Hartmann, Erich Alfred

He was born on April 19, 1922 in Weissach, Germany. Erich's mother was a pilot and instilled in him a love for airplanes, and also gave him his first lessons in flying gliders. Then in 1942, Erich graduated from flight school for a fighter and was immediately sent to the 52nd fighter squadron of the Luftwaffe in the North Caucasus. It is worth noting that the fighter squadron 52 or JG 52 was famous throughout Germany, the best pilots of the Luftwaffe served in it. Erich Hartmann began reporting on the number of aircraft shot down on November 5, 1942, shooting down his first Il-2.

At the end of 1943, Erich had 159 aircraft to his credit. By March 2, 1944, the figure had already reached 202 aircraft. In May 1944, Erich first entered combat with the US Air Force and their Mustangs, with which he also had no problems. By August 24, 1944, the number of aircraft shot down by Erich Hartmann had reached 300. By the end of the war, Erich Hartmann had completed 1,404 combat sorties, 825 of which resulted in air battles, and in which he shot down 352 aircraft. This is a record that no one has been able to beat to this day. Erich was awarded the highest award of the Reich - the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Only 27 people in the entire Wehrmacht had such an award. After the defeat of the Wehrmacht, Erich was captured by the USSR and spent 10 years in camps, after which he was released and served in the Luftwaffe of the Bundeswehr of the FRG. Erich Hartmann died on September 19, 1993 at the age of 71.