Ace of Aces : Erich Hartmann the Blond Knight of Germany

Abstract

History has seen numerous great aviators and specifically ace fighter pilots. None of them, however, comes close to the exceptionally gifted Erich Hartmann who served mainly on the Eastern Front during World War II. He was the top scoring fighter pilot of all the fighters in World War 2. He flew a staggering 825 missions in recording 352 victories (See Annexure 1). All the victories were recorded on the Eastern Front. “The Black Devil” as Hartmann was known, holds a record that has never been broken, and owing to the nature of modern aerial warfare it is unlikely to ever be broken. During the last years of the war, his repute had grown so colossal that when many Soviet pilots observed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 approaching, they would bolt instead of engaging him in aerial combat. This article provides a synthesized look at this talented contributor to World War II and aviation history in general. This study gives a brief overview of the Hartmann and his exploits during World War Two and was based on a literature study.