october november german luftwaffe world war fighter ace flying ace fighter ace military aviator credited shooting enemy aircraft aerial combat served eastern western fronts pilot aviation history claim aerial victories aerial combat encounters resulting destruction enemy aircraft claimed aerial victories combat missions eastern pre war football player pilot joined luftwaffe initially selected transport aviation posted 51st fighter wing outbreak war stationed german franco border flying uneventful patrols serving flight instructor stationed romania german military mission training romanian pilots flew ground support missions closing days german invasion crete following start operation german invasion soviet_union claimed aerial victory august awarded knight german des eastern victories january september number victories increased honored knight oak leaves swords diamonds des mit und time presentation germany highest military decoration september fighter pilot aviation history claim enemy aircraft shot national hero taken combat operations posted fighter pilot training school france tasked leadership high flying intercept unit called fighter wing november returned combat operations appointed wing commander 11th fighter wing claimed aerial victory march severely injured encounter period 52nd fighter wing remainder surrendered units united_states_army turned held soviet captivity war worked electronic sales manager died disease home town november early life born october grand far swiss border son farmer wife maria née children older brothers father fought world war artillery soldier awarded return home years old young main reference point life mother bond formed lasted remainder life inflation wiped family savings result early age learned work hard living childhood young boy fascinated football started football club literally german catholic sports organization dating later teens selected join group talented young football players trained forward german national football team later head coach german team winning world cup broken thumb ended early hopes career national football team graduated primary school age thirteen savings higher education lost inflation crisis option apply education years worked apprentice local factory low income received offer work apprentice clerk accepted change careers position helped jewish families escape switzerland time stamp german jews passport demanded germany neighboring countries took great personal risk came close getting caught assisted leader nazi club later erased bureaucratic traces left amateur pilot joining luftwaffe saw aircraft years old sight caused emotional conflict old passion football new obsession aviation worked town hall saving money buy 20th birthday contributed newly founded sunday nearby mountain fatal crash destroyed fall adolf_hitler treaty versailles applied flight training newly created luftwaffe accepted luftwaffe level pilot training school june following basic training flight training progressed levels referred flight training training included theoretical practical training navigation long distance flights landings graduating september joined school october courses included high altitude flights instrument flights night landings training handle aircraft difficult situations completed training december progressed training january completing course pilots selected fighter pilot training transferred fighter pilot school chosen bomber transport pilot training flight school age initially thought old fighter pilot training selected transport pilot school largely fact fighter force dire need new officers non commissioned officer training modern fighter aircraft transferred 2nd squadron 1st group 51st fighter wing bad completed officers candidate training equipped modern german fighter aircraft time flown modern fighter aircraft ended flight crash july briefly built giving opportunity flying skills self confidence world war world war europe began september german forces invaded poland day stationed french border promoted staff sergeant exchanged charged protection germany western border war phase months following britain france declaration war germany september preceding war flew combat sorties firing guns considered unreliable pilot january commander transferred training unit stationed newly trained fighter pilots received instruction pilots combat experience completion program resulted promotion second lieutenant met befriended fighter pilot time command olympic gold medalist commander spanish civil war october appointed iii 3rd group 52nd fighter wing influence personnel rotation luftwaffe transferred 9th squadron 52nd fighter wing october service romania invasion greece romania isolated threatened following non aggression pact signed germany soviet_union sought uphold neutrality soviet occupation romania regions king carol romania caused carol popularity fall gave opportunity rise power soon established dictatorship romania romania armed forces reorganized supported military mission germany called luftwaffe mission romania command lieutenant general stationed iii temporarily renamed 1st group 28th fighter wing december primary task train personnel trio joined later german airmen spent number days managed play football team played sport arena thirty thousand spectators relaxed life continued late romanian internal political situation deteriorated mainly nationalist led formed tense alliance brief bloody civil war january day civil war eventually won support german_army iii transferred greece support operation invasion crete unit flew ground attack missions time war soviet_union early june unit transferred romania june unit supported operation bases country august transferred forward airfields ukraine august claimed aerial victory escorting strike recorded victory second victory fell day official ace achieving fifth victory september victory achieved night local time vicinity moved forward soviet_union german advance late summer autumn flying air superiority missions battle september october accounted victories nos included finding stride accounted enemy aircraft november december increasing personal success aerial victories end period witnessed bitter aerial combat experienced opening phases siege remained unit operations ground halt stalemate january tally victories awarded knight german des february accounted 47th victim ground attack aircraft victory weeks seven months combat operations withdrawn sent leave germany march appointed squadron leader day accounted enemy aircraft end march reached aerial victories moved april support 11th army designed forces conducted amphibious landing region december tasked clearing skies limited forces achieved substantial success april ace day shooting enemy aircraft region followed seven seven campaign reaching climax ended complete victory germans allies days later day reached tally aerial victories ordered north immediately assist german air forces near soviets launched surprise offensive beginning second battle recorded air victories heavy air fighting credited 100th aerial victory 7th luftwaffe pilot achieve century mark awarded knight oak leaves des mit air victories days later score increased received knight mit und claims submitted brought personal tally time battle flew wolf hitler headquarters present day poland official swords presentation day following presentation sent home leave number public appearances return post claimed victory june august onwards supported south advances volunteered service leadership increased number aerial victories end august september shot enemy aircraft including september september aerial fighting fierce september claimed victory second pilot achieve mark aircraft suffered hits engagement barely escaped killed occasions september aircraft cabin hit cannon shell september plane hit time suffering bullet holes september anti aircraft artillery shot away half rudder relocated airfield flying achieved aerial victory september awarded knight oak leaves swords diamonds des mit und september fifth member receive distinction time frame days received grade knight cross available time day september claimed victories september victories september pilot aviation history claim enemy aircraft shot claimed victories day taking total unprecedented following received promotion major october time ordered fly operationally anymore concerned potential morale loss shot fighter pilot instructor january major sent southern france command fighter group east fighter pilot school newly trained fighter pilots destined eastern received final training experienced eastern pilots main base jean miles kilometers north atlantic coast spent time airport passion football later send pilots time selected aircraft personal use march summoned wolf hitler following allied aerial bombings hitler blamed luftwaffe inability protect german cities intensified allied bomber offensive particular german cities vulnerable multi use fighter bombers returned home having intercepted german defenses days attack met germany leading aircraft manufacturers march inability produce german aircraft capable competing withdrew came idea create intercept task force led ordered received instructions personally project directly asked required responded wanted appoint team approved request subsequently able old friends number good football players served administrators drivers mechanics southern france following meeting traveled berlin organize necessary personnel luftwaffe personnel office berlin took opportunity watch football match olympic stadium introduced young film actress flew berlin learned assignment delayed hitler assisted spanish civil war repeated efforts convince franco join war germany spanish fighter squadrons operated luftwaffe east german propaganda employed images interacting role supervision spanish voluntary fighter squadrons received weeks specialized fighter pilot training eastern june defense june arrived airfield began creation high altitude fighter unit based unit equipped high altitude variant equipped cockpit arrival aircraft delayed meantime focus football invited train team day visit encouraged use influence save germany best football players duty subsequently brought unit players like requested later captained west german world cup team transferred unit walter transfer difficult achieve submit request directly commander playing football recruiting pilots staff encountered actress unit received july aircraft managed reach altitude meters feet military success came quickly unit achieved aerial victory aircraft shortage prevented declare operational status parallel events based england escalated daylight offensive europe heavy engined bombers appeared northern germany january daytime attacks port wilhelmshaven number heavy bombers eighth air force surpassed mark tight flying combat box formations struck deeply german july ordered available intercept american bombers targeted july credited destruction flying fortress attacks unit consisting aircraft declared combat ready july football team red hunters ready played game august football team followed assignments remainder war august unit renamed 50th fighter wing expected equipped rocket fighter tested major test unit 16th test commando summer following visit test unit learned jet fighter returned optimism assignment shot enemy aircraft including flying fortress bombers june wing commander lieutenant colonel wing commander 1st fighter wing killed action october day officially remaining command appointed acting transferred subsequently appointed acting commander flew second raid october costly attackers heavy bombers destroyed german fighters anti aircraft fire price german fighters lost satisfied october major 11th fighter wing summoned meeting air base near rear observer journey flight nearly shot flight despite successes october meeting disbanded unit absorbed promoted colonel appointed wing commander november tasked defense despite officially banned flying operational missions managed aircraft months march shot confusion dog fight collided managed bail injured spend time hospital leave married german actress june wing commander following appointed old unit general der general fighters based southern poland time men gave welcome celebration september german forces retreat time opportunity air combat order general ordered fly british sector avoid capture russians rest wing surrendered soviets fellow pilots ground personnel marched bavaria surrendered unit near prisoner war prisoner war personnel handed americans soviets shortly surrender having famous nazi propaganda machine commander singled attention soviets december moved prisoner war camp prisoner war camp moved war camp near frankfurt released captivity december relatively early release perceived caused operation soviet captors fellow pilots criticized especially following 1950s book fellow fighter ace soviet entitled speak truth die led exclusion post war luftwaffe associations later life initially hard time obtaining work relationships football community helped introduced electronics manufacturer president football club employed salesman company eventually advanced branch leader chief sales marriage collapsed divorced remarried twice marriage resulted birth son daughter diagnosed disease condition affected high altitude slow deteriorating effect health died hometown november aerial victory credits credited aerial victories claimed combat missions western included engined bombers eastern ace indicates aerial victories ace day term fighter pilot shot single day indicates separation shot severely damaged heavy bomber forced separate combat box counted aerial victory awards der luftwaffe december combined pilots observation badge gold diamonds romanian pilots badge shield romanian knight order crown 2nd class august 1st class august flying luftwaffe fighter pilots gold bronze silver august gold november gold april oak leaves swords diamonds knight cross january reserves pilot oak leaves reserves 11th swords reserves 5th diamonds september reserves mentioned times dates rank biography
Hermann Graf