” grumbled gunner Corporal Woll. Wittmann, already being hailed on the Eastern Front as the greatest tank ace of the war, said coolly: “Now we will show them that they are wrong.” As his Tiger roared forward to meet the tanks of the British 7th Armored Division, Wittmann began one of the most effective fights he fought in the entire war.
Attacking stationary targets, he sent shell after shell at tanks and vehicles almost point-blank, from very close ranges, and finally rammed another Cromwell, knocking it on its side as it blocked his entry to the main street of Villers-Bocage. There he destroyed three more tanks of the headquarters group; the fourth tank remained undamaged as the driver reversed it into the garden, unable to open fire on the Tiger due to the gunner remaining outside the vehicle. The commander of the Sherman from Company B, 30-year-old Londoner Sergeant Stan Lockwood, hearing the shooting that began nearby, carefully directed the tank around the building: ahead, about 200 m, Wittmann's Tiger, with its side facing him, was firing along the street. Lockwood's tank gunner fired four 17-pound shells at the Tiger. One of them hit the side of the tank, and smoke appeared above it, and then flames. This was followed by a return shot from the Tiger, which brought down half the building on the Sherman and completely collapsed it. While the British were freeing their car from the wreckage, the Germans disappeared. Having received only minor damage, Wittmann's "Tiger" managed to destroy the last "Cromwell" before leaving the scene of the massacre... Wittmann, during a merciless duel in 5 minutes, having crushed the advance detachment of the 7th Armored Division to smithereens, refueled his "Tiger", replenished ammunition and promptly joined the rest of the four "Tigers" and the German infantry. They attacked the surviving British troops in the area of the height with mark 213...”
It should be taken into account that Wittmann was opposed by tankmen from the selected 7th Armored Division of the British, who distinguished themselves during the battles in Africa. In just one battle with Wittmann's tanks, the British lost 24 tanks and 28 other armored units - for comparison, their losses over the previous two days of fighting amounted to only 4 tanks.
And yet the British managed to seriously damage his combat vehicle that day. The crew destroyed their tank and went to the area of the positions of the training tank company.
The barrel of this assault gun bears marks of victories in tank battles.
Michael Wittmann fought his last battle on August 8, 1944 against M4 Sherman tanks of the advancing 4th Canadian Tank Division. The crew knocked out two Shermans from the 1st squadron from 1800 meters. To break the attacking formation, Wittmann's tank rushed forward and the crew knocked out the third Sherman (the last enemy combat vehicle destroyed by the German ace), but immediately burst into flames itself, receiving five hits at close range. In total, Michael Wittmann has 138 tanks, 132 self-propelled guns and many other destroyed enemy military equipment.
There were other successful tank crews in the Wehrmacht. Thus, Lieutenant Otto Carius has 150 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns (according to other sources, 200 vehicles). In one battle he was able to hit 10 Soviet T-34 tanks. The Tiger crew, commanded by non-commissioned officer Muller, destroyed 25 Soviet vehicles in one of the battles near Narva, and the crew of Lieutenant Strauss destroyed 13.
The crew of the Pz Kpfw VG "Panther" tank on vacation
On January 12, 1943, the Soviet offensive began near Leningrad. The 1st company of the 502nd heavy tank battalion also took part in repelling the attacks of the advancing units. Four Tigers were included in the defense of the 96th Infantry Division. In the battles in the Shlisselburg area, Lieutenant Bodo von Hartel, with accurate shooting from the Tiger, destroyed 12 T-34/76 tanks, and Unterfeldwebel Bolter destroyed 5 T-34/76 tanks. The Tigers were a dangerous opponent not only for Soviet tanks, but also, as we saw, for Allied tanks. Thus, on July 22, 1944, while repelling an attack by American tanks, Corporal Rühring from the 504th heavy tank battalion destroyed 12 Shermans, and the remaining 11 tanks participating in the battle were abandoned by their crews in panic. During the battle for the Italian city of Anzio on February 24, 1944, platoon commander Lieutenant Zint from the 508th heavy battalion (armed with Pz Kpfw VIH Tiger tanks) knocked out 11 tanks, and Unterfeldwebel Hammerschmidt knocked out 6 Allied tanks.
Well, how did the crews of the more powerful German tanks, the Pz Kpfw VIB “Royal Tiger” (“Tiger-2”), perform? I will give several examples described in the literature. The result of the tank crew, commanded by Unterscharführer Karl Brohmann, was 66 tanks. 12 T-34/85 tanks and a SU-85 self-propelled gun were destroyed in the final battles of 1945 by the crew of Lieutenant Oberbach. And on April 6, the “Royal Tiger” of Unterfeldwebel Karcher shot 10 Soviet tanks. In the battles for Hungary, the “Royal Tigers” of Oberfeldwebel Neuhaus and Unterfeldwebel Kulenans destroyed 14 and 11 Soviet tanks, respectively.
Of course, “other predators from Hitler’s menagerie” also showed their claws. Thus, the commander of the Pz Kpfw VG “Panther” tank, Lieutenant Barkman, destroyed 60 tanks by the end of the war.
German self-propelled guns were also a dangerous enemy. SU "Nashorn" ("Rhinoceros") of Lieutenant Albert Ernst destroyed 33 Soviet tanks. The commander of the Sturmgeschutz III self-propelled gun, Kircher, knocked out 30 Soviet tanks in the battles for Volkhov. On January 17, 1942, Lieutenant Danmai destroyed 16 T-26 tanks and 3 KV tanks with his self-propelled gun. On May 10, 1943, during the battles on the Kursk Bulge, the crew of the Sturmgeschutz III self-propelled gun, commanded by Lieutenant Trispel, included 12 T-34/76 tanks. By the end of the war, the commander of the self-propelled gun, Oberleutnant Schubert, had 37 tanks destroyed.
AND NOW ABOUT THE NEXT. Is it worth writing about the aces of Hitler’s Panzerwaffe and their military achievements? I think it's worth it. And here's why. Yes, the soldiers of the Wehrmacht (soldiers of Hitler's Germany) walked through our land with fire and sword, they were, are and will be hated invaders for us. But we must also remember that in civilized countries they have always treated the enemy with respect in terms of his ability to fight. We must also remember that the German army was a professional army, and our soldier crushed it. We must remember that the German soldier fought competently and was well trained, but our army, at the cost of very heavy losses and efforts, managed to defeat the German military machine. And if today we emphasize the professional aspects of the enemy, we will in no way belittle the merits and skill of the Soviet soldier. Nothing compares to his feat during the Great Patriotic War. The military says - respect the enemy and you will win. The Wehrmacht soldier was smart, cunning and treacherous. And here we can say in the words of the poet Konstantin Simonov: Yes, the enemy was brave. The greater our glory!
The title ace, in reference to military pilots, first appeared in French newspapers during the First World War. In 1915 Journalists nicknamed “aces”, and translated from French the word “as” means “ace”, pilots who shot down three or more enemy aircraft. The legendary French pilot Roland Garros was the first to be called an ace.
The most experienced and successful pilots in the Luftwaffe were called experts - “Experte”
Luftwaffe
Eric Alfred Hartman (Boobie)
Erich Hartmann (German: Erich Hartmann; April 19, 1922 - September 20, 1993) was a German ace pilot, considered the most successful fighter pilot in the history of aviation. According to German data, during the Second World War he shot down “352” enemy aircraft (of which 345 were Soviet) in 825 air battles.
Hartmann graduated from flight school in 1941 and was assigned to the 52nd Fighter Squadron on the Eastern Front in October 1942. His first commander and mentor was the famous Luftwaffe expert Walter Krupinsky.
Hartmann shot down his first plane on November 5, 1942 (an Il-2 from the 7th GShAP), but over the next three months he managed to shoot down only one plane. Hartmann gradually improved his flying skills, focusing on the effectiveness of the first attack
Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann in the cockpit of his fighter, the famous emblem of the 9th Staffel of the 52nd Squadron is clearly visible - a heart pierced by an arrow with the inscription “Karaya”, in the upper left segment of the heart the name of Hartman’s bride “Ursel” is written (the inscription is almost invisible in the picture) .
German ace Hauptmann Erich Hartmann (left) and Hungarian pilot Laszlo Pottiondy. German fighter pilot Erich Hartmann - the most successful ace of World War II
Krupinski Walter is the first commander and mentor of Erich Hartmann!!
Hauptmann Walter Krupinski commanded the 7th Staffel of the 52nd Squadron from March 1943 to March 1944. Pictured is Krupinski wearing the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, which he received on March 2, 1944 for 177 victories in air combat. Shortly after this photo was taken, Krupinski was transferred to the West, where he served with the 7-5, JG-11 and JG-26, ending the war in an Me-262 with J V-44.
In the photo from March 1944, from left to right: commander of 8./JG-52 Lieutenant Friedrich Obleser, commander of 9./JG-52 Lieutenant Erich Hartmann. Lieutenant Karl Gritz.
Wedding of Luftwaffe ace Erich Hartmann (1922 - 1993) and Ursula Paetsch. To the left of the couple is Hartmann's commander, Gerhard Barkhorn (1919 - 1983). On the right is Hauptmann Wilhelm Batz (1916 - 1988).
Bf. 109G-6 Hauptmann Erich Hartmann, Buders, Hungary, November 1944.
Barkhorn Gerhard "Gerd"
Major Barkhorn Gerhard
He began flying with JG2 and was transferred to JG52 in the fall of 1940. From January 16, 1945 to April 1, 1945 he commanded JG6. He ended the war in the “squadron of aces” JV 44, when on 04/21/1945 his Me 262 was shot down while landing by American fighters. He was seriously wounded and was held captive by the Allies for four months.
Number of victories - 301. All victories on the Eastern Front.
Hauptmann Erich Hartmann (04/19/1922 - 09/20/1993) with his commander Major Gerhard Barkhorn (05/20/1919 - 01/08/1983) studying the map. II./JG52 (2nd group of the 52nd fighter squadron). E. Hartmann and G. Barkhorn are the most successful pilots of the Second World War, having 352 and 301 aerial victories, respectively. In the lower left corner of the photo is E. Hartmann’s autograph.
The Soviet fighter LaGG-3, destroyed by German aircraft while still on the railway platform.
The snow melted faster than the white winter color was washed off the Bf 109. The fighter takes off right through the spring puddles.)!.
Captured Soviet airfield: I-16 stands next to Bf109F from II./JG-54.
In tight formation, a Ju-87D bomber from StG-2 “Immelmann” and “Friedrich” from I./JG-51 are carrying out a combat mission. At the end of the summer of 1942, the pilots of I./JG-51 switched to FW-190 fighters.
Commander of the 52nd Fighter Squadron (Jagdgeschwader 52) Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich Hrabak, commander of the 2nd Group of the 52nd Fighter Squadron (II.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 52) Hauptmann Gerhard Barkhorn and an unknown Luftwaffe officer with a Messerschmitt fighter Bf.109G-6 at Bagerovo airfield.
Walter Krupinski, Gerhard Barkhorn, Johannes Wiese and Erich Hartmann
The commander of the 6th Fighter Squadron (JG6) of the Luftwaffe, Major Gerhard Barkhorn, in the cockpit of his Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 fighter.
Bf 109G-6 “double black chevron” of I./JG-52 commander Hauptmann Gerhard Barkhorn, Kharkov-Yug, August 1943.
Note the aircraft's own name; Christi is the name of the wife of Barkhorn, the second most successful fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. The picture shows the plane Barkhorn flew in when he was commander of I./JG-52, when he had not yet crossed the 200-victory mark. Barkhorn survived; in total he shot down 301 aircraft, all on the eastern front.
Gunther Rall
German ace fighter pilot Major Günther Rall (03/10/1918 - 10/04/2009). Günther Rall was the third most successful German ace of World War II. He has 275 air victories (272 on the Eastern Front) in 621 combat missions. Rall himself was shot down 8 times. On the pilot’s neck is visible the Knight’s Cross with oak leaves and swords, which he was awarded on September 12, 1943 for 200 air victories.
“Friedrich” from III./JG-52, this group in the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa covered the troops of the countries operating in the coastal zone of the Black Sea. Note the unusual angular tail number “6” and the “sine wave”. Apparently, this plane belonged to the 8th Staffel.
Spring 1943, Rall looks on approvingly as Lieutenant Josef Zwernemann drinks wine from a bottle
Günther Rall (second from left) after his 200th aerial victory. Second from right - Walter Krupinski
Shot down Bf 109 of Günter Rall
Rall in his Gustav IV
After being seriously wounded and partially paralyzed, Oberleutnant Günther Rall returned to 8./JG-52 on 28 August 1942, and two months later he became a Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Rall ended the war, taking an honorable third place in performance among Luftwaffe fighter pilots
won 275 victories (272 on the Eastern Front); shot down 241 Soviet fighters. He flew 621 combat missions, was shot down 8 times and wounded 3 times. His Messerschmitt had the personal number "Devil's Dozen"
The commander of the 8th squadron of the 52nd fighter squadron (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 52), Oberleutnant Günther Rall (1918-2009), with the pilots of his squadron, during a break between combat missions, plays with the squadron's mascot - a dog named "Rata" .
In the photo in the foreground from left to right: non-commissioned officer Manfred Lotzmann, non-commissioned officer Werner Höhenberg, and lieutenant Hans Funcke.
In the background, from left to right: Oberleutnant Günther Rall, Lieutenant Hans Martin Markoff, Sergeant Major Karl-Friedrich Schumacher and Oberleutnant Gerhard Luety.
The picture was taken by frontline correspondent Reissmüller on March 6, 1943 near the Kerch Strait.
photo of Rall and his wife Hertha, originally from Austria
The third in the triumvirate of the best experts of the 52nd squadron was Gunther Rall. Rall flew a black fighter with tail number “13” after his return to service on August 28, 1942 after being seriously wounded in November 1941. By this time, Rall had 36 victories to his name. Before being transferred to the West in the spring of 1944, he shot down another 235 Soviet aircraft. Pay attention to the symbols of III./JG-52 - the emblem on the front of the fuselage and the “sine wave” drawn closer to the tail.
Kittel Otto (Bruno)
Otto Kittel (Otto "Bruno" Kittel; February 21, 1917 - February 14, 1945) was a German ace pilot, fighter, and participant in World War II. He flew 583 combat missions and scored 267 victories, which is the fourth most in history. Luftwaffe record holder for the number of shot down Il-2 attack aircraft - 94. Awarded the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords.
in 1943, luck turned his face. On January 24, he shot down the 30th plane, and on March 15, the 47th. On the same day, his plane was seriously damaged and fell 60 km behind the front line. In thirty-degree frost on the ice of Lake Ilmen, Kittel went out to his own.
This is how Kittel Otto returned from a four-day journey!! His plane was shot down behind the front line, 60 km away!!
Otto Kittel on vacation, summer 1941. At that time, Kittel was an ordinary Luftwaffe pilot with the rank of non-commissioned officer.
Otto Kittel in the circle of comrades! (marked with a cross)
At the head of the table is "Bruno"
Otto Kittel with his wife!
Killed on February 14, 1945 during an attack by a Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft. Shot down by the gunner's return fire, Kittel's Fw 190A-8 (serial number 690 282) crashed into a swampy area near Soviet troops and exploded. The pilot did not use a parachute because he died in the air.
Two Luftwaffe officers bandage the hand of a wounded Red Army prisoner near a tent
Airplane "Bruno"
Novotny Walter (Novi)
German ace pilot of World War II, during which he flew 442 combat missions, scoring 258 air victories, including 255 on the Eastern Front and 2 over 4-engine bombers. The last 3 victories were won while flying the Me.262 jet fighter. He scored most of his victories flying the FW 190, and approximately 50 victories in the Messerschmitt Bf 109. He was the first pilot in the world to score 250 victories. Awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Most of the names from the list of ace pilots of the Great Patriotic War are well known to everyone. However, besides Pokryshkin and Kozhedub, among the Soviet aces, another master of air combat is undeservedly forgotten, whose courage and courage even the most titled and successful pilots can envy.
Better than Kozhedub, better than Hartman...
The names of the Soviet aces of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin, are known to everyone who is at least superficially familiar with Russian history. Kozhedub and Pokryshkin are the most successful Soviet fighter pilots. The first has 64 enemy aircraft shot down personally, the second has 59 personal victories, and he shot down 6 more planes in the group.
The name of the third most successful Soviet pilot is known only to aviation enthusiasts. During the war, Nikolai Gulaev destroyed 57 enemy aircraft personally and 4 in a group.
An interesting detail - Kozhedub needed 330 sorties and 120 air battles to achieve his result, Pokryshkin - 650 sorties and 156 air battles. Gulaev achieved his result by carrying out 290 sorties and conducting 69 air battles.
Moreover, according to award documents, in his first 42 air battles he destroyed 42 enemy aircraft, that is, on average, each battle ended for Gulaev with a destroyed enemy aircraft.
Fans of military statistics have calculated that Nikolai Gulaev’s efficiency coefficient, that is, the ratio of air battles to victories, was 0.82. For comparison, for Ivan Kozhedub it was 0.51, and for Hitler’s ace Erich Hartmann, who officially shot down the most aircraft during World War II, it was 0.4.
At the same time, people who knew Gulaev and fought with him claimed that he generously recorded many of his victories on his wingmen, helping them receive orders and money - Soviet pilots were paid for each enemy aircraft shot down. Some believe that the total number of planes shot down by Gulaev could reach 90, which, however, cannot be confirmed or denied today.
A guy from the Don.
Many books have been written and many films have been made about Alexander Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub, three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, air marshals.
Nikolai Gulaev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, was close to the third “Golden Star”, but never received it and did not become a marshal, remaining a colonel general. And in general, if in the post-war years Pokryshkin and Kozhedub were always in the public eye, engaged in the patriotic education of youth, then Gulaev, who was practically in no way inferior to his colleagues, remained in the shadows all the time.
Perhaps the fact is that both the war and post-war biography of the Soviet ace was rich in episodes that do not fit well into the image of an ideal hero.
Nikolai Gulaev was born on February 26, 1918 in the village of Aksayskaya, which has now become the city of Aksay in the Rostov region. The Don freemen were in the blood and character of Nicholas from the first days until the end of his life. After graduating from a seven-year school and a vocational school, he worked as a mechanic at one of the Rostov factories.
Like many of the youth of the 1930s, Nikolai became interested in aviation and attended a flying club. This hobby helped in 1938, when Gulaev was drafted into the army. The amateur pilot was sent to the Stalingrad Aviation School, from which he graduated in 1940. Gulaev was assigned to air defense aviation, and in the first months of the war he provided cover for one of the industrial centers in the rear.
Reprimand complete with reward.
Gulaev arrived at the front in August 1942 and immediately demonstrated both the talent of a combat pilot and the wayward character of a native of the Don steppes.
Gulaev did not have permission to fly at night, and when on August 3, 1942, Hitler’s planes appeared in the area of responsibility of the regiment where the young pilot served, experienced pilots took to the skies. But then the mechanic egged Nikolai on:
- What are you waiting for? The plane is ready, fly!
Gulaev, deciding to prove that he was no worse than the “old men,” jumped into the cockpit and took off. And in the very first battle, without experience, without the help of searchlights, he destroyed a German bomber. When Gulaev returned to the airfield, the arriving general said: “For the fact that I flew out without permission, I am reprimanding, and for the fact that I shot down an enemy plane, I am promoting him in rank and presenting him for a reward.”
Nugget.
His star shone especially brightly during the battles on the Kursk Bulge. On May 14, 1943, repelling a raid on the Grushka airfield, he single-handedly entered into battle with three Yu-87 bombers, covered by four Me-109s. Having shot down two Junkers, Gulaev tried to attack the third, but ran out of ammunition. Without hesitating for a second, the pilot went to ram, shooting down another bomber. Gulaev’s uncontrollable “Yak” went into a tailspin. The pilot managed to level the plane and land it at the leading edge, but on his own territory. Having arrived at the regiment, Gulaev again flew on a combat mission on another plane.
At the beginning of July 1943, Gulaev, as part of four Soviet fighters, taking advantage of the surprise factor, attacked a German armada of 100 aircraft. Having disrupted the battle formation, shooting down 4 bombers and 2 fighters, all four returned safely to the airfield. On this day, Gulaev’s unit made several combat sorties and destroyed 16 enemy aircraft.
July 1943 was generally extremely productive for Nikolai Gulaev. This is what is recorded in his flight book: “July 5 - 6 sorties, 4 victories, July 6 - Focke-Wulf 190 shot down, July 7 - three enemy aircraft shot down as part of a group, July 8 - Me-109 shot down , July 12 - two Yu-87s were shot down.”
Hero of the Soviet Union Fedor Arkhipenko, who had the opportunity to command the squadron where Gulaev served, wrote about him: “He was a genius pilot, one of the top ten aces in the country. He never hesitated, quickly assessed the situation, his sudden and effective attack created panic and destroyed the enemy’s battle formation, which disrupted his targeted bombing of our troops. He was very brave and decisive, often came to the rescue, and sometimes one could feel the real passion of a hunter in him.”
Flying Stenka Razin.
On September 28, 1943, the deputy squadron commander of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment (205th Fighter Aviation Division, 7th Fighter Aviation Corps, 2nd Air Army, Voronezh Front), Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
At the beginning of 1944, Gulaev was appointed squadron commander. His not very rapid career growth is explained by the fact that the ace’s methods of educating his subordinates were not entirely ordinary. Thus, he cured one of the pilots of his squadron, who was afraid of getting close to the Nazis, from fear of the enemy by firing a burst from his on-board weapon next to the wingman’s cabin. The subordinate’s fear disappeared as if by hand...
The same Fyodor Archipenko in his memoirs described another characteristic episode associated with Gulaev: “Approaching the airfield, I immediately saw from the air that the parking lot of Gulaev’s plane was empty... After landing, I was informed that all six of Gulaev were shot down! Nikolai himself landed wounded at the airfield with the attack aircraft, but nothing is known about the rest of the pilots. After some time, they reported from the front line: two jumped out of planes and landed at the location of our troops, the fate of three more is unknown... And today, many years later, I see the main mistake Gulaev made then in the fact that he took with him into combat the departure of three young pilots who had not been shot at at once, who were shot down in their very first battle. True, Gulaev himself won 4 aerial victories that day, shooting down 2 Me-109, Yu-87 and Henschel.”
He was not afraid to risk himself, but he also risked his subordinates with the same ease, which sometimes seemed completely unjustified. The pilot Gulaev did not look like the “aerial Kutuzov”, but rather like the dashing Stenka Razin, who had mastered a combat fighter.
But at the same time he achieved amazing results. In one of the battles over the Prut River, at the head of six P-39 Airacobra fighters, Nikolai Gulaev attacked 27 enemy bombers, accompanied by 8 fighters. In 4 minutes, 11 enemy vehicles were destroyed, 5 of them by Gulaev personally.
In March 1944, the pilot received a short-term leave home. From this trip to the Don he came withdrawn, taciturn, and bitter. He rushed into battle frantically, with some kind of transcendental rage. During the trip home, Nikolai learned that during the occupation his father was executed by the Nazis...
The Soviet ace was almost killed by a pig...
On July 1, 1944, Guard Captain Nikolai Gulaev was awarded the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for 125 combat missions, 42 air battles, in which he shot down 42 enemy aircraft personally and 3 in a group.
And then another episode occurs, which Gulaev openly told his friends about after the war, an episode that perfectly shows his violent nature as a native of the Don. The pilot learned that he had become a twice Hero of the Soviet Union after his next flight. Fellow soldiers had already gathered at the airfield and said: the award needed to be “washed,” there was alcohol, but there were problems with snacks.
Gulaev recalled that when returning to the airfield, he saw pigs grazing. With the words “there will be a snack,” the ace boards the plane again and a few minutes later lands it near the barns, to the amazement of the pig owner.
As already mentioned, the pilots were paid for downed planes, so Nikolai had no problems with cash. The owner willingly agreed to sell the boar, who was loaded with difficulty into the combat vehicle. By some miracle, the pilot took off from a very small platform together with the boar, distraught with horror. A combat aircraft is not designed for a well-fed pig to dance inside it. Gulaev had difficulty keeping the plane in the air...
If a catastrophe had happened that day, it would probably have been the most ridiculous case of the death of a twice Hero of the Soviet Union in history. Thank God, Gulaev made it to the airfield, and the regiment cheerfully celebrated the hero’s award.
Another anecdotal incident is related to the appearance of the Soviet ace. Once in battle he managed to shoot down a reconnaissance plane piloted by a Nazi colonel, holder of four Iron Crosses. The German pilot wanted to meet with the one who managed to interrupt his brilliant career. Apparently, the German was expecting to see a stately handsome man, a “Russian bear” who would not be ashamed to lose... But instead, a young, short, plump captain Gulaev came, who, by the way, in the regiment had a not at all heroic nickname “Kolobok”. The German's disappointment knew no bounds...
A fight with political overtones.
In the summer of 1944, the Soviet command decided to recall the best Soviet pilots from the front. The war is coming to a victorious end, and the leadership of the USSR begins to think about the future. Those who distinguished themselves in the Great Patriotic War must graduate from the Air Force Academy in order to then take leadership positions in the Air Force and Air Defense.
Gulaev was also among those summoned to Moscow. He himself was not eager to go to the academy; he asked to remain in the active army, but was refused. On August 12, 1944, Nikolai Gulaev shot down his last Focke-Wulf 190.
And then a story happened, which, most likely, became the main reason why Nikolai Gulaev did not become as famous as Kozhedub and Pokryshkin. There are at least three versions of what happened, which combine two words - “brawler” and “foreigners”. Let's focus on the one that occurs most often.
According to it, Nikolai Gulaev, already a major by that time, was summoned to Moscow not only to study at the academy, but also to receive the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Considering the pilot’s combat achievements, this version does not seem implausible. Gulaev’s company included other honored aces who were awaiting awards.
The day before the ceremony in the Kremlin, Gulaev went to the restaurant of the Moscow Hotel, where his pilot friends were relaxing. However, the restaurant was crowded, and the administrator said: “Comrade, there is no room for you!” It was not worth saying such a thing to Gulaev with his explosive character, but then, unfortunately, he also came across Romanian soldiers, who at that moment were also relaxing in the restaurant. Shortly before this, Romania, which had been an ally of Germany since the beginning of the war, went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.
The angry Gulaev said loudly: “Is it that there is no place for the Hero of the Soviet Union, but there is room for enemies?”
The Romanians heard the pilot’s words, and one of them uttered an insulting phrase in Russian towards Gulaev. A second later, the Soviet ace found himself near the Romanian and hit him in the face.
Not even a minute had passed before a fight broke out in the restaurant between the Romanians and Soviet pilots.
When the fighters were separated, it turned out that the pilots had beaten members of the official Romanian military delegation. The scandal reached Stalin himself, who decided to cancel the awarding of the third Hero star.
If we were talking not about the Romanians, but about the British or Americans, most likely, the matter for Gulaev would have ended quite badly. But the leader of all nations did not ruin the life of his ace because of yesterday’s opponents. Gulaev was simply sent to a unit, away from the front, Romanians and any attention in general. But how true this version is is unknown.
A general who was friends with Vysotsky.
Despite everything, in 1950 Nikolai Gulaev graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, and five years later from the General Staff Academy. He commanded the 133rd Aviation Fighter Division, located in Yaroslavl, the 32nd Air Defense Corps in Rzhev, and the 10th Air Defense Army in Arkhangelsk, which covered the northern borders of the Soviet Union.
Nikolai Dmitrievich had a wonderful family, he adored his granddaughter Irochka, was a passionate fisherman, loved to treat guests to personally pickled watermelons...
He also visited pioneer camps, participated in various veterans’ events, but still there was a feeling that instructions were given from above, in modern terms, not to promote his person too much.
Actually, there were reasons for this even at a time when Gulaev was already wearing general’s shoulder straps. For example, he could, with his authority, invite Vladimir Vysotsky to speak at the House of Officers in Arkhangelsk, ignoring the timid protests of the local party leadership. By the way, there is a version that some of Vysotsky’s songs about pilots were born after his meetings with Nikolai Gulaev.
Norwegian complaint.
Colonel General Gulaev retired in 1979. And there is a version that one of the reasons for this was a new conflict with foreigners, but this time not with the Romanians, but with the Norwegians. Allegedly, General Gulaev organized a hunt for polar bears using helicopters near the border with Norway. Norwegian border guards appealed to the Soviet authorities with a complaint about the general's actions. After this, the general was transferred to a staff position away from Norway, and then sent to a well-deserved rest.
It is impossible to say with certainty that this hunt took place, although such a plot fits very well into the vivid biography of Nikolai Gulaev. Be that as it may, the resignation had a bad effect on the health of the old pilot, who could not imagine himself without the service to which his whole life was dedicated.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev died on September 27, 1985 in Moscow, at the age of 67 years. His final resting place was the Kuntsevo cemetery in the capital.
Comparing the number of victories won by German and Soviet pilots, disputes about the authenticity of the given numbers of their victories are still raging. Indeed, the scores of German pilots are an order of magnitude higher! And obviously there are explanations for this. In addition to the large raids (and each sortie potentially increases the chance of shooting down an enemy aircraft) of the German aces and the greater likelihood of finding the enemy aircraft (due to its larger number), the tactics of German experts also contributed to success. For example, here’s what the most successful pilot of World War II, E. Hartman, wrote in his book:
« ...I never cared about the problems of air combat. I just never got involved in a fight with the Russians. My tactic was surprise. Climb higher and, if possible, come from the direction of the sun... Ninety percent of my attacks were sudden, with the goal of catching the enemy by surprise. If I was successful, I quickly left, paused briefly, and reassessed the situation.
Detection of the enemy depended on ground combat and visual inspection capabilities. From the ground we were informed by radio of the enemy's coordinates, which we plotted on our maps. Therefore, we could search in the right direction and choose the best height for our attacks. I preferred an effective attack from below, as against the background of a white cloudy sky it was possible to detect enemy aircraft from afar. When the pilot sees his enemy first, that is already half the victory.
Making a decision was the second stage of my tactics. When the enemy is in front of you, you need to decide whether to attack him immediately or wait for a more favorable moment. Or you could change your position or abandon the attack altogether. The main thing is to keep yourself under control. There is no need to immediately, forgetting about everything, rush into battle. Wait, look around, take advantage of your position. For example, if you have to attack the enemy against the sun, and you have not gained enough altitude, and, in addition, the enemy aircraft is flying among ragged clouds, keep it in your field of view, and in the meantime, change your position relative to the sun, rise higher above the clouds, or, if necessary, dive in order to gain a speed advantage at the expense of height.
Then attack. It’s good if you come across an inexperienced or unwary pilot. This is usually not difficult to determine. By knocking him down - and this must be done - you will thereby weaken the morale of the enemy. The most important thing is to destroy the enemy plane. Maneuver quickly and aggressively, opening fire at close range to ensure a hit at point-blank range and save wasted ammunition. I always advised my subordinates: “Press the trigger only when your sight is filled with an enemy aircraft!”
After shooting, immediately move to the side and leave the battle. Whether you hit it or not, now think only about how to get away. Don’t forget what’s going on behind you, look around, and if everything is in order and your position is comfortable, try to do it again.”.
By the way, similar combat tactics were used by A.I. Pokryshkin, his famous “falcon strike” and the formula “altitude-speed-maneuver-strike” are essentially a repetition of the tactics of the German aces and the effectiveness of such tactics is confirmed by his victories.
This is what Ivan Kozhedub wrote about his tactics after the war:
“Having shot down a plane, especially the leading one, you demoralize the enemy group, almost always putting it to flight. This is what I was trying to achieve, trying to seize the initiative. We must try to attack the enemy with lightning speed, seize the initiative, skillfully use the flight-tactical qualities of the machine, act prudently, hit with a short distance, and achieve success from the first attack, and always remember that in aerial combat every second counts".
As we see, both German and Soviet ace pilots achieved high performance using the same techniques. Despite the significant difference in the number of those shot down (we will not question the official data of the parties, if there is any inaccuracy in them, it is obviously approximately equal for both sides), the skill of the best Soviet aces is no worse than the skill of the German ones in terms of the number of shots down per combat mission. the lag is not that big. And the number of those shot down per air battle is sometimes higher, for example, Hartman shot down his 352 aircraft in 825 air battles, while Ivan Kozhedub destroyed his 62 in 120 air battles. That is, during the entire war, the Soviet ace encountered an air enemy more than 6 times less often than Hartman.
It is worth noting, however, the much higher combat load of German pilots, because the intensity of their use and the number of combat sorties are higher than that of Soviet aces, and sometimes significantly. For example, having started fighting six months earlier than Kozhedub, Hartman has 1425 sorties versus 330 for Kozhedub. But a person is not an airplane, he gets tired, exhausted and needs rest.
Top ten German fighter pilots:
1. Erich Hartman- 352 aircraft shot down, of which 347 were Soviet.
2.Gerhard Barkhorn - 301
3. Gunther Rall - 275
4. Otto Kitel - 267,
5.Walter Nowotny - 258
6. Wilhelm Batz - 242
7. H. Lipfert -203
8. J.Brendel - 189
9.G.Shak - 174
10. P.Dutmann- 152
If we continue this list by another ten, then A. Resch will be in 20th place with the number of aircraft shot down at 91, which once again shows the high efficiency of German fighter aviation as a whole.
The top ten best Soviet fighter pilots look like this:
1. I.N. Kozhedub - 62
2. A.I. Pokryshkin - 59
3.G.A. Rechkalov - 56
4. N.D. Gulaev - 53
5.K.A.Evstigneev - 53
6. A.V. Vorozheikin - 52
7. D.B. Glinka - 50
8.N.M. Skomorokhov - 46
9.A.I. Sorcerers - 46
10. N.F. Krasnov - 44
In general, when calculating the ratio of sorties (not air battles, but sorties) per one counted aerial victory for a German ace from the top ten, there are approximately 3.4 sorties, for a Soviet ace - 7.9, that is, approximately 2 times the German ace turned out to be more effective in this indicator. But let us repeat that it was much easier for a German ace to meet a Soviet plane than for a Soviet to find a German one, due to the quantitative superiority of the Soviet Air Force since 1943. many times, and in 1945 generally by an order of magnitude.
A few words about E. Hartman. 
During the war he was “shot down” 14 times. The word “shot down” is in quotation marks because he received all the damage to his plane from the wreckage of Soviet planes that he himself shot down. Hartman did not lose a single wingman during the entire war.
Erich Hartmann was born on April 19, 1922 in Weissach. He spent a significant part of his childhood in China, where his father worked as a doctor. But Erich followed in the footsteps of his mother, Elisabeth Machtholf, who was an athlete pilot. In 1936, she organized a glider club near Stuttgart, where her son learned to fly a glider. At the age of 14, Erich already had a gliding license, becoming quite an experienced pilot, and by the age of 16 he had already become a highly qualified gliding instructor. According to brother Alfred, he was generally an excellent athlete and achieved good results almost everywhere. And among his peers, he was a born leader, capable of leading everyone.
On October 15, 1940, he was assigned to the 10th Luftwaffe Military Training Regiment, located at Neukuren, near Königsberg, in East Prussia. Having received his initial flight training there, Hartmann continued his training at the flight school in Berlin-Gatow. He completed the basic flight training course in October 1941, and at the beginning of 1942 he was sent to the 2nd Fighter Pilot School, where he was trained on the Bf. 109.
One of his instructors was an expert and former German aerobatics champion, Erich Hogagen. The German ace in every possible way encouraged Hartman’s desire to study in more detail the maneuvering characteristics of this type of fighter and taught his cadet many of the techniques and intricacies of piloting it. In August 1942, after extensive training in the art of air combat, Hartman joined the JG-52 squadron, which fought in the Caucasus. At first, Lieutenant Hartman was unlucky. During the third combat mission, he found himself in the thick of an air battle, became confused and did everything wrong: he did not maintain his place in the ranks, fell into the leader’s fire zone (instead of covering his rear), got lost, lost speed and sat down into a sunflower field, disabling the plane. Finding himself 20 miles from the airfield, Hartman reached it on a passing army truck. He received a severe scolding and was suspended from flying for three days. Hartman vowed not to make the same mistakes again. Having received permission to continue flying, on November 5, 1942, he shot down his first plane (it was an Il-2 attack aircraft). Excited by such a victory, Hartman did not notice that a LaGG-3 fighter had approached him from behind, and was immediately shot down himself. He jumped out with a parachute.
Erich Hartmann was able to chalk up his second victory (MiG fighter) only on January 27, 1943. German fighter pilots said that those who start slowly get "rookie fever." Erich Hartmann recovered from his “fever” only in April 1943, when he shot down several planes in one day. This was the beginning. Hartman burst. On July 7, 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, he shot down 7 Soviet aircraft. The air combat techniques that Hartman used were reminiscent of the Red Baron's tactics. He tried to get as close to the enemy as possible before opening fire. Hartman believed that a fighter pilot should not be afraid of a mid-air collision. He himself recalled that he pressed the trigger only then, “... when the enemy plane was already blocking out the entire white light.” This tactic was extremely dangerous. Hartman was pinned to the ground 6 times, and repeatedly his plane was heavily damaged by flying debris from his victims. It's amazing that he himself was never even hurt. Hartmann narrowly escaped death in August 1943 when his plane was shot down over Soviet territory and he was captured. To weaken the guards' vigilance, the quick-witted pilot pretended to be seriously wounded. He was thrown into the back of a truck. A few hours later, a German Ju dive bomber flew over the car at low level. 87. The driver threw the truck into a ditch, and he and two guards ran for cover. Hartman also ran, but in the opposite direction. He walked to the front line at night and hid in the woods during the day until he finally reached the German trenches, where he was fired upon by a nervous sentry. The bullet tore Hartman's trouser leg, but did not hit him. Meanwhile, Erich Hartmann's fame grew every day on both sides of the front. Goebbels's propaganda called him the "blond German knight." In early 1944, Hartmann became commander of the 7th Squadron of JG-52. After 7./JG52 he commanded the staffs of 9./JG52, and then 4./JG52. His combat score continued to grow by leaps and bounds. In August 1944 alone, he shot down 78 Soviet aircraft, 19 of them in two days (August 23 and 24). After this, in recognition of the extraordinary number of his victories, Hitler personally awarded Hartmann the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
Hartman then received a leave of absence and on September 10 married Ursula Patch, who had been his sweetheart since he was 17 and she was 15. Then he returned to the Eastern Front, where the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe were already on the verge of defeat. Hartmann received the extraordinary rank of major (he was 22 years old) and was appointed commander of I./JG52. Major Hartmann scored his final, 352nd victory on May 8, 1945, over Brune, Germany. Having completed the last, 1425th combat mission, he ordered the surviving aircraft to be burned and with his subordinates, accompanied by dozens of refugees fleeing the Russians, headed towards American positions. Two hours later, in the Czech city of Pisek, they all surrendered to the soldiers of the 90th Infantry Division of the US Army. But on May 16, the entire group, including women and children, was handed over to the Soviet occupation authorities. When the Russians discovered that Erich Hartmann himself had fallen into their hands, they decided to break his will. Hartman was kept in solitary confinement in complete darkness and was denied the opportunity to receive letters. Therefore, he learned about the death of his three-year-old son Peter Erich, whom Hartman never saw, only 2 years later. Major Hartman, despite all the efforts of his jailers, never became a supporter of communism. He refused to cooperate with his tormentors, did not go to construction work and provoked the guards, apparently hoping that they would shoot him. This may seem surprising, but after going through all the trials, Erich Hartmann developed great sympathy for the Russian people.
Hartman was finally released in 1955 and returned home after 10 and a half years in prison. Erich's parents were already dead, but faithful Ursula was still waiting for his return. With the help of his wife, the exhausted ex-Luftwaffe officer quickly recovered and began to rebuild his life. In 1958, a daughter was born into the Hartman family, who was named Ursula. In 1959, Hartmann joined the newly created German Air Force and received under his command the 71st Fighter Regiment "Richthofen", stationed at the Ahlhorn airbase in Oldenburg. In the end, Erich Hartmann, having risen to the rank of Oberstleutnant, retired and lived out his life in the suburbs of Stuttgart. Harman died in 1993.
The legendary Soviet pilot, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, Sumy region. In 1939, he mastered the U-2 at the flying club. The following year he entered the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots. Learns to fly UT-2 and I-16 aircraft. As one of the best cadets, he is retained as an instructor. In 1941, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, he and the school staff were evacuated to Central Asia. There he asked to join the active army, but only in November 1942 he received a assignment to the front in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Major Ignatius Soldatenko, a participant in the war in Spain.
The first combat flight took place on March 26, 1943 on a La-5. He was unsuccessful. During an attack on a pair of Messerschmitt Bf-109s, his Lavochkin was damaged and then fired upon by its own anti-aircraft artillery. Kozhedub was able to bring the car to the airfield, but it was not possible to restore it. He made his next flights on old planes and only a month later received the new La-5.
Kursk Bulge. July 6, 1943. It was then that the 23-year-old pilot opened his combat account. In that fight, having entered into a battle with 12 enemy aircraft as part of the squadron, he won his first victory - he shot down a Ju87 bomber. The next day he wins a new victory. July 9, Ivan Kozhedub destroys two Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters. In August 1943, the young pilot became squadron commander. By October, he had already completed 146 combat missions, 20 downed aircraft, and was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (awarded on February 4, 1944). In the battles for the Dnieper, the pilots of the regiment in which Kozhedub was fighting met with Goering’s aces from the Mölders squadron and won. Ivan Kozhedub also increased his score.
In May-June 1944, he fights in the received La-5FN for No. 14 (a gift from collective farmer Ivan Konev). First it shoots down a Ju-87. And then over the next six days he destroys another 7 enemy vehicles, including five Fw-190s. The pilot is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time (awarded on August 19, 1944)...
One day, the aviation of the 3rd Baltic Front was caused a lot of trouble by a group of German pilots led by an ace who scored 130 air victories (of which 30 were deducted from his account for the destruction of three of his fighters in a fever), his colleagues also had dozens of victories. To counter them, Ivan Kozhedub arrived at the front with a squadron of experienced pilots. The result of the fight was 12:2 in favor of the Soviet aces.
At the end of June, Kozhedub transferred his fighter to another ace - Kirill Evstigneev and transferred to the training regiment. However, in September 1944, the pilot was sent to Poland, to the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front in the 176th Guards Proskurovsky Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment (as its deputy commander) and fought using the “free hunt” method - on the latest Soviet fighter La-7. In a vehicle with number 27, he would fight until the end of the war, and would shoot down another 17 enemy vehicles.
February 19, 1945 Kozhedub destroys an Me 262 jet aircraft over the Oder. He shoots down the sixty-first and sixty-second enemy aircraft (Fw 190) over the capital of Germany on April 17, 1945 in an air battle, which is studied as a classic example in military academies and schools. In August 1945, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. Ivan Kozhedub finished the war with the rank of major. In 1943-1945. he completed 330 combat missions and conducted 120 air battles. The Soviet pilot has not lost a single fight and is the best allied aviation ace. The most successful Soviet pilot, Ivan Kozhedub, was never shot down or wounded during the war, although he had to land a damaged plane.
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