lesofprimus
Brigadier General
And the fact that the Luftwaffe would send up 10 fighters to assault a formation of over 120 aircraft... There wasnt enough fuel........
Here are the Top Aces and what happened to them...
The 300 Club......
Erich Alfred "Bubi" Hartmann - 352, The Ace of Aces flew around 1,456 (missions). He engaged in air combat approximately 850 times, was never shot down by an enemy plane and never lost a wingman (Gunther Capito was shot down but survived). He surrendered to the Americans on May 8th 1945 and was subsequently turned over to the Russians. He was 'tried' for 'war crimes' and was sentenced to 25 years hard labor. He then spent the next 10 and a half years in Russian Gulags. After his release, he served in the Bundesluftwaffe. He "joined old friends" on the 19th of September 1993.
Erich Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn - 301, Flew 1104 missions. Badly hurt in an Me262 crash on April 17th 1945. He surrendered to the Americans at the end of the war but, surprisingly, he was not turned over to the Russians. He retired as a Major General from the Bundesluftwaffe. During a winter storm on January 6th 1983, Barkhorn and his wife were involved in a car accident. She died at the scene and he died 2 days later
The 200 club...........
Gunther Rall - 275, Flew 621 missions. Shot down 8 times. Badly wounded including the loss of his left thumb during a wild combat session with P-47's of "Zemke's Wolfpack". 'Captured' by the British. Joined Bundesluftwaffe. Retired in 1975. Still alive and signing autographs as of 2003
**Otto "Bruno" Kittel - 267, Flew 583 combat missions. Shot down twice and survived before being KIA February 14th 1945. At the time he was flying a FW190A-8 ("Black 1") as Staffelkapitan of 2./JG 54
**Walter "Nowi" Nowotny - 258, 1st to 250 kills and in only 442 missions! Ouch. Austrian, KIA November 8th 1944 (by Edward R. Haydon) while flying an Me262 against B-17s. "Nowi", finding himself burning alive, nose dived into the ground. He was 23
Wilhelm "Willi" Batz - 237, Evaded Soviet capture at war's end. Joined and retired from the Bundesluftwaffe. Died September 11th 1988
Erich Rudorffer - 224, (12 with a jet) Holds Luftwaffe record of most kills in a single mission with 13. Was shot down 16 times. Bailed out 9 times. Survived the war and served in the Bundesluftwaffe. He retired as a commercial pilot. Was still alive as of 2000 but does not discuss the war years
Heinrich "Pritzl" Bar - 221, (16 with a jet. Another luftwaffe record) Survived the war but was killed in a civilian plane crash in 1957
Herman Graf - 212, (200 in 13 months!) Survived the war. Surrendered to the Americans with Hartmann and was turned over to the Russians. Released in 1950. Died 4 November 1988
**Heinrich Ehrler - 209, KIA April 4th 1945. After shooting down two B-17's and running out of ammo, Ehrler is reported to have said, " Theo! (Weissenberger) I have run out of ammunition! I am going to ram this one! Auf Wiedersehen! I'll see you in Valhalla!" and then he ramed a third B-17. His body was found the next day.
Theodore "Theo" Weissenberger - 208, Survived the war and was killed in a car racing accident at Nurburgring, June 10th 1950
**Hans "Fips" Philipp - 206, KIA October 8th 1943 while flying a FW 190. This kill was claimed by Robert S. Johnson but Luftwaffe eye witnesses say it was the gunners in the B-17's they were attacking that got him.
Walter Schuck - 206, Flew only 109s and 262s. He survived the war and was still around and signing autographs as of 1999.
**Anton "Toni" Hafner - 204, KIA October 17th 1944 when he lost situational awareness in a low-level dogfight with Yaks (big mistake) and his 109 hit a tree.
Helmut Lipfert - 203, Was shot down 15 times. Survived the war. Surrendered but was not turned over to the Russians and subsequently became a school teacher. Died in 1990
Here are the Top Aces and what happened to them...
The 300 Club......
Erich Alfred "Bubi" Hartmann - 352, The Ace of Aces flew around 1,456 (missions). He engaged in air combat approximately 850 times, was never shot down by an enemy plane and never lost a wingman (Gunther Capito was shot down but survived). He surrendered to the Americans on May 8th 1945 and was subsequently turned over to the Russians. He was 'tried' for 'war crimes' and was sentenced to 25 years hard labor. He then spent the next 10 and a half years in Russian Gulags. After his release, he served in the Bundesluftwaffe. He "joined old friends" on the 19th of September 1993.
Erich Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn - 301, Flew 1104 missions. Badly hurt in an Me262 crash on April 17th 1945. He surrendered to the Americans at the end of the war but, surprisingly, he was not turned over to the Russians. He retired as a Major General from the Bundesluftwaffe. During a winter storm on January 6th 1983, Barkhorn and his wife were involved in a car accident. She died at the scene and he died 2 days later
The 200 club...........
Gunther Rall - 275, Flew 621 missions. Shot down 8 times. Badly wounded including the loss of his left thumb during a wild combat session with P-47's of "Zemke's Wolfpack". 'Captured' by the British. Joined Bundesluftwaffe. Retired in 1975. Still alive and signing autographs as of 2003
**Otto "Bruno" Kittel - 267, Flew 583 combat missions. Shot down twice and survived before being KIA February 14th 1945. At the time he was flying a FW190A-8 ("Black 1") as Staffelkapitan of 2./JG 54
**Walter "Nowi" Nowotny - 258, 1st to 250 kills and in only 442 missions! Ouch. Austrian, KIA November 8th 1944 (by Edward R. Haydon) while flying an Me262 against B-17s. "Nowi", finding himself burning alive, nose dived into the ground. He was 23
Wilhelm "Willi" Batz - 237, Evaded Soviet capture at war's end. Joined and retired from the Bundesluftwaffe. Died September 11th 1988
Erich Rudorffer - 224, (12 with a jet) Holds Luftwaffe record of most kills in a single mission with 13. Was shot down 16 times. Bailed out 9 times. Survived the war and served in the Bundesluftwaffe. He retired as a commercial pilot. Was still alive as of 2000 but does not discuss the war years
Heinrich "Pritzl" Bar - 221, (16 with a jet. Another luftwaffe record) Survived the war but was killed in a civilian plane crash in 1957
Herman Graf - 212, (200 in 13 months!) Survived the war. Surrendered to the Americans with Hartmann and was turned over to the Russians. Released in 1950. Died 4 November 1988
**Heinrich Ehrler - 209, KIA April 4th 1945. After shooting down two B-17's and running out of ammo, Ehrler is reported to have said, " Theo! (Weissenberger) I have run out of ammunition! I am going to ram this one! Auf Wiedersehen! I'll see you in Valhalla!" and then he ramed a third B-17. His body was found the next day.
Theodore "Theo" Weissenberger - 208, Survived the war and was killed in a car racing accident at Nurburgring, June 10th 1950
**Hans "Fips" Philipp - 206, KIA October 8th 1943 while flying a FW 190. This kill was claimed by Robert S. Johnson but Luftwaffe eye witnesses say it was the gunners in the B-17's they were attacking that got him.
Walter Schuck - 206, Flew only 109s and 262s. He survived the war and was still around and signing autographs as of 1999.
**Anton "Toni" Hafner - 204, KIA October 17th 1944 when he lost situational awareness in a low-level dogfight with Yaks (big mistake) and his 109 hit a tree.
Helmut Lipfert - 203, Was shot down 15 times. Survived the war. Surrendered but was not turned over to the Russians and subsequently became a school teacher. Died in 1990