Erich Hartmann
Erich Hartmann
19 April 1922(1922-04-19) – 20 September
1993 (aged 71)
Erich Hartmann
Nickname
Bubi
The Blond Knight
The Black Devil
The Black Devil of the South (to
the Soviets)
Place of
birth
Weissach, Württemberg
Place of
death
Weil im Schönbuch
Allegiance
Nazi Germany (to 1945)
West Germany
Service/
branch
Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht)
Luftwaffe (Bundeswehr)
Years of
service
1940 – 1945
1956 – 1970
Rank
Major (Wehrmacht)
Oberst (Bundeswehr)
Unit
JG 52, JG 53 and JG 71
Commands
held
I./JG 52 and JG 71
Battles/
wars
World War II
• Eastern front
• Defense of the Reich
Awards
Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub,
Schwerten und Brillianten
Other work Civilian Flight instructor
Erich Alfred "Bubi" Hartmann (19 April
1922 – 20 September 1993), also nicknamed
"Bubi" by his comrades and "The Black
Devil" by his Soviet enemies, was a German
World War II fighter pilot and is the highest
scoring fighter ace in the history of Aerial
warfare. He claimed 352 aerial victories (of
which 345 were won against the Soviet Air
Force, and 260 of which were fighters) in
1,404 combat missions. He engaged in aerial
combat 825 times while serving with the
Luftwaffe. During the course of his career,
Hartmann was forced to crash land his dam-
aged fighter 14 times. This was due to dam-
age received from parts of enemy aircraft he
had just shot down, or mechanical failure.
Hartmann claimed never to have been shot
down or forced to land due to fire from en-
emy aircraft.[1]
Hartmann, a pre-war glider pilot, joined
the Luftwaffe
in 1940 and completed his
fighter pilot training in 1942. He was posted
to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52) on the Eastern
front and was fortunate to be placed under
the supervision of some of the Luftwaffe’s
most experienced fighter pilots. Under their
guidance Hartmann steadily developed his
tactics which would earn him the coveted Rit-
terkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwerten und Bril-
lianten (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with
Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds) on 25
August 1944 for claiming 301 aerial victories.
He scored hi