Fash-E :windmilloffriendship: on Nostr: Erich Hartmann flew 1,404 combat missions for the Luftwaffe during WW2 and was ...

Erich Hartmann flew 1,404 combat missions for the Luftwaffe during WW2 and was engaged in combat on 825 separate occasions. Between 1942 and 1945, he shot down a total of 352 aircraft, 345 Soviet and 7 American, making him the greatest fighter pilot ace in history. Followed by Luftwaffe pilot Gerhard Barkhorn at 301. During his career, Hartmann was forced to crash-land 16 times due to either mechanical failure or shrapnel damage but he was never shot down by an enemy. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, the highest honor for bravery in the Third Reich.