The An-28 flight plane disappeared near the village of Palana in the north of Kamchatka, Sergei Khabarov, Minister of Special Programs of the Kamchatka Territory, told RIA Novosti.

The An-28 is a multi-role light short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft with two gas turbine engines.

The AN-28 aircraft is a further development of the AN-14 Pchelka light multipurpose aircraft, developed by the Antonov Design Bureau in 1958.

The first pre-production model was flown in April 1975, serial production began in 1983 in Poland at the aircraft plant in the city of Mielec.

A total of 170 aircraft were built in Poland between 1984 and 1992. Of these, 157 were delivered to Aeroflot. More than 10 aircraft were built for Polish customers.

The An-28 aircraft is designed for short-distance air transportation of personnel or cargo with a total weight of up to 1,750 kg.
The aircraft has an all-metal structure and a semi-monocoque fuselage. In the forward part of the fuselage there is a two-seat crew cabin, access to which is provided through a door located on the left side. Access to the cargo compartment located behind the flight deck is possible through a double-leaf door that opens outward and is located in a given part of the fuselage. The cargo cabin of the cargo-passenger version of the aircraft has folding seats that can accommodate 15-18 people. The cabin can be easily converted into a cargo cabin.

A special feature of the aircraft is a large-span two-spar wing, which is located in the upper part of the fuselage and reinforced with profiled struts. It is equipped with automatic and controlled flaps and ailerons. A wing of this design provides the aircraft with a steep takeoff and landing trajectory and stable gliding at low speeds and high angles of attack. Thanks to the presence of a reinforced three-post landing gear, an aircraft with this wing can be operated on unpaved runways.

The take-off run length of an aircraft with a maximum take-off weight is 260 m, the landing run length is 170 m. The wheeled landing gear can be replaced with a ski landing gear.

The aircraft has seven modifications.

Aircraft performance characteristics:
Wingspan - 22 m
Aircraft length - 13 m
Aircraft height - 4.6 m
Wing area - 39.7 sq. m
Weight:
empty aircraft - 3500 kg
normal take-off - 5600 kg
maximum take-off - 6500 kg
Internal fuel - 1529 kg
Engine type - 2 TVD OMKB Mars TVD-10B (S)
Power - 2x960 hp.
Maximum speed - 350 km/h
Cruising speed - 335 km/h
Practical range - 1500 km
Range - 560 km
Practical ceiling - 9000 m
Crew - 1-2 people
Payload - up to 18 passengers or 2000 kg of cargo

Luftwaffe Aces

At the suggestion of some Western authors, carefully accepted by domestic compilers, German aces are considered the most effective fighter pilots of the Second World War, and, accordingly, in history, who achieved fabulous success in air battles. Only the aces of Nazi Germany and their Japanese allies are credited with winning accounts containing more than a hundred aircraft. But if the Japanese have only one such pilot - they fought with the Americans, then the Germans have as many as 102 pilots who “won” more than 100 victories in the air. Most German pilots, with the exception of fourteen: Heinrich Baer, ​​Hans-Joachim Marseille, Joachim Münchenberg, Walter Oesau, Werner Mölders, Werner Schroer, Kurt Büligen, Hans Hahn, Adolf Galland, Egon Mayer, Joseph Wurmheller and Joseph Priller, as well as night pilots Hans-Wolfgang Schnaufer and Helmut Lent achieved the bulk of their “victories,” of course, on the Eastern Front, and two of them, Erich Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn, recorded more than 300 victories.

The total number of air victories achieved by more than 30 thousand German fighter pilots and their allies is mathematically described by the law of large numbers, more precisely, the “Gauss curve”. If we construct this curve only based on the results of the first hundred of the best German fighters (Germany’s allies will no longer be included there) with a known total number of pilots, then the number of victories declared by them will exceed 300-350 thousand, which is four to five times more than the number of victories declared by the Germans themselves , - 70 thousand shot down, and catastrophically (to the point of losing all objectivity) exceeds the estimate of sober, politically unengaged historians - 51 thousand shot down in air battles, of which 32 thousand were on the Eastern Front. Thus, the reliability coefficient of victories of German aces is in the range of 0.15-0.2.

The order for victories for German aces was dictated by the political leadership of Nazi Germany, intensified as the Wehrmacht collapsed, did not formally require confirmation and did not tolerate the revisions adopted in the Red Army. All the “accuracy” and “objectivity” of German claims for victories, so persistently mentioned in the works of some “researchers”, oddly enough, raised and actively published on the territory of Russia, actually comes down to filling out the columns of lengthy and tastefully laid out standard questionnaires, and the writing , even if calligraphic, even if in Gothic font, is in no way connected with aerial victories.

Luftwaffe aces with over 100 victories recorded

Erich HARTMAN (Erich Alfred Bubi Hartmann) - the first Luftwaffe ace in World War II, 352 victories, colonel, Germany.

Erich Hartmann was born on April 19, 1922 in Weissach in Württenberg. His father is Alfred Erich Hartmann, his mother is Elisabeth Wilhelmina Machtholf. He and his younger brother spent his childhood in China, where his father, under the patronage of his cousin, the German consul in Shanghai, worked as a doctor. In 1929, frightened by the revolutionary events in China, the Hartmans returned to their homeland.

Since 1936, E. Hartman flew gliders in an aviation club under the guidance of his mother, an athlete pilot. At the age of 14 he received his glider pilot diploma. He piloted airplanes from the age of 16. Since 1940, he trained at the 10th Luftwaffe training regiment in Neukurn near Königsberg, then at the 2nd flight school in the Berlin suburb of Gatow.

After successfully completing the aviation school, Hartman was sent to Zerbst - to the 2nd Fighter Aviation School. In November 1941, Hartmann flew for the first time in the 109 Messerschmitt, the fighter with which he completed his distinguished flying career.

E. Hartman began combat work in August 1942 as part of the 52nd Fighter Squadron, which fought in the Caucasus.

Hartman was lucky. The 52nd was the best German squadron on the Eastern Front. The best German pilots fought in it - Hrabak and von Bonin, Graf and Krupinski, Barkhorn and Rall...

Erich Hartmann was a man of average height, with rich blond hair and bright blue eyes. His character - cheerful and unquestioning, with a good sense of humor, obvious flying skill, the highest art of aerial shooting, perseverance, personal courage and nobility impressed his new comrades.

On October 14, 1942, Hartman went on his first combat mission to the Grozny area. During this flight, Hartman made almost all the mistakes that a young combat pilot can make: he broke away from his wingman and was unable to carry out his orders, opened fire on his planes, got into the fire zone, lost his orientation and landed “on his belly” 30 km away. from your airfield.

20-year-old Hartman won his first victory on November 5, 1942, shooting down a single-seat Il-2. During the attack by the Soviet attack aircraft, Hartman's fighter was seriously damaged, but the pilot again managed to land the damaged aircraft on its “belly” in the steppe. The plane could not be restored and was written off. Hartman himself immediately “fell ill with a fever” and was admitted to the hospital.

Hartman's next victory was recorded only on January 27, 1943. The victory was recorded over the MiG-1. It was hardly the MiG-1, which were produced and delivered to the troops before the war in a small series of 77 vehicles, but there are plenty of such “overexposures” in German documents. Hartman flies wingman with Dammers, Grislavski, Zwerneman. From each of these strong pilots he takes something new, adding to his tactical and flight potential. At the request of Sergeant Major Rossmann, Hartman becomes the wingman of V. Krupinski, an outstanding Luftwaffe ace (197 “victories”, 15th best), distinguished, as it seemed to many, by intemperance and stubbornness.

It was Krupinski who nicknamed Hartman Bubi, in English “Baby” - baby, a nickname that remained with him forever.

Hartmann completed 1,425 Einsatzes and took part in 800 Rabarbars during his career. His 352 victories included many missions with multiple kills of enemy aircraft in one day, his best being six Soviet aircraft shot down on August 24, 1944. This included three Pe-2s, two Yaks, and one Airacobra. The same day turned out to be his best day with 11 victories in two combat missions, during the second mission he became the first person in history to shoot down 300 aircraft in dogfights.

Hartman fought in the skies not only against Soviet aircraft. In the skies of Romania, at the controls of his Bf 109, he also met American pilots. Hartman has several days on his account when he reported several victories at once: on July 7 - about 7 shot down (2 Il-2 and 5 La-5), on August 1, 4 and 5 - about 5, and on August 7 - again about 7 at once (2 Pe-2, 2 La-5, 3 Yak-1). January 30, 1944 - about 6 shot down; February 1 - about 5; March 2 - immediately after 10; May 5 about 6; May 7 about 6; June 1 about 6; June 4 - about 7 Yak-9; June 5 about 6; June 6 - about 5; June 24 - about 5 Mustangs; On August 28, he “shot down” 11 Airacobras in a day (Hartman’s daily record); October 27 - 5; November 22 - 6; November 23 - 5; April 4, 1945 - again 5 victories.

After a dozen “victories” “won” on March 2, 1944, E. Hartmann, and with him Chief Lieutenant W. Krupinski, Hauptmann J. Wiese and G. Barkhorn were summoned to the Fuhrer at Berghof to present awards. Lieutenant E. Hartman, who by that time had chalked up 202 “downed” Soviet aircraft, was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross.

Hartman himself was shot down more than 10 times. Basically, he “faced the wreckage of Soviet planes that he shot down” (a favorite interpretation of his own losses in the Luftwaffe). On August 20, “flying over the burning Il-2,” he was shot down again and made another emergency landing in the Donets River area and fell into the hands of “Asians” - Soviet soldiers. Skillfully feigning injury and lulling the vigilance of careless soldiers, Hartman fled, jumping out of the back of the semi-truck that was carrying him, and returned to his own the same day.

As a symbol of the forced separation from his beloved Ursula, Petch Hartman painted a bleeding heart pierced by an arrow on his plane and inscribed an “Indian” cry under the cockpit: “Karaya.”

Readers of German newspapers knew him as the “Black Devil of Ukraine” (the nickname was invented by the Germans themselves) and with pleasure or irritation (against the backdrop of the retreat of the German army) read about the ever-new exploits of this “promoted” pilot.

In total, Hartman was recorded 1404 sorties, 825 air battles, 352 victories were counted, of which 345 were Soviet aircraft: 280 fighters, 15 Il-2, 10 twin-engine bombers, the rest - U-2 and R-5.

Hartman was lightly wounded three times. As the commander of the 1st Squadron of the 52nd Fighter Squadron, which was based at a small airfield near Strakovnice in Czechoslovakia, at the end of the war Hartman knew (he saw the advancing Soviet units rising into the sky) that the Red Army was about to capture this airfield. He ordered the destruction of the remaining aircraft and headed west with all his personnel to surrender to the US Army. But by that time there was an agreement between the allies, according to which all Germans leaving the Russians should be transferred back at the first opportunity.

In May 1945, Major Hartman was handed over to the Soviet occupation authorities. At the trial, Hartmann insisted on his 352 victories, with emphatic respect, and defiantly recalled his comrades and the Fuhrer. The progress of this trial was reported to Stalin, who spoke of the German pilot with satirical contempt. Hartman's self-confident position, of course, irritated the Soviet judges (the year was 1945), and he was sentenced to 25 years in the camps. The sentence under the laws of Soviet justice was commuted, and Hartman was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison camps. He was released in 1955.

Returning to his wife in West Germany, he immediately returned to aviation. He successfully and quickly completed a course of training on jet aircraft, and this time his teachers were Americans. Hartman flew the F-86 Saber jets and the F-104 Starfighter. The last aircraft during active operation in Germany turned out to be extremely unsuccessful and brought death to 115 German pilots in peacetime! Hartmann spoke disapprovingly and harshly of this jet fighter (which was completely fair), prevented its adoption by Germany and upset his relations with both the command of the Bundes-Luftwaffe and high-ranking American military officials. He was transferred to the reserve with the rank of colonel in 1970.

After being transferred to the reserve, he worked as an instructor pilot in Hangelaer, near Bonn, and performed in the aerobatic team of Adolf Galland “Dolfo”. In 1980, he became seriously ill and had to part with aviation.

It is interesting that the commander-in-chief of the Soviet and then Russian Air Force, Army General P. S. Deinekin, taking advantage of the warming of international relations in the late 80s - early 90s, several times persistently expressed his desire to meet with Hartman, but did not find mutual understanding with the German military officials.

Colonel Hartmann was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, and the German Cross in Gold.

Gerhard Gerd Barkhorn, second Luftwaffe ace (Germany) - 301 air victories.

Gerhard Barkhorn was born in Königsberg, East Prussia, on March 20, 1919. In 1937, Barkhorn was accepted into the Luftwaffe as a fanen-junker (officer candidate rank) and began his flight training in March 1938. After completing his flight training, he was selected as a lieutenant and at the beginning of 1940 accepted into the 2nd Fighter Squadron "Richthofen", known for its old combat traditions, formed in the battles of the First World War.

Gerhard Barkhorn's combat debut in the Battle of Britain was unsuccessful. He did not shoot down a single enemy aircraft, but he himself twice left a burning car with a parachute, and once right over the English Channel. Only during the 120th flight (!), which took place on July 2, 1941, Barkhorn managed to open his account of his victories. But after that, his successes gained enviable stability. The hundredth victory came to him on December 19, 1942. On the same day, Barkhorn shot down 6 planes, and on July 20, 1942 - 5. He also shot down 5 planes before that, on June 22, 1942. Then the pilot’s performance decreased slightly - and he reached the two hundredth mark only on November 30, 1943.

Here's how Barkhorn comments on the enemy's actions:

“Some Russian pilots didn’t even look around and rarely looked back.

I shot down many who didn't even know I was there. Only a few of them were a match for European pilots; the rest did not have the necessary flexibility in air combat.”

Although it is not explicitly stated, from what we have read we can conclude that Barkhorn was a master of surprise attacks. He preferred dive attacks from the direction of the sun or approached from below from behind the tail of the enemy aircraft. At the same time, he did not avoid classic combat on turns, especially when he piloted his beloved Me-109F, even that version that was equipped with only one 15-mm cannon. But not all Russians succumbed so easily to the German ace: “Once in 1943, I endured a forty-minute battle with a stubborn Russian pilot and was unable to achieve any results. I was so wet with sweat, as if I had just stepped out of the shower. I wonder if it was as difficult for him as it was for me. The Russian flew a LaGG-3, and both of us performed all conceivable and inconceivable aerobatic maneuvers in the air. I couldn't reach him, and he couldn't reach me. This pilot belonged to one of the guards air regiments, which brought together the best Soviet aces.”

It should be noted that a one-on-one air battle lasting forty minutes was almost a record. There were usually other fighters nearby ready to intervene in the fight, or on those rare occasions when two enemy aircraft actually met in the sky, one of them, as a rule, already had the advantage in position. In the battle described above, both pilots fought, avoiding unfavorable positions for themselves. Barkhorn was wary of enemy actions (perhaps his experience in combat with RAF fighters had a strong influence here), and the reasons for this were as follows: firstly, he achieved his many victories by flying more sorties than many other experts; secondly, during 1,104 combat missions, with 2,000 flying hours, his plane was shot down nine times.

On May 31, 1944, with 273 victories to his name, Barkhorn was returning to his airfield after completing a combat mission. During this flight, he came under attack from a Soviet Airacobra, was shot down and wounded in the right leg. Apparently, the pilot who shot down Barkhorn was the outstanding Soviet ace Captain F. F. Arkhipenko (30 personal and 14 group victories), later Hero of the Soviet Union, who on that day was credited with victory over the Me-109 in his fourth combat mission. Barkhorn, who was making his 6th sortie of the day, managed to escape, but was out of action for four long months. After returning to service with JG 52, he brought his personal victories to 301, and was then transferred to the Western Front and appointed commander of JG 6 Horst Wessel. Since then, he has had no more success in air battles. Soon enlisted in Galland's strike group JV 44, Barkhorn learned to fly Me-262 jets. But already on the second combat mission, the plane was hit, lost thrust, and Barkhorn was seriously injured during a forced landing.

In total, during the Second World War, Major G. Barkhorn flew 1,104 combat missions.

Some researchers note that Barkhorn was 5 cm taller than Hartmann (about 177 cm tall) and 7-10 kg heavier.

He called his favorite machine the Me-109 G-1 with the lightest possible weapons: two MG-17 (7.92 mm) and one MG-151 (15 mm), preferring the lightness, and therefore the maneuverability of his vehicle, over the power of its weapons.

After the war, Germany's No. 2 ace returned to flying with the new West German Air Force. In the mid-60s, while testing a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, he “dropped” and crashed his Kestrel. When the wounded Barkhorn was slowly and laboriously pulled out of the wrecked car, despite his severe injuries, he did not lose his sense of humor and muttered with force: “Three hundred and two...”

In 1975, G. Barkhorn retired with the rank of major general.

In winter, in a snowstorm, near Cologne on January 6, 1983, Gerhard Barkhorn and his wife were involved in a serious car accident. His wife died immediately, and he himself died in the hospital two days later - on January 8, 1983.

He was buried in the Durnbach War Cemetery in Tegernsee, Upper Bavaria.

Luftwaffe Major G. Barkhorn was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, and the German Cross in Gold.

Gunter Rall - third Luftwaffe ace, 275 victories.

The third Luftwaffe ace in terms of the number of victories counted is Gunther Rall - 275 enemy aircraft shot down.

Rall fought against France and England in 1939–1940, then in Romania, Greece and Crete in 1941. From 1941 to 1944 he fought on the Eastern Front. In 1944, he returned to the skies of Germany and fought against the aircraft of the Western Allies. All his rich combat experience was gained as a result of more than 800 “rabarbars” (air battles) carried out on the Me-109 of various modifications - from Bf 109 B-2 to Bf 109 G-14. Rall was seriously wounded three times and shot down eight times. On November 28, 1941, in an intense air battle, his plane was so badly damaged that during an emergency belly landing, the car simply fell apart, and Rall broke his spine in three places. There was no hope left for returning to duty. But after ten months of treatment in the hospital, where he met his future wife, he was finally restored to health and declared fit for flying work. At the end of July 1942, Rall took his plane into the air again, and on August 15 he scored his 50th victory over Kuban. On September 22, 1942, he chalked up his 100th victory. Subsequently, Rall fought over the Kuban, over the Kursk Bulge, over the Dnieper and Zaporozhye. In March 1944, he exceeded the achievement of V. Novotny, chalking up 255 aerial victories and leading the list of Luftwaffe aces until August 20, 1944. On April 16, 1944, Rall won his last, 273rd, victory on the Eastern Front.

As the best German ace of the time, he was appointed commander of II by Goering. / JG 11, which was part of the Reich air defense and armed with the “109” new modification - G-5. Defending Berlin in 1944 from British and American raids, Rall repeatedly came into battle with US Air Force aircraft. One day, “Thunderbolts” tightly clamped his plane over the capital of the Third Reich, damaging his control, and one of the bursts fired into the cockpit cut off the thumb on his right hand. Rall was shell-shocked, but returned to duty a few weeks later. In December 1944, he headed the training school for Luftwaffe fighter commanders. In January 1945, Major G. Rall was appointed commander of the 300th Fighter Group (JG 300), armed with the FV-190D, but he did not win any more victories. It was difficult to imagine a victory over the Reich - downed planes fell over German territory and only then received confirmation. It’s not at all like in the Don or Kuban steppes, where a report of victory, confirmation from a wingman and a statement on several printed forms was enough.

During his combat career, Major Rall flew 621 combat missions and recorded 275 “downed” aircraft, of which only three were shot down over the Reich.

After the war, when the new German army, the Bundeswehr, was created, G. Rall, who did not think of himself as anything other than a military pilot, joined the Bundes-Luftwaffe. Here he immediately returned to flying work and mastered the F-84 Thunderjet and several modifications of the F-86 Saber. The skill of Major and then Oberst-Lieutenant Rall was highly appreciated by American military experts. At the end of the 50s he was appointed to the Bundes-Luftwaffe Art. an inspector supervising the retraining of German pilots for the new supersonic fighter F-104 Starfighter. The retraining was successfully completed. In September 1966, G. Rall was awarded the rank of brigadier general, and a year later - major general. At that time, Rall led the fighter division of the Bundes-Luftwaffe. In the late 1980s, Lieutenant General Rall was dismissed from the Bundes-Luftwaffe as Inspector General.

G. Rall came to Russia several times and communicated with Soviet aces. On the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General of Aviation G. A. Baevsky, who knew German well and communicated with Rall at the aircraft show in Kubinka, this communication made a positive impression. Georgy Arturovich found Rall’s personal position to be quite modest, including regarding his three-digit account, and as an interlocutor, he was an interesting person who deeply understood the concerns and needs of pilots and aviation.

Günther Rall died on October 4, 2009. Lieutenant General G. Rall was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, the German Cross in gold; Great Federal Cross of the Worthy with Star (cross of the VI degree from the VIII degrees); Order of the Legion of Worth (USA).

Adolf GALLAND - outstanding organizer of the Luftwaffe, recording 104 victories on the Western Front, Lieutenant General.

Gently bourgeois in his refined habits and actions, he was a versatile and courageous man, an exceptionally gifted pilot and tactician, enjoyed the favor of political leaders and the highest authority among German pilots, who left their bright mark on the history of the world wars of the 20th century.

Adolf Galland was born into the family of a manager in the town of Westerholt (now within the boundaries of Duisburg) on ​​March 19, 1912. Galland, like Marseille, had French roots: his Huguenot ancestors fled France in the 18th century and settled on the estate of Count von Westerholt. Galland was the second oldest of his four brothers. Upbringing in the family was based on strict religious principles, while the severity of the father significantly softened the mother. From an early age, Adolf became a hunter, catching his first trophy - a hare - at the age of 6 years. An early passion for hunting and hunting successes are also characteristic of some other outstanding fighter pilots, in particular A.V. Vorozheikin and E.G. Pepelyaev, who found in hunting not only entertainment, but also a significant help for their meager diet. Of course, the acquired hunting skills - the ability to hide, shoot accurately, follow the trail - had a beneficial effect on the formation of the character and tactics of future aces.

In addition to hunting, the energetic young Galland was actively interested in technology. This interest led him to the Gelsenkirchen gliding school in 1927. Graduating from gliding school and acquiring the ability to soar, find and select air currents was very useful for the future pilot. In 1932, after graduating from high school, Adolf Galland entered the German Air Transport School in Braunschweig, from which he graduated in 1933. Soon after graduating from school, Galland received an invitation to short-term courses for military pilots, secret in Germany at that time. After completing the courses, Galland was sent to Italy for an internship. Since the autumn of 1934, Galland flew as co-pilot on the passenger Junkers G-24. In February 1934, Galland was drafted into the army, in October he was awarded the rank of lieutenant and sent to instructor service in Schleichsheim. When the creation of the Luftwaffe was announced on March 1, 1935, Galland was transferred to the 2nd Group of the 1st Fighter Squadron. Possessing an excellent vestibular apparatus and impeccable vasomotor skills, he quickly became an excellent aerobatic pilot. During those years, he suffered several accidents that almost cost him his life. Only exceptional persistence, and sometimes cunning, allowed Galland to remain in aviation.

In 1937, he was sent to Spain, where he flew 187 attack missions in a Xe-51B biplane. He had no aerial victories. For battles in Spain he was awarded the German Spanish Cross in gold with Swords and Diamonds.

In November 1938, upon returning from Spain, Galland became a commander of JG433, re-equipped with the Me-109, but before the start of hostilities in Poland he was sent to another group armed with XSh-123 biplanes. In Poland, Galland flew 87 combat missions and received the rank of captain.

On May 12, 1940, Captain Galland won his first victories, shooting down three British Hurricanes at once on the Me-109. By June 6, 1940, when he was appointed commander of the 3rd Group of the 26th Fighter Squadron (III./JG 26), Galland had 12 victories to his name. On 22 May he shot down the first Spitfire. On August 17, 1940, at a meeting at Goering's Karinhalle estate, Major Galland was appointed commander of the 26th squadron. On September 7, 1940, he took part in a massive Luftwaffe raid on London, consisting of 648 fighters covering 625 bombers. For the Me-109, this was a flight almost to the maximum range; more than two dozen Messerschmitts on the way back, over Calais, ran out of fuel, and their planes fell into the water. Galland also had problems with fuel, but his car was saved by the skill of the glider pilot sitting in it, who reached the French coast.

On September 25, 1940, Galland was summoned to Berlin, where Hitler presented him with the third ever Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. Galland, in his words, asked the Fuhrer not to “belittle the dignity of the British pilots.” Hitler unexpectedly immediately agreed with him, saying that he regretted that England and Germany did not act together as allies. Galland fell into the hands of German journalists and quickly became one of the most “promoted” figures in Germany.

Adolf Galland was an avid cigar smoker, consuming up to twenty cigars daily. Even Mickey Mouse, who invariably adorned the sides of all his combat vehicles, was invariably depicted with a cigar in his mouth. In the cockpit of his fighter there was a lighter and a cigar holder.

On the evening of October 30, having declared the destruction of two Spitfires, Galland chalked up his 50th victory. On November 17, having shot down three Hurricanes over Calais, Galland took first place among the Luftwaffe aces with 56 victories. After his 50th claimed victory, Galland was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. A creative man, he proposed several tactical innovations, which were subsequently adopted by most armies of the world. Thus, he considered the most successful option for escorting bombers, despite the protests of the “bombers,” to be a free “hunt” along their flight route. Another of his innovations was the use of a headquarters air unit, staffed by a commander and the most experienced pilots.

After May 19, 1941, when Hess flew to England, raids on the island practically ceased.

On June 21, 1941, the day before the attack on the Soviet Union, Galland's Messerschmitt, which had been staring at the Spitfire it had shot down, was shot down in a frontal attack from above by another Spitfire. Galland was wounded in the side and arm. With difficulty he managed to open the jammed canopy, unhook the parachute from the antenna post and land relatively safely. It is interesting that on the same day, at about 12.40, Galland’s Me-109 was already shot down by the British, and they crash-landed it “on its belly” in the Calais area.

When Galland was taken to the hospital in the evening of the same day, a telegram arrived from Hitler, saying that Lieutenant Colonel Galland was the first in the Wehrmacht to be awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross, and an order containing a ban on Galland's participation in combat missions. Galland did everything possible and impossible to circumvent this order. On August 7, 1941, Lieutenant Colonel Galland scored his 75th victory. On November 18, he announced his next, already 96th, victory. On November 28, 1941, after the death of Mölders, Goering appointed Galland to the post of inspector of fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe, and he was awarded the rank of colonel.

On January 28, 1942, Hitler presented Galland with the Diamonds for his Knight's Cross with Swords. He became the second recipient of this highest award in Nazi Germany. On December 19, 1942, he was awarded the rank of major general.

On May 22, 1943, Galland flew the Me-262 for the first time and was amazed by the emerging capabilities of the turbojet. He insisted on the speedy combat use of this aircraft, assuring that one Me-262 squadron was equal in strength to 10 conventional ones.

With the inclusion of US aircraft in the air war and the defeat in the Battle of Kursk, Germany's position became desperate. On June 15, 1943, Galland, despite strong objections, was appointed commander of the fighter aircraft of the Sicily group. They tried to save the situation in Southern Italy with Galland's energy and talent. But on July 16, about a hundred American bombers attacked the Vibo Valentia airfield and destroyed Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. Galland, having surrendered command, returned to Berlin.

The fate of Germany was sealed, and neither the dedication of the best German pilots nor the talent of outstanding designers could save it.

Galland was one of the most talented and sensible generals of the Luftwaffe. He tried not to expose his subordinates to unjustified risks and soberly assessed the developing situation. Thanks to the accumulated experience, Galland managed to avoid major losses in the squadron entrusted to him. An outstanding pilot and commander, Galland had a rare talent for analyzing all the strategic and tactical features of a situation.

Under the command of Galland, the Luftwaffe carried out one of the most brilliant operations to provide air cover for ships, codenamed “Thunderstrike”. The fighter squadron under the direct command of Galland covered from the air the exit from the encirclement of the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, as well as the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Having successfully carried out the operation, the Luftwaffe and the fleet destroyed 30 British aircraft, losing 7 aircraft. Galland called this operation the "finest hour" of his career.

In the fall of 1943 - spring of 1944, Galland secretly flew more than 10 combat missions on the FV-190 A-6, chalking up two American bombers. On December 1, 1944, Galland was awarded the rank of lieutenant general.

After the failure of Operation Bodenplatte, when about 300 Luftwaffe fighters were lost, at the cost of 144 British and 84 American aircraft, Goering removed Galland from his post as inspector of fighter aircraft on January 12, 1945. This caused the so-called fighter mutiny. As a result, several German aces were demoted, and Galland was placed under house arrest. But soon a bell rang in Galland’s house: Hitler’s adjutant von Belof told him: “The Fuhrer still loves you, General Galland.”

In the conditions of a disintegrating defense, Lieutenant General Galland was instructed to form a new fighter group from the best aces of Germany and fight enemy bombers on the Me-262. The group received the semi-mystical name JV44 (44 as half of the number 88, which designated the number of the group that successfully fought in Spain) and entered combat in early April 1945. As part of JV44, Galland scored 6 victories, was shot down (landed across the runway) and wounded on April 25, 1945.

In total, Lieutenant General Galland flew 425 combat missions and chalked up 104 victories.

On May 1, 1945, Galland and his pilots surrendered to the Americans. In 1946–1947, Galland was recruited by the Americans to work in the historical department of the American Air Force in Europe. Later, in the 60s, Galland gave lectures in the United States on the actions of German aviation. In the spring of 1947, Galland was released from captivity. Galland whiled away this difficult time for many Germans on the estate of his old admirer, the widowed Baroness von Donner. He divided it between household chores, wine, cigars and hunting, which was illegal at that time.

During the Nuremberg trials, when Goering's defenders drew up a lengthy document and, trying to sign it from the leading figures of the Luftwaffe, brought it to Galland, he carefully read the paper and then decisively tore it from top to bottom.

“I personally welcome this trial because this is the only way we can find out who is responsible for all of this,” Galland allegedly said at the time.

In 1948, he met with his old acquaintance - the German aircraft designer Kurt Tank, who created the Focke-Wulf fighters and, perhaps, the best piston fighter in history - the Ta-152. Tank was about to sail to Argentina, where a big contract awaited him, and invited Galland to go with him. He agreed and, having received an invitation from President Juan Peron himself, soon sailed. Argentina, like the United States, emerged from the war incredibly rich. Galland received a three-year contract to reorganize the Argentine Air Force under the leadership of Argentine Commander-in-Chief Juan Fabri. The flexible Galland managed to find full contact with the Argentines and gladly passed on knowledge to pilots and their commanders who had no combat experience. In Argentina, Galland flew almost every day on every type of aircraft he saw there, maintaining his flying shape. Soon Baroness von Donner and her children came to Galland. It was in Argentina that Galland began working on a book of memoirs, later called The First and the Last. A few years later, the Baroness left Galland and Argentina when he became involved with Sylvinia von Donhoff. In February 1954, Adolf and Sylvinia got married. For Galland, who was already 42 years old at that time, this was his first marriage. In 1955, Galland left Argentina and competed in aviation competitions in Italy, where he took an honorable second place. In Germany, the Minister of Defense invited Galland to retake the post of inspector - commander of the BundesLuftwaffe fighter aircraft. Galland asked for time to think it over. At this time, there was a change of power in Germany, the pro-American Franz Josef Strauss became Minister of Defense, who appointed General Kummhuber, an old enemy of Galland, to the post of inspector.

Galland moved to Bonn and went into business. He divorced Sylvinia von Donhoff and married his young secretary, Hannelise Ladwein. Soon Galland had children - a son, and three years later a daughter.

All his life, until the age of 75, Galland flew actively. When military aviation was no longer available to him, he found himself in light-engine and sport aviation. As he grew older, Galland devoted more and more time to meetings with his old comrades, with veterans. His authority among German pilots of all times was exceptional: he was an honorary leader of several aviation societies, president of the Association of German Fighter Pilots, and a member of dozens of flying clubs. In 1969, Galland saw and “attacked” the spectacular pilot Heidi Horn, who at the same time was the head of a successful company, and started a “fight” according to all the rules. He soon divorced his wife, and Heidi, unable to withstand the “dizzying attacks of the old ace,” agreed to marry 72-year-old Galland.

Adolf Galland, one of seven German fighter pilots awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, as well as all the lower awards required by statute.

Otto Bruno Kittel - Luftwaffe ace No. 4, 267 victories, Germany.

This outstanding fighter pilot was nothing like, say, the arrogant and glamorous Hans Philipp, that is, he did not at all correspond to the image of an ace pilot created by the German Reich Ministry of Propaganda. A short, quiet and modest man with a slight stutter.

He was born in Kronsdorf (now Korunov in the Czech Republic) in the Sudetenland, then in Austria-Hungary, on February 21, 1917. Note that on February 17, 1917, the outstanding Soviet ace K. A. Evstigneev was born.

In 1939, Kittel was accepted into the Luftwaffe and was soon assigned to the 54th Squadron (JG 54).

Kitel announced his first victories on June 22, 1941, but in comparison with other Luftwaffe experts his start was modest. By the end of 1941, he had chalked up only 17 victories. At first, Kittel showed poor aerial shooting abilities. Then his senior comrades took over his training: Hannes Trauloft, Hans Philipp, Walter Nowotny and other pilots of the Green Heart air group. They didn't give up until their patience was rewarded. By 1943, Kittel had gained an eye and with enviable consistency began to record victories over Soviet aircraft one after another. His 39th victory, won on February 19, 1943, was the 4,000th victory claimed by the pilots of the 54th Squadron during the war.

When, under the crushing blows of the Red Army, German troops began to roll back to the west, German journalists found a source of inspiration in the modest but exceptionally gifted pilot Lieutenant Otto Kittel. Until mid-February 1945, his name did not leave the pages of German periodicals and regularly appears in military chronicles.

On March 15, 1943, after the 47th victory, Kittel was shot down and landed 60 km from the front line. In three days, without food or fire, he covered this distance (crossed Lake Ilmen at night) and returned to his unit. Kittel was awarded the German Cross in gold and the rank of chief sergeant major. On October 6, 1943, Chief Sergeant Major Kittel was awarded the Knight's Cross, received officer's buttonholes, shoulder straps and the entire 2nd Squadron of the 54th Fighter Group under his command. He was later promoted to chief lieutenant and awarded the Oak Leaves, and then the Swords for the Knight's Cross, which, as in most other cases, were presented to him by the Fuhrer. From November 1943 to January 1944 he was an instructor at the Luftwaffe flying school in Biarritz, France. In March 1944, he returned to his squadron, to the Russian front. Successes did not go to Kittel’s head: until the end of his life he remained a modest, hardworking and unassuming person.

Since the autumn of 1944, Kittel's squadron fought in the Courland "pocket" in Western Latvia. On February 14, 1945, on his 583rd combat mission, he attacked an Il-2 group, but was shot down, probably by cannon fire. On that day, victories over the FV-190 were recorded by the pilots who piloted the Il-2 - the deputy squadron commander of the 806th attack air regiment, Lieutenant V. Karaman, and the lieutenant of the 502nd Guards Air Regiment, V. Komendat.

By the time of his death, Otto Kittel had 267 victories (of which 94 were IL-2), and he was fourth on the list of the most successful air aces in Germany and the most successful pilot who fought on the FV-190 fighter.

Captain Kittel was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, and the German Cross in Gold.

Walter Nowi Novotny - Luftwaffe ace No. 5, 258 victories.

Although Major Walter Nowotny is considered the fifth-highest Luftwaffe ace in kills, he was the most famous ace of World War II during the war. Novotny ranked with Galland, Mölders and Graf in popularity abroad, his name was one of the few that became known behind the front lines during the war and was discussed by the Allied public, just as it was with Boelcke, Udet and Richthofen during the war. during the First World War.

Novotny enjoyed fame and respect among German pilots like no other pilot. For all his courage and obsession in the air, he was a charming and friendly man on the ground.

Walter Nowotny was born in northern Austria in the town of Gmünd on December 7, 1920. His father was a railway worker, his two brothers were Wehrmacht officers. One of them was killed at Stalingrad.

Walter Nowotny grew up exceptionally gifted in sports: he won running, javelin throwing, and sports competitions. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1939 at the age of 18 and attended fighter pilot school in Schwechat near Vienna. Like Otto Kittel, he was assigned to JG54 and flew dozens of combat missions before he managed to overcome the disturbing feverish excitement and acquire the “handwriting of a fighter.”

On July 19, 1941, he scored his first victories in the skies over the island of Ezel in the Gulf of Riga, recording three “downed” Soviet I-153 fighters. At the same time, Novotny learned the other side of the coin, when a skillful and determined Russian pilot shot him down and sent him “to drink water.” It was already night when Novotny rowed a rubber raft to the shore.

On August 4, 1942, having re-equipped with the Gustav (Me-109G-2), Novotny immediately chalked up 4 Soviet aircraft and a month later was awarded the Knight's Cross. On October 25, 1942, V. Novotny was appointed commander of the 1st detachment of the 1st group of the 54th fighter squadron. Gradually, the group was re-equipped with relatively new vehicles - FV-190A and A-2. On June 24, 1943, he chalked up the 120th “shot down”, which was the basis for awarding the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross. On September 1, 1943, Novotny immediately chalked up 10 “downed” Soviet aircraft. This is far from the limit for Luftwaffe pilots.

Emil Lang filled out forms for as many as 18 Soviet aircraft shot down in one day (at the end of October 1943 in the Kyiv area - a fairly expected response from an irritated German ace to the defeat of the Wehrmacht on the Dnieper, and the Luftwaffe over the Dnieper), and Erich Rüdorfer “shot down”

13 Soviet aircraft on November 13, 1943. Note that for Soviet aces, 4 enemy aircraft shot down in a day was an extremely rare, exceptional victory. This speaks only of one thing - the reliability of victories on one side and the other: the calculated reliability of victories among Soviet pilots is 4-6 times higher than the reliability of the “victories” recorded by the Luftwaffe aces.

In September 1943, with 207 “victories”, Lieutenant V. Novotny became the most successful pilot of the Luftwaffe. On October 10, 1943, he chalked up his 250th “victory.” There was real hysteria in the German press of that time about this. On November 15, 1943, Novotny recorded his last, 255th, victory on the Eastern Front.

He continued his combat work almost a year later, already on the Western Front, on the Me-262 jet. On November 8, 1944, taking off at the head of a trio to intercept American bombers, he shot down a Liberator and a Mustang fighter, which became his last, 257th, victory. Novotny's Me-262 was damaged and, on the approach to its own airfield, was shot down either by a Mustang or by fire from its own anti-aircraft artillery. Major V. Novotny died.

Novi, as his comrades called him, became a Luftwaffe legend during his lifetime. He was the first to record 250 aerial victories.

Novotny became the eighth German officer to receive the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. He was also awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class, the German Cross in gold; Order of the Cross of Liberty (Finland), medals.

Wilhelm "Willi" Batz - sixth Luftwaffe ace, 237 victories.

Butz was born on May 21, 1916 in Bamberg. After recruit training and a meticulous medical examination, on November 1, 1935, he was sent to the Luftwaffe.

After completing his initial fighter pilot training, Butz was transferred as an instructor to the flight school in Bad Eilbing. He was distinguished by his tirelessness and a real passion for flying. In total, during his training and instructor service, he flew 5240 hours!

From the end of 1942 he served in the reserve unit of JG52 2./ErgGr "Ost". From February 1, 1943, he held the position of adjutant in II. /JG52. The first aircraft shot down - LaGG-3 - was recorded to him on March 11, 1943. In May 1943 he was appointed commander of 5./JG52. Butz achieved significant success only during the Battle of Kursk. Until September 9, 1943, he was credited with 20 victories, and until the end of November 1943 - another 50.

Then Butz's career went as well as the career of a famous fighter pilot on the Eastern Front often developed. In March 1944, Butz shot down his 101st plane. At the end of May 1944, during seven combat missions, he shot down as many as 15 aircraft. On March 26, 1944, Butz received the Knight's Cross, and on July 20, 1944, the Oak Leaves to it.

In July 1944, he fought over Romania, where he shot down a B-24 Liberator bomber and two P-51B Mustang fighters. By the end of 1944, Butz already had 224 aerial victories. In 1945 he became commander of II. /JG52. On April 21, 1945 he was awarded.

In total, during the war years, Butz carried out 445 (according to other sources - 451) combat sorties and shot down 237 aircraft: 232 on the Eastern Front and, modestly, 5 on the Western Front, among the latter two four-engine bombers. He flew on Me-109G and Me-109K aircraft. During the battles, Butz was wounded three times and shot down four times.

He died at the Mauschendorf Clinic on September 11, 1988. Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (No. 145, 04/21/1945), German Cross in gold, Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class.

Hermann Graf - 212 officially counted victories, ninth Luftwaffe ace, colonel.

Hermann Graf was born in Engen, near Lake Baden, on October 24, 1912. The son of a simple blacksmith, due to his origin and poor education, he could not make a quick and successful military career. After graduating from college and working for some time in a locksmith's shop, he went into bureaucratic service in a municipal office. In this case, the primary role was played by the fact that Herman was an excellent football player, and the first rays of fame gilded him as a forward of the local football team. Herman began his journey into the sky as a glider pilot in 1932, and in 1935 he was accepted into the Luftwaffe. In 1936 he was accepted into the flight school in Karlsruhe and graduated on September 25, 1936. In May 1938, he improved his qualifications as a pilot and, having avoided being sent for retraining on multi-engine aircraft, with the rank of non-commissioned officer, he insisted on being assigned to the second detachment of JG51, armed with Me-109 E-1 fighters.