Erich Hartmann is the most successful German air ace. Blonde Knight of the Reich

Here is an interesting chapter from a book about Erich Hartmann, in which American authors try to characterize Soviet fighter pilots.

STALIN'S FALCONS

"Find the enemy! Think not about his strength, but only about where he can be found."
Motto of Soviet fighter pilots.

A number of German fighter pilots scored 100 or more victories on the Eastern Front.
Since the German methods of confirming victories were so accurate and reliable, the conclusion is inevitable that Hartmann and the other aces who achieved major successes on the Eastern Front were fighting against a weak enemy. This assumption cannot be considered absolutely correct. The successes of German aces in Russia cannot be explained only by the weakness of enemy aircraft and pilots. At the same time, the facts of the undeniable achievements of the Soviet aviation industry and leading Russian fighter pilots are lost sight of. Antipathy to ideology or political regime should not serve as a main argument unless the study provides historical facts showing the power of the Soviet Air Force.
The Germans, Americans and British have long been prejudiced about the achievements of the Russians. Finally, the Soviet colossus was also underestimated by the Hitlerite propaganda to which the German population was subjected since 1941. The Soviet Union's achievements in space have caused Americans to moderate their feelings of prejudice toward anything Russian. The combination of low living standards and high technological achievements in the Soviet Union repeatedly confused the West, and this underestimation often led to fatal mistakes.
If we, uncritically assessing the results of the air war on the Eastern Front in general and the achievements of Erich Hartmann in particular, believed that Russian planes were as easy to shoot down as a wounded animal on a duck hunt, this would be a mistake. The enemy could return fire, which, in fact, he did, while flying first-class aircraft that
often surpassed the Me-109. The best Allied fighter pilots flew these machines. Russian pilots had a huge number of downed planes to their credit, many of them even more than the Americans and British. In order to honestly and impartially evaluate Erich Hartmann's aerial victories, one must first consider the Russian enemy - the technical level of their aircraft fleet and the flight training of the pilots. The real technical data of Soviet aircraft exclude the version of their “inferiority.”
At the beginning of the war, the total strength of the Soviet Air Force was estimated at approximately 10,500 aircraft. The Red Army's fighter aviation was primarily equipped with I-16 (Rata) aircraft and a more advanced model of the I-15 fighter, the I-153. The Rata was a single-seat, small monoplane that was first used during the Spanish Civil War. In 1941, the outdated "Rata" began to be replaced by new fighters such as the Yak-1, MiG-3 and LaGG-3.
When German aviation entered into battle with the Soviet Air Force, the latter was re-equipped with modern aircraft by about one-quarter. The Luftwaffe's greatest triumph came in the first 90 days of the war with the Soviets, when Soviet air power was reduced to virtually nothing.
After the 1939 reorganization, the primary mission of Soviet aviation continued to be the support of ground forces. As a result, almost every available aircraft, including fighters, was equipped for bombing. In the first air battles, German fighters accompanying Luftwaffe bombers effortlessly destroyed Soviet fighters flying to intercept them, carrying bombs under their wings.
After this, the Soviet aviation command issued an order prohibiting Russian fighter pilots whose planes were loaded with bombs from engaging in combat with German escort fighters. Since the beginning of the Russian campaign of the Germans, the Red Army had at least only one type of fighter, superior in some tactical and technical data to the Me-109. During the war, the Soviet aviation industry not only established the production of new types of fighters, but also far surpassed the Germans in the number of aircraft produced.

In the previous book - "German fighter aces 1939-1945." - We looked in detail at the nature of air warfare on the Eastern Front and discussed the differences between both major theaters of war. There is a tendency in Western countries to consider the Anglo-American air war against Germany as the main arena of air battles in World War II. In fact, the Soviet Union lost twice as many aircraft as the Anglo-American Air Force.
In 1939, the reorganization of Soviet aviation began; it gradually became an independent branch of the Armed Forces of the Red Army. But its development was hampered by the unconditional subordination of aviation to ground forces that had not been completely eliminated. After the reorganization, the largest independent combat unit of the Red Army Air Force became the air division. Each division had 6 air regiments, which in turn consisted of 4-5 squadrons. By the time of the attack on Russia in June 1941, according to German experts, Red Aviation had from 40 to 50 divisions, which together made up 162 regiments.
Russian pilots often avoided or evaded air combat, since they worked mainly to cover the infantry. The Germans attributed this behavior in the air to the Russians’ lack of offensive spirit. However, the Germans discovered the true reason for this only after interrogating the captured pilots.
The Soviet Union was in many ways better prepared for air war than Britain in 1939 and America in 1941. Particular attention in Russia was paid to creating a reserve of trained pilots. Similar measures were taken at production, when, after the introduction of three eight-hour shifts per day, the number of new aircraft began to rapidly increase. All this gave results already in 1941, and the Russians were able to quickly recover from the consequences of the “blitzkrieg” in June-July 1941. Along with the huge number of aircraft produced by Russian factories, the Red Army was constantly replenished with pilots from military schools.
Even though the Russians suffered heavy losses, their fighter aircraft became better and better as the war progressed. But in the Luftwaffe fighter aviation, on the contrary, the level of training of pilots was declining. Germany's lack of four-engine strategic bombers allowed the Soviet Union to operate its huge military factories and flight schools, which remained beyond the reach of enemy aircraft, without interference. Since 1942, a huge flow of personnel and equipment poured to the front, which increased with each subsequent month.

In mid-1944, the Russians dominated almost the entire airspace of the Eastern Front, having greatly improved their tactical level compared to 1941. Despite the obvious, the legend that the air war on the Eastern Front was easy for the Germans has been maintained so long and persistently that it has almost become a historical doctrine. The facts exclude hasty conclusions that it was easy to fight against Red Aviation.
Erich Hartmann compares the air battles on the Eastern Front with similar fighter battles in the West against armadas of Allied bombers. “The hail of lead and steel filling the air made it very likely that a fighter pilot, who was constantly in combat, would someday be overtaken by a stray bullet. Often ten of us fought against three hundred Russians. This is a very unfavorable ratio. In such clashes in the air the probability of being shot down increased many times over. We had to plan attacks against such hordes with great caution, otherwise we would never have survived."
In assessing the fighting qualities of Russian pilots, the opinions of the German aces of the Eastern Front differed. In the daily long battles, the Germans - mainly the leading fighter pilots - felt superior on both a technical and psychological level. But even among the Luftwaffe aces there was almost complete unanimity in their assessment of the Guards air regiments, the elite of Soviet fighter aviation. The Germans treated them with great respect. The best Russian fighter pilots were collected in these guards regiments.
The Guardsmen, flying some of the best fighters, were real aces - aggressive, tactically competent and fearless. Their actions were imbued with the same characteristic unwavering fighting spirit that was observed among the British fighter pilots in the air battle for Britain. The fury of these Soviet pilots was demonstrated in a famous incident near Orel, in which Lieutenant Vladimir Lavrinenkov took part.

Lavrinenkov, having already had 30 victories at that time, having knocked out an Me-109 in an air battle, noticed how a German pilot, having landed in an open area, jumped out of his cockpit and tried to hide in a nearby ditch overgrown with trees and bushes. Having circled over the place where the enemy fell, Lavrinenkov realized that the Red Army soldiers, apparently, would not be able to find the German, and he would be able to escape with impunity. The young Russian lieutenant immediately landed his plane next to the downed Me-109 and led the Russian infantry along the bush to the ditch. Having found the enemy, Lavrinenkov rushed at him and strangled him with his own hands. Then, returning to his fighter, he flew away, leaving the dead German at the feet of the surprised Russian infantrymen*.
(Footnote. *This fact is not confirmed by Soviet sources.)
Soviet guard regiments surpassed Allied fighter aircraft in the number of aircraft shot down. The attempt to underestimate everything Soviet because of ideological contradictions does a disservice to history. There is a widespread and irrational bias when comparing air warfare in the East and the West. But the fact is that never before has any fighter aircraft confronted such superior enemy forces as the Germans had on the Eastern Front.
For the same ideological reasons, the best Soviet fighter pilots have not received adequate recognition from historians. For a quarter of a century, the names of the best Soviet pilots remained in the shadows, whose number of victories in the air was twice the number of victories of the best American and British brothers in arms.
All leading German aces who fought on the Eastern Front were repeatedly shot down or made forced landings. These pilots fought more air battles than anyone else. Erich Hartmann flew 1,400 combat missions and fought 800 air battles, most of them against numerically superior opponents. At the same time, in a number of battles he clearly found himself at a positional disadvantage. Hartmann estimates that Soviet fighters attacked him approximately 100 times. Although people like Hartmann, Rall and Barkhorn were among the most experienced ace pilots, the numerical superiority of the opposing enemy forces, according to the theory of probability, could lead to the fact that they too would someday be shot down.
The Luftwaffe faced a serious opponent in the guards air regiments of the Red Army. It is worth recognizing, however, that the majority of Russian pilots did not correspond to the rank of “guardsman”. However, in many battles for survival, the Red Guard exacted their due from the Germans. The best Soviet ace, Major General Ivan Kozhedub, shot down 62 Luftwaffe aircraft. Another 7 Soviet fighter pilots scored more victories than the top American pilot, Major Richard Bong, who had 40 victories in the Pacific theater.

Ivan Kozhedub was born in 1920 in Ukraine into a working-class family. He learned to fly in the 1930s in one of the many flying clubs in the USSR. During his service in the Red Aviation Guards Regiment, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times, an award that in the United States corresponds to the Congressional Hero Medal.
It was reported that Kozhedub commanded a North Korean fighter division during the Korean War in 1951-1952. His units were equipped with MiG-15 jet fighters, lighter aircraft than the US F-86-E and F-86-F Saber they were fighting. To this day there is no answer to the question: did Kozhedub fly combat missions in Korea? This is quite possible, since he was only 31 years old at that time. The US military departments are convinced that the experienced Soviet pilot flew combat missions in Korea, and they consider it possible that Kozhedub added new ones to his 62 victories in World War II*.
(Footnote. *According to the latest data, I. Kozhedub did not fly combat missions in North Korea.)
Kozhedub’s autobiography “I Attack” was published in the GDR in 1956. However, the book, which should and could have been a historically significant work, was in fact a distorted and extremely polemical biography. For example, the pilot admits that the most significant event in his life was joining the Communist Party.
A prominent Soviet fighter pilot whose units frequently fought with JG 52 was Colonel Alexander Pokryshkin. "Sasha" Pokryshkin scored 59 confirmed air victories and was also awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union three times during the war.
Pokryshkin's biography has much in common with the biographies of many German and Allied aces. Regardless of the uniform they wore or the flag they fought under, most flying aces faced the same danger under similar circumstances.
During his youth in Siberia, Pokryshkin was inspired by the achievements of Soviet aviation pioneer Valery Chkalov. He left his home in Novosibirsk to try his luck at an aviation school. His inspiration soon gave way to disappointment when it turned out that the aviation school he enrolled in trained mechanics, not pilots.
Every six months he submitted a report on his transfer to a school where pilots were trained. But Pokryshkin’s abilities as a mechanic were so outstanding that the commanders did not want to let him go. However, he did not give up and joined the Krasnodar flying club OSOAVIAKHIM. Like Erich Hartmann in Germany, Pokryshkin learned gliding in Krasnodar, while simultaneously performing parachute jumps.

Having started his service as an aircraft mechanic, Pokryshkin learned to fly a U-2 and soon passed the pilot exam. He continued to write requests for transfer to pilot status and, with his enviable persistence, was able to convince his superiors. His translation was finally satisfied. Pokryshkin was assigned to a fighter training unit in Kutch, and soon after was transferred to a fighter unit of the regular Red Army.
Whatever idea Pokryshkin had of the principle of universal equality of people after the Russian Revolution, after joining the fighter squadron he suffered a severe blow: while he continued to wear the mechanic’s rank insignia on his uniform, other pilots treated him with disdain. In their eyes, he was an outcast because he came from “some mechanics,” while they considered themselves “real” pilots.
But Pokryshkin soon proved that he was much more than just a mechanic who had made a career. With his outstanding flying skills and excellent knowledge of aircraft designs and aircraft engines, he far surpassed other pilots and eventually achieved recognition. The depth of his knowledge might have led him to become nothing more than a good flight instructor. Pokryshkin avoided this fate thanks to his great interest in air combat tactics. At the same time, he rendered a great service to military historians, because he kept a diary, setting out in it his concepts of battle tactics as they developed.
His bible was a book about the tactics of classic fighter combat in World War I, “My Air Battles” by the Frenchman Rene Fonck. Fonck, with 75 confirmed victories in the air, was considered the most famous fighter pilot of the Entente. Pokryshkin, following Fonck’s theories and studying from his book, methodically practiced the described maneuvers in demonstration air battles. He modified and expanded them, adapting them to a new generation of fighters, and also boldly introduced some innovations. Pokryshkin was affected by the school of training as a mechanic: possessing a mathematical mind, he forced himself to clarify everything. In his diary, Pokryshkin sketched all his tactical maneuvers and those of the enemy. He maintained this habit throughout the war.
The development of post-revolutionary Russia was aimed at creating a psychology of the masses, where individualism was brutally suppressed. This installation became the flesh of young Soviet people, the same generation that fought for Russia in World War II. The result was that millions of Russian youth completely lacked the qualities necessary to achieve success in air combat - the highest individualism, the ability to make quick decisions, decisive initiative. Instead, a dogmatic motto of will of steel and strict regulation of flight were used.
The experience of German pilots on the Eastern Front confirmed that most of the Russian pilots adhered to an ideological position in battle: they were taught it even more than the technical mastery of a modern aircraft. And if they soon dealt with the last problem, the first problem turned out to be more difficult.
For Pokryshkin, born in 1913, the years of childhood that formed his outlook on life passed in the pre-revolutionary atmosphere, so Soviet methods of education could not change him much. He became a successful fighter pilot because he learned early on that only an adaptable individualist could survive in aerial combat.
In his sketches, Pokryshkin established that an extraordinary pilot flying a weaker aircraft can defeat a more “competent” expert in regulations flying a better aircraft. His conviction was confirmed in practice in demonstration air battles.
Just like Hartmann on the German side, Pokryshkin among Soviet fighter pilots became a supporter of a sudden, quick attack. The experienced pilot Sokolov taught him this: they served in the same combat squadron, where Pokryshkin was sent at the very beginning of his flying career. Sokolov convincingly argued that a sudden, fast attack in battle can become a decisive psychological moment, because it intimidates the enemy pilot and thus makes him an easy prey.
At first, Pokryshkin was engaged in complex aerobatics and maneuvering in flight, and when he began the main task - shooting from a weapon at a target - he was forced to admit that he still had a lot to learn. Sasha did not know how to shoot accurately. While practicing shooting at a towed target, he made one attack after another until he used up all the ammunition. Hundreds of bullets went past, into the blue sky, and the towed target had only 3 or 4 hits.
Puzzled, Pokryshkin could not understand why he could not hit an aerial target - his approaches were excellent, he followed every letter of the shooting instructions.
To find the answer, Pokryshkin again returned to his favorite preliminary mathematical training.
He sat down and calculated flight trajectories, projectile speeds, and studied the problems of aerial shooting from a mathematical point of view. He covered entire pages with complex calculations and drawn curves. These efforts led him to exactly the same conclusion that Erich Hartmann made many years later in practice in air combat.

Having gained theoretical experience, Pokryshkin wrote: “Success depends on whether or not you can shoot at close range.” He then came to the conclusion that for a short-range attack it was very important to calculate the correct starting position. Pokryshkin drew new diagrams and the next day he took off full of anticipation.
The pilot writes about his experience: “The secret was this: I approached a towed target-cone at a certain angle, intending to open fire when, by all rules, in fact, I should have already turned away. For a young pilot this was a big risk. The slightest inaccuracy - and I would pump the tow plane with lead instead of the target-cone...
When we landed, the pilot of the tow plane attacked me in a rage: “Damn it, why did you come so close to me? This could easily take someone’s life!”
Since then I have only shot at close range and achieved amazing accuracy."
Through mathematical analysis, Pokryshkin found the same tactical formula that Hartmann came to purely intuitively many years later. The similarity of concepts and findings seems noteworthy. In combat, both of these pilots found confirmation of the effectiveness of their technique.
At the time of the German invasion of Russia in 1941, Pokryshkin served as a career pilot in Ukraine. 2 days after the first battles with the Germans, he was sent on a reconnaissance mission to Iasi, an area over which much later, during Hartmann’s time, fighters of JG 52 often met with fighters of Pokryshkin’s unit. Flying in tandem with Lieutenant Semenov, Pokryshkin saw from his MiG-3 five Me-109s flying towards him: three in the distance at high altitude, and two directly above him. Pokryshkin took the control stick and reached the same height as the enemy pair. The pilot of the leading German fighter fired a salvo, Pokryshkin also returned fire and, unexpectedly releasing the gas, made a turn. This maneuver brought him to the tail of the enemy aircraft. Having closed the gap, Pokryshkin fired a burst of fire at the Me-109 from all barrels from the closest distance. The German fighter instantly caught fire and went towards the ground, dragging a plume of thick smoke behind it.
Rejoicing at his first victory, the young Russian pilot made a mistake that cost the lives of many new pilots: he was mesmerized by the spectacular spectacle of a burning plane falling. And at this time the wingman of the downed German dived at him. Pokryshkin woke up when the left wing of his plane was pierced by a series of cannon shells and a sparkling trail of fire flashed past the cockpit. Cringing, Pokryshkin led his MiG-3 towards the ground. To find protection behind the armor of the seat, he bent over half - just as Erich Hartmann had acted in his time in the first battle - and flew at low level home.
The joy of Pokryshkin’s first triumph was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that he himself barely survived.
Famous aces Adolf Galland and Gunther Rall admitted that they also found themselves in a similar situation, as they succumbed to the temptation to watch the crash of an enemy plane. At the same time, Galland almost died, escaping with injuries. For Rall, such frivolity led to his own fall, during which he broke his spine and was on the verge of death. Just like the two outstanding German ace pilots, Pokryshkin learned a good lesson.
Pokryshkin, despite his advanced method of attack, which he began to follow in combat conditions, until the fall of 1941 had practically no opportunity to participate in air battles. He flew countless reconnaissance flights and rarely had the opportunity to engage German fighters. Developing his theory, Pokryshkin came to the conclusion that in that battle he instinctively did the right thing - and that was the only reason he remained alive.
Pokryshkin's innovations began to lead to the fact that Soviet fighter aviation gradually began to emerge from the straitjacket of the Soviet doctrine of the pre-war period. Russians, trained before the war in horizontal battles, after the battles of 1941-1942. were forced to quickly retrain. Increased engine power and the era of new aircraft led to a revolution in tactics. Russian fighters discovered vertical maneuver. Pokryshkin’s tactical innovations contributed to many of these discoveries.
Pokryshkin often used a spiral climb to avoid an enemy attack. Contrary to the advice of his conservative comrades, he practiced the aerobatics maneuver “quick roll” as a maneuver to reduce speed. This innovation subsequently often led to the fact that the Germans pursuing Pokryshkin fired a charge of their fire over his plane and themselves came under the gun of the Soviet ace.
Pokryshkin taught others what he himself learned from his own combat experience. He memorized the details of the air battle with photographic precision and subsequently outlined all the maneuvers in the form of sketches on sheets of paper. The walls of his dugout were covered with diagrams and illustrations.

Just like the best German pilots against whom he fought, Pokryshkin was shot down several times*. He made emergency landings many times. Sometimes after another difficult battle, when he landed in this way, his comrades were surprised at the state of his fighter, which was littered with holes. Pokryshkin's passion for studying his opponent was insatiable. He not only prepared a detailed plan for the upcoming air battles, but also personally flew captured German fighters, while very carefully identifying their weak points, which he, as an enemy, certainly needed to know.
(Footnote. *A. Pokryshkin’s memoirs do not confirm this information.)
Pokryshkin often put himself in the position of German pilots, detailing in writing his impressions of the advantages and disadvantages of the Me-109. In the battles over Kuban, where his regiment fought with JG 52 for a long time, Pokryshkin developed his own formula for air combat with four decisive factors: “Altitude, speed, maneuver, fire.”
With good aircraft and unit commanders such as Pokryshkin, the Guards fighter aviation regiments entered into battle with any enemy. Often the radio interception service of JG 52 heard Russian radio transmitters, turning on the German frequency, broadcasting: “German pilots, beware! Ace Pokryshkin is in the air!”
Powerful psychological pressure on the enemy in battle was also maintained by the following: the guards painted their planes with paints, preferring the eye-catching red color. They knew how to fight even better than the elite air force fighter units of other countries. Pokryshkin was like Hartmann in many ways. He was convinced that recruit pilots needed to be introduced to combat missions very carefully, and he set the command to the requirement that newcomers go into battle only after they have gained experience. Thus, their lives will be saved, and they themselves will gradually turn into real fighters. With great patience, Pokryshkin explained the art of aerial maneuver, passing on a wealth of knowledge, he gave examples on his favorite diagrams. Many successful Soviet aces owe their success to Pokryshkin and his teaching style.
Pokryshkin’s student was twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Klubov, who scored 50 aerial victories.
Being the most famous Soviet ace, Pokryshkin fought using the same tactics as Hartmann. Despite this, Pokryshkin should be compared more with Werner Mölders. They were almost the same age, Pokryshkin’s tactical knowledge and persistence in creating new methods are very similar to the methods of Mölders, who, first of all, is credited with ridding German aviation of old tactics that were adopted from the experience of World War I.
Propaganda distortions of Russian military historians have veiled Pokryshkin's achievements as a fighter pilot, unit commander and brilliant tactician, showing his individual successes through the prism of overall Soviet victories. However, his fame is well deserved and he should be given due recognition in this book, as he often fought against Erich Hartmann and JG 52.
We have no evidence that Pokryshkin and Hartmann fought each other in the air, but this cannot be ruled out with certainty.

It was shot down 14 times, always for the same reasons - due to damage from the debris of a downed aircraft, or technical malfunctions, but it was never shot down by the enemy. During such cases, Hartmann always managed to jump out with a parachute. His friends called him the “blond knight of Germany,” and enemy pilots called him the “black devil.”

A pre-war glider pilot, Hartmann joined the Luftwaffe in 1940 and completed pilot training in 1942. Soon he was sent to the 52nd Fighter Squadron (German). Jagdgeschwader 52) to the Eastern Front, where he came under the tutelage of experienced Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Under their guidance, Hartmann developed his skills and tactics, which eventually earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on 25 August 1944, for his 301st confirmed aerial victory.

Erich Hartmann achieved his 352nd and last air victory on May 8, 1945. He and the remaining troops from JG 52 surrendered to American forces, but were handed over to the Soviet Army. Accused of war crimes, sentenced to 25 years in maximum security camps, Hartmann would spend 10 and a half years in them, until 1955. In 1956 he joined the rebuilt West German Luftwaffe, and became the first commander of the JG 71 "Richthoffen" squadron. In 1970, he left the army, largely due to his rejection of the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, which was then used to equip the German troops, and constant conflicts with his superiors. Erich Hartmann died in 1993.

Childhood and youth

Chinese city Changsha

After some time, the family was reunited in the city of Weil im Schönbuch in southwestern Germany. From this point on, Hartmann began to become interested in aviation. He joins a glider training program run by the resurgent Luftwaffe. His mother Eliza was one of the first female pilots. The family even bought a small light aircraft, but in 1932 they were forced to sell it due to poverty resulting from the economic collapse of Germany. After the National Socialists came to power, flight schools began to receive support from the new government, and Elisa Hartmann created a new flight school in her city, in which fourteen-year-old Erich received a pilot's license, and at the age of fifteen became an instructor in one of the glider groups Hitler Youth.

After studying at a secondary school (April - April), a gymnasium (April 1932 - April) and at the National Institute of Political Education in Rottweil (April 1936 - April), he entered the gymnasium in Korntal, where in October he met the girl Urzula, who soon became his wife.

Career in the Luftwaffe

On the battlefield

Start

Emblem of the JG 52 squadron, to which Erich Hartmann was assigned

During his training, Erich showed himself to be an outstanding sniper and a diligent student (although he was of little interest in military drill), and by the end of his training he was in perfect command of his fighter. On 24 August, while still at the advanced aerial gunnery course in Gleiwitz, he flew to Zerbst and demonstrated some of the tricks of Lieutenant Hohagen, a former German aerobatic champion, over the airfield. After performing some elements of aerobatics over the airfield in Gleiwitz, the authorities placed the pilot under a week-long house arrest, which may have saved his life - the pilot who flew in his place the next day crashed.

In October 1942, having completed his training in the Vostok reserve fighter group, he was assigned to the North Caucasus in 52nd Fighter Squadron on the Eastern Front. After arriving at the Luftwaffe supply base in Krakow, Erich Hartmann and three other pilots had to fly to their squadron in a completely unfamiliar Stuka. This ignorance turned into a local pogrom and two destroyed attack aircraft, the pilots were sent to JG 52 on a transport plane. The battles on the Eastern Front were fought at least 750 miles above Soviet territory, and Hartmann had to conduct air battles in these unknown places. Squadron JG 52 had already earned great fame in Germany, many of the best aces of the Luftwaffe flew in it, as Hartmann was able to verify immediately after arrival - Walter Krupinski barely got out of the burning landed fighter. Walter Krupinski (197 aircraft shot down, 16th in the world) became his first commander and mentor. Among the others was Chief Sergeant Paul Rossmann, who preferred not to enter the “air carousel”, but to attack from an ambush, a carefully studied tactic that would bring Erich Hartmann first place in an informal competition of the world's best aces and 352 aerial victories. When Krupinski became the new squadron commander, Erich became his wingman. Since the 20-year-old recruit, who looked much younger than his years, Krupinski constantly called "Bubi"(boy, baby), this nickname became firmly attached to him.

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. Over time, the experience bore fruit: during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, he shot down 7 aircraft in one day, in August 1943 he accounted for 49, and in September he added another 24 downed aircraft to his personal account.

Behind the front line

By the end of the summer of 1943, Erich Hartmann already had 90 victories, but on August 19, during the attack of another Il, his plane was damaged and he made an emergency landing behind the front line. Squadron commander Dietrich Hrabak ordered Hartmann's unit to support Stuka dive bombers from the 2nd Attack Squadron Sturzkampfgeschwader 2, led by the famous attack aviation ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel, but the situation suddenly changed, and the German pilots had to face a mass of Yak-9 and La-5 fighters. Hartmann managed to shoot down 2 planes before shrapnel damaged his Bf-109. Having landed with difficulty (behind the front line), Hartmann, having fiddled with his plane for some time, saw approaching Soviet soldiers. Realizing that resistance was useless and there was no way to escape, he pretended to be wounded (sustained internal injuries). His acting skills convinced the soldiers, and he was placed on a stretcher and sent to headquarters in a truck. Waiting patiently, Hartmann seized the opportunity, using a Stuka attack to distract the soldiers, he hit the only guard hard, jumped out of the truck and ran towards a large field in which huge sunflowers grew, evading the bullets flying after him. Waiting until nightfall, he followed the patrol going west and returned to his unit, crossing the front line. Already approaching his own, the nervous sentry tried to shoot Erich, who did not believe that he was really a downed pilot, but the bullet miraculously missed the target, tearing his trouser leg.

Oak leaves

On October 29, 1943, Lieutenant Hartmann was awarded the Knight's Cross, having 148 aircraft shot down, on December 13 he celebrated his 150th air victory, and by the end of 1943 their number had risen to 159. In the first two months of 1944, Hartmann earned another 50 victories, and the rate of their acquisition was constantly increasing. These results raised doubts in the Supreme Headquarters of the Luftwaffe, his victories were double-checked two or three times, and his flights were watched by an observer pilot attached to Hartmann’s unit. By March 2, 1944, the number of victories reached 202 aircraft. By this time, the call sign had already become familiar to Soviet pilots Karaya 1, and the command of the Soviet Army set a price of 10,000 rubles for his head.
For some time, Hartmann flew aircraft with the “Black Tulip” paint element (a multi-pointed star painted on the propeller spinner and around the cowling). This is allegedly why, according to British historians, Soviet pilots nicknamed him the “Black Devil of the South.” Our sources retained the nicknames - “Black” and “Devil”.

However, Soviet pilots began to recognize the characteristic livery and avoid any meetings with Hartmann, which is why he allowed inexperienced pilots to fly his plane (for their own safety), and he switched to a Bf-109 with a regular livery. Now only an arrow-pierced heart with a signature "Urzula" was the only difference. On March 21, 1944, Erich Hartmann earned his 250th JG-52 air victory.

Defense of the Reich (against the USA)

Oil fields of Ploiesti

Battle tactics

Hartmann's favorite tactic was ambush. In his own opinion, 80% of the pilots he shot down did not understand what was going on at all. Using the powerful engine of his Bf-109G, Hartmann attacked vertically from below from the enemy's blind spot, or from above in a steep dive. His favorite technique was fire from a short distance and a rapid separation from possible pursuit. Fire from an extremely close range (60-80 m), in addition to the effect of surprise, made it possible to compensate for the ballistic disadvantages of the MK-108 cannon and saved ammunition. The disadvantage of this tactic was the risk of damage from downed enemy debris.

You can have electronic sights and visibility all you want, but I think you need to get as close as possible to the enemy and shoot him point blank. You'll hit him close. At long distances this is doubtful.

Original text(English)

You can have computer sights of anything you like, but I think you have to go to the enemy on the shortest distance and knock him down from point-blank range. You"ll get him from in close. At long distance, it"s questionable.

Hartmann developed and used several new aerial combat techniques. One of the most famous was the protective maneuver - escape using negative overload, still known among pilots as the “Hartmann maneuver”. It is used in a situation with an enemy behind your plane, when the distance allows you to open fire and the situation becomes almost hopeless. In this situation, Hartmann began to make a sharp turn, forcing the enemy to make an even steeper turn in order to obtain the correct lead for shooting (classic tactics of combat on turns). In this case, as a rule, the enemy had to raise the nose of his plane so much that it blocked the view, and the enemy pilot lost sight of Hartmann’s plane. At this moment, Hartmann pressed the control stick and came out of the turn, taking advantage of the change in overload from positive to negative. After performing this maneuver, the enemy, who could not understand where the plane had gone, found himself in an unenviable position.

I opened fire when the entire canopy of the cockpit was filled with the black color of the enemy aircraft... at a minimum distance... no matter what angle you have in relation to it or you are doing any maneuver.

Original text(English)

I opened fire when the whole windshield was black with the enemy... at minimum range... it doesn't matter what your angle is to him or whether you are in a turn or any other maneuver.

Hartmann never got involved in a “dog fight”, considering the fight with fighters a waste of time. He himself described his tactics in the following words: “saw - decided - attacked - broke away.”

Arrest and years after the war

Hartmann's last victory came on the last day of the war in Europe, May 8, 1945, over the Czech city of Brno. Early that day, early in the morning, he was ordered to conduct a reconnaissance flight over the positions of Soviet troops. Having taken off with their wingman at 8:30, they noticed the first units already forty kilometers from the departure point. While flying, Hartmann saw two Yak-9 fighters performing various acrobatic maneuvers for the amusement of the troops moving below. Determined to spoil the holiday, Hartmann dived down from a favorable height of 3,700 meters and shot down the first fighter from 200 meters. At that moment of aiming at the second one, he suddenly noticed the flashing of small dots above him, moving from the west - these were American Mustangs. Not happy about the possibility of being sandwiched between Russian and American planes, Hartmann decided to descend as low as possible and evade pursuit in the thick black smoke hanging over the city. After landing, it turned out that the airfield was in the zone of Soviet artillery fire, so Karaya 1, the remaining 24 Bf-109s and a lot of ammunition were destroyed. Being a commander 1 link JG 52 Erich Hartmann decided to surrender to the American 90th Infantry Division.

After this, German military personnel who fought against Soviet forces were transferred directly to the USSR, in accordance with the Yalta Agreements. In the USSR, Hartmann was convicted of war crimes, as well as of causing great damage to the Soviet economy, expressed in the destruction of a large number of aircraft, and spent 10 years in camps. During these misadventures, Hermann Graf (leader of the Antifa faction among German prisoners) offered him to join the East German Air Force, but he refused.

After the thaw began, Hartmann was released and returned home.

Luftwaffe Bundeswehr

Career results

Soviet and Russian historians have raised the question many times that the stated number of planes shot down by Hartmann does not correspond to reality, and in fact it is much less. In particular, publicist Yu. I. Mukhin believes that the number of planes shot down by a German pilot is overestimated several times. There is still no unity on this issue among Russian historians.

Victories and awards

Awards

Ranks

Erich Hartmann began his service in the Wehrmacht on October 1, 1940. His first stop was the city of Neukirchen in East Prussia, where he received basic military training as a Luftwaffe recruit.

Country	Date	Rank
	March 31	Leutnant(Lieutenant)
	July 1	Oberleutnant(Senior Lieutenant)
	September 1	Hauptmann(Captain)
	May 8	Major
	December 12	Oberstleutnant(Lieutenant colonel)
	July 26	Oberst(Colonel)

Mentions in "Wehrmachtbericht"

Date	Original German recording of "Wehrmachtbericht"	Literal translation into Russian
August 24, 1944	Oberleutnant Hartmann erhöhte am gestrigen Tage mit dem Abschuß von 8 Sowjetflugzeugen die Zahl seiner Luftsiege auf 290	Yesterday, Senior Lieutenant Hartmann, having shot down 8 Soviet aircraft, raised the number of his aerial victories to a total of 290.
August 25, 1944	In Luftkämpfen und durch Flakartillerie verloren die Sowjets gestern 58 Flugzeuge. Hiervon schoß der mit dem Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuses ausgezeichnete Oberleutnant Hartmann, Staffelkapitän in einem Jagdgeschwader, allein 11 Flugzeuge ab und errang damit seinen 301.	In air battles and from anti-aircraft artillery, the Soviets lost 58 aircraft yesterday. Of these, Senior Lieutenant Hartmann, awarded the Oak Branches to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in office Squadron commander V Fighter aviation squadron, single-handedly shot down 11 aircraft and thus achieved his 301st aerial victory.

Quotes

It was a very maneuverable aircraft and also easy to fly. He picked up speed very quickly, especially if he dived a little beforehand. During aerobatics on the 109, one could easily enter a spin and then easily recover from it. The only problem was takeoff. The plane had a very powerful engine and a narrow track landing gear. If you took off the ground too early, the car could spin ninety degrees. Because of such unsuccessful takeoffs, we lost many good pilots.

Erich Hartmann about the Bf-109

Literature

Raymond F. Toliver, Trevor J. Constable. Erich Hartmann - blond knight of the Reich
352 shot down as a path to defeat // Isaev A.V. Antisuvorov. Ten myths of World War II. - M.: Eksmo, Yauza, 2004

Notes

Luftwaffe air aces with 100 victories or more

300+

250-299

200-249

Wilhelm Butz (237) · Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert (174) · Rudolf Trenkel (138) · Franz Schall (137) · Walter Wolfrum (137) · Horst-Gunther von Fasson (136) · Otto Fennekold (136) · Karl-Heinz Weber (136) · Joachim Münchenberg (135) · Hans Waldmann (134) · Alfred Grislawski (133) · Johannes Wiese (133) · Adolf Borchers (132) · Adolf Dickfeld (132) · Erwin Clausen (132) · Wilhelm Lemke (131) · Gerhard Hoffmann (130) · Fraez Eisenach (129) · Walter Dahl (129) · Heinrich Sterr (129) · Franz Doerr (128) · Rudolf Rademacher (126) · Josef Zwenermann (126) · Dietrich Hrabak (125) · Wolf-Udo Ettel (124) · Herbert Iglefeld (123) · Wolfgang Tonne (122) · Heinz Marquardt (121) · Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer (121) · Robert Weiss (121) · Friedrich Obleser (120) · Erich Laie (118) · Franz-Josef Beerenbrock (117) · Hans-Joachim Birkner (117) · Jacob Nortz (117) · Walter Oesau (117) · Heinz Wernicke (117) · August Lambert (116) · Wilhelm Crinius (114) · Werner Schröer (114) · Hans Dammers (113) · Berthold Courts (113) · Helmut Lent (113) · Kurt Bülingen (112) · Kurt Ubben (110) · Franz Woidlich (110) · Reinhard Sailer (109) · Emil Bitsch (108) · Hans Hann (108) · Bernard Wechtel (108) · Victor Bauer (106) · Werner Lucas (106) · Guner Lützov (105) · Adolf Galland (104) · Eberhard von Boremski (104) · Hanz Sachsenberg (104) · Hartmann Grasser (103) · Siegfried Freytag (102) ·

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Erich Alfred Hartmann - German pilot, the most successful fighter pilot of World War II. His combat tally was 352 air victories. Hartmann was born in 1922 in the city of Weissach, (Württemberg). He spent part of his childhood in China, where his father worked as a doctor. Soon the family left there due to the outbreak of the civil war. Their return trip took place along the Trans-Siberian Railway - this is how Erich visited the USSR for the first time. His Mother Eliza was one of the first female pilots, and it was she who aroused the boy’s interest in aviation. Returning home, Frau Hartmann bought a light plane, on which eight-year-old Erich made his debut as a pilot. With the Nazis coming to power, the Luftwaffe revival program received government support. Eliza Hartman opened a flight school where her fourteen-year-old son received his pilot's certificate. At the beginning of the war, Erich, having drank Nazi propaganda in the Hitler Youth, asked to join the Luftwaffe. He was sent to the Eastern Front, to the 52nd Air Squadron, which already had great fame in Germany. Many of its best aces served in it. The renowned Walter Krupinski became his first mentor and commander. Erich was his wingman. The 20-year-old recruit looked much younger than his age, and his comrades nicknamed him “Bubi” (baby). Learning from experienced mentors and constantly improving his flying skills, by the end of the summer of 1943 he already had 90 victories. His call sign, Karaya 1, became well known to Soviet pilots. He avoided aerial duels. His tactic was to strike from ambush. If I saw an enemy formation, I immediately looked for an inexperienced pilot. This is always visible. I thought it was more useful to shoot down one than to get involved in a fruitless 20-minute “carousel.” After the first successes, Bubi, like a boy, frighteningly painted the nose of his “Messer” black. For which our pilots nicknamed him “Black” or “Devil” and began a real hunt for him. We, too, were not the only “yellow mouths” who fought. At different times, the “52nd” aces were opposed by the legendary Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, and Klubov. Perhaps it was they who beat up the cunning flyer quite a bit - 14 times Erich landed on the “forced” one. During another such landing, he was captured by Soviet infantrymen, but he managed to escape. Having brought the number of victories to 148, he received the Knight's Cross, and when the number reached 300, Hitler himself handed him the Diamonds. Hartman shot down his last plane on May 8, 1945, after the signing of the act of surrender of Germany. He was captured by the Americans and handed over to the USSR. First he was in the Kirov region - in a camp among the swamps, where many prisoners of war died, then in the Gryazovets camp. For his demonstrative disobedience to the authorities, Hartman was a frequent visitor to the punishment cell. He did not sign protocols that were not filled out in German: they say, I don’t understand, although he spoke five languages, including Russian. Many people broke down in the camp. Hermann Graf himself, the “icon of the Luftwaffe,” wrote a letter of repentance so that his sentence would be reduced. Erich, on the contrary, became the “leader” of the camp “dissidents”. He refused to go to work. Referred to international conventions on prisoners of war. From the Cherepovets camp, in one of the rare letters that escaped censorship, he wrote to his wife: “After a squabble with the Russian administration, I was sent to a “special meeting,” a kind of court, where I immediately demanded to be shot. However, they returned me to the barracks.” The stubborn person was offered either a stick or a carrot. In exchange for cooperation, they offered a significant post in the future army of the GDR. As a "whip" they threatened to condemn him as a war criminal. As a result, the court sentenced him to 25 years in prison. In 1950, he was transferred to the city of Shakhty, where Hartman soon led a prisoner riot. The prisoners captured the administration and guards, and slaughtered the traitors in their ranks. Over the phone, in the purest Russian, Erich demanded an international commission. But the rebellion was quickly suppressed and Hartman was given another 25 years. In 1954, after the new German Chancellor Adenauer managed to negotiate with the Soviet government on the release of the remaining prisoners, Hartmann returned home. He became an officer in the German Air Force. He often traveled to the USA, where he trained American pilots. After retiring in 1970, he worked for some time as an instructor and practiced aerobatics. Hartman died in 1993 at the age of 71.

Everyone knows the exploits of Soviet ace pilots who showed their heroism during the Second World War. But little is said about the fact that German pilots of that period were in no way inferior to our aviators. Moreover, the German pilot Hartmann Erich is an ace with the largest number of victories in the history of world aviation. Let's take a closer look at his biography.

Youth

Hartmann Erich Alfred was born on April 19, 1922 in the small town of Weissach, in the state of Württemberg. He was not the only child in the family; the future ace had a younger brother, Alfred, who later also became a combat pilot.

In the 20s, the Hartman family decided to move to China. The reason for this was the extreme poverty in which the family was in Germany, which was experiencing a severe economic crisis at that time. However, already in 1928, Hartmann Erich, with his parents and brother, were forced to return to their homeland, where they settled in the town of Weil im Schönbuch in Württemberg.

Erich had a love of aviation in his blood, because his mother Elisa Hartmann was one of the first female pilots in Germany. In the 30s, she even opened her own gliding school, which her son successfully completed.

After graduating from Hartmann Erich School in 1936, he entered the National Institute of Political Education. Three years later, he proposes to the girl Ursula, whom he met while studying at the gymnasium in Korntal. Naturally, she could not refuse such an interesting and promising young man as Erich Hartmann. Photos of them can be seen below.

Start of service

Afterwards, the future pilot Erich Hartmann decided to serve in the Luftwaffe - the Wehrmacht air force. In the wake of the brilliant victories of the German aces, his desire only grew stronger, and in October 1941 he successfully completed his flight training.

In the first months of 1942, one of the best German aces, Hoganen, conducted classes and instructions with Erich. This fact, undoubtedly, could not but affect his excellent results in the future. Of primary importance were their training on the Messerschmitt Bf109 fighter, with which Hartmann Erich connected his entire future career as a pilot.

Finally, in October 1942, the future ace was sent to the North Caucasus as part of the ninth squadron of the 52nd Fighter Squadron (JG-52), which by that time already had fame and glory, led by its commander Dietrich Grabak.

The first damn thing is lumpy

Soon, Erich Hartmann's baptism of fire occurred. The future ace did not do anything heroic or outstanding then. While flying in tandem with his immediate mentor, Edmund Rossman, he lost sight of his senior comrade. In addition, Erich Hartmann's plane was suddenly attacked by a Soviet fighter. But we must give credit to the young pilot - he was still able to escape from the enemy and land his aircraft.

Many experts subsequently stated that Erich Hartmann was simply scared. But fear was characteristic of almost all pilots making their first combat flight, and even those who in the future became a recognized ace. However, in subsequent flights, Erich never again allowed fear to get the better of him.

First victory

But, despite such a depressing start to his military career, already in early November Hartmann Erich was able to win his first victory over the enemy in the air.

The victim of the twenty-year-old pilot was the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft, which was always considered a very inconvenient and dangerous enemy for German pilots. But Erich managed to deal with him masterfully. He managed to get as close as possible to the enemy aircraft and aimed at its oil cooler. The young pilot was taught this combat tactic by the German ace Alfred Grislavsky. Later, pilot Hartman used this trick more than once in battle with devices of this type.

However, as always, there was a fly in the ointment. The proximity of the downed plane played a cruel joke, and fragments from it caught Erich’s apparatus. He was forced to make an emergency landing. This served as a good lesson for the young pilot, and henceforth, after striking the enemy at close range, he always tried to move his plane away to the side as quickly as possible.

Finest hour

After this relatively successful battle, a series of unsuccessful missions followed. Thus, Erich Hartmann was able to shoot down only one enemy aircraft over the next three months.

The real finest hour for the young pilot came during the battle that took place in July-August 1943. Despite the overall disastrous outcome of this battle for the German troops, it was then that Erich demonstrated the most impressive results. After the Battle of Kursk, he rightfully received the title of ace pilot. Hartmann Erich showed a phenomenal result in just one day of battle, shooting down seven enemy aircraft.

Subsequently, the pilot only increased the number of his victories. Throughout August 1943, he shot down 43 and their total number by this time had reached ninety.

Miraculous Rescue

In one of these battles, Erich Hartmann barely escaped capture. The memoirs, written by him, tell in detail about this incident.

When a German pilot fought with Soviet pilots, his plane was seriously damaged. After another enemy vehicle was shot down by Hartman Erich, a boomerang of fragments covered his own vehicle. This forced the ace to land in enemy territory.

Erich started fixing his plane. But suddenly he saw that a detachment of Soviet soldiers was approaching the place where he was carrying out repairs. The only chance to escape and not be captured was to pretend to be seriously wounded. Hartman took advantage of this opportunity perfectly. His acting was so impeccable that the Red Army soldiers believed that Erich was in a dying state.

The soldiers loaded the German ace onto a stretcher and sent him by truck to his unit. But Erich, having improved the moment, jumped out of the car and ran. Not a single bullet aimed at Hartmann hit the target, but ironically, already on the German side of the front, he was wounded by a sentry of his own army, who mistook the fleeing pilot for the enemy.

It is difficult to judge how true the story was told by Erich Hartmann. the pilot are the only source from which the world recognized her.

Further successes

Although she retreated further and further towards the borders of the Reich, Eric Hartmann increased the number of his personal victories with each battle. By the end of 1943, their number was almost one hundred and sixty. By that time, the ace had already received the Knight's Cross as an award - the highest honor in the German army.

The huge number of Hartmann's victories sowed the seed of doubt about their reliability even among the German command. But later Eric was able to prove that such suspicions were unfounded. At the beginning of March 1944, the number of enemy aircraft shot down by the German ace exceeded two hundred, and on July 1 it reached two hundred and fifty.

By this time, American aviation had entered the war in the European theater of operations. And now it was mainly the Mustangs that became the main opponents of the German pilot.

But fame has two sides to the coin. After Erich's number of victories exceeded three hundred in August 1944, he became a living legend, the most successful ace of all time. This made the Wehrmacht leadership think that in the event of his death, this fact would significantly demoralize the German army. Therefore, it was decided to recall the legendary pilot from the area of active hostilities. With great difficulty, Hartman managed to defend his right to be on the front line.

End of the war

At the beginning of 1945, Erich Hartmann was entrusted with command of a squadron link. He performed well in this position as well.

The German ace fought his last battle on May 8, 1945, in fact after the signing of the act of surrender of Germany, over the Czechoslovakian city of Brno. That day he shot down one Soviet fighter. But, realizing the futility of resistance, in the end Hartman and the remnants of his unit were forced to surrender to a unit of the US armed forces.

After the war

After the end of World War II, according to agreements between the victors, Erich Hartmann was transferred by the Americans to the Soviet side as a soldier who fought against the Red Army.

In the Soviet Union, Hartman was sentenced to 10 years for war crimes. And then to 25 years for organizing a riot in prison. But in 1955, the legendary ace was released, according to a bilateral agreement between the USSR and Germany on the repatriation of prisoners of war.

Immediately after returning home, Hartman was reinstated in military service as an officer. He was appointed squadron commander. The famous ace retired in 1970, although even after that he continued to work as an aviation instructor.

Personality of an outstanding ace

Hartman was described by his colleagues as a sociable and cheerful person. He quickly joined the new team and invariably enjoyed the respect and sympathy of his comrades. Not every person could be as endearing as Erich Hartmann. The photos we have at our disposal once again confirm evidence of his sociable nature. They almost always show him smiling and cheerful, often in the company of friends.

Colleagues gave Hartman the playful nickname “Bubi,” which means “Baby.” The reason was his short stature and the fact that he looked young for his age.

Erich Hartmann never liked to get involved in long, exhausting air battles, preferring to act suddenly and quickly, but at close range. After delivering the strike, he tried to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible, so as not to be covered by shrapnel from the downed plane or overtaken by other enemy pilots. Perhaps it was thanks to these tactics that Hartman was able to achieve such an impressive number of victories.

Achievements and significance

Currently, many military historians and biographers are studying the life path of such an outstanding pilot as Erich Hartmann. Photos, documents, memoirs are the main help in this difficult work.

Erich Hartmann rightfully bore the title of the greatest ace of all times. In total, during World War II he participated in 802 air battles, of which 352 ended in victories, which is still an unsurpassed result. At the same time, he flew 1,404 combat missions.

Erich Alfred "Booby" Hartmann(German) Erich Alfred Hartmann; genus. April 19, 1922; † September 20, 1993) - German ace pilot, considered the most successful fighter pilot in the history of aviation. According to German data, during the Second World War he flew 1,425 combat missions, shooting down 352 enemy aircraft (of which 345 were Soviet) in 825 air battles. During this time, his plane was shot down 14 times, always for the same reasons - due to damage from the debris of the downed plane, or technical malfunctions, but he was never shot down by the enemy. During such cases, Hartmann always managed to jump out with a parachute. His friends called him the “blond knight of Germany,” and enemy pilots called him the “black devil.”

Childhood and youth

Chinese city Changsha