I dropped off and got number 3, then I got hits on two more, and then number 6, I had him smoking, going down into the clouds. Hermann Graf died in 1988, in his hometown, Engen. He retired in 1972 as a U.S. Air Force Colonel. [303] In consequence, the Luftwaffe introduced a point system in 1943 which accounted for the difficulties in shooting down a heavy bomber. Weissenbergers military career began in 1936, when he volunteered in the Luftwaffe, after gaining experience as a civilian glider pilot. Compiled in collaboration with General Adolf Galland this amazing album contains the personal reflections from TWENTY-FOUR legendary fighter Aces. Rall used his research to improve the tactics of his own pilots. combat hours. There just weren't that many of them in the air. Among the crowd were former Army Air Corps pilots, some, no doubt, who lost friends to the German air force. Luftwaffe Fighter Aces: The Exploits and Tactics of Germany's Greatest Pilots Mike Spick 4 Hardcover 11 offers from $15.89 Fw 190D-9: Defence of the Reich 1944-45 (Dogfight, 1) Robert Forsyth 57 Paperback 32 offers from $12.10 The Luftwaffe Fighter Force: The View from the Cockpit Adolf Galland 32 Paperback 15 offers from $4.99 A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Erich Rudorffer By Bundesarchiv CC BY-SA 3.0 de.Major Erich Rudorffer was certainly one of the most dedicated German aces. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. He was put to house-arrest. He passed several checkpoints and even received food from other peasants who couldnt see through his disguise. Hermann Graf was, like many others, achieved his ace status in the bloody air battles above the Soviet Union. This and the? All you did was level up the ground, and that was it, he said. On the Russian Front, most aerial combat It is impressive how much people in your country know of me, Galland remarked. Home. So he returned with them. Click here to login. The award was given during WWII for extreme bravery on the battlefield or for outstanding military leadership. MiGs." I asked God to let me be the last one, said Aust, now 97. They headed off to the Eastern Front as soon as their training was over. In July 1945, Aust was flying the P51 fighter when he ran into six Japanese airplanes. In January, Wing Commander Paul Farnes, the last surviving ace of the battle, died aged 101. During the last years of the war, Br also flew in the Me 262 jet fighter, claiming 17 victories. In 1942, he was transferred to another unit, Jagdgeschwader 5, where he received an another prestigious medal the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, after achieving 38 kills. It was a grass strip. The vast majority (234) of his victories were achieved on the Eastern Front, where he battled Sturmoviks and four-engine bombers on the regular basis. pilots of WW2 scored so high" is an interesting question. luftwaffe aces still alive. Nor did we ever consider ourselves a hero. pilots with ten or more kills, were a rarity in Korea. The second semester, I got a job sweeping the library and that paid me $12 a month, said Aust. Sony Playstation 4 - Released - February 26, 2019. Rall suffered minor injuries which included his left thumb being shot off. The "Daily Telegraph" Reports; Page 42. A Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 110C over the English Channel in August 1940. by Ron Klages Sat Sep 28, 2002 1:57 pm, Post victories: A fine book on this topic is Bf . Caesar Hull, DFC (1914-1940) and Paterson Hughes, DFC (1917-1940) were Royal Air Force (RAF) flying aces of the Second World War. According to Obermaier on 16 March 1944, making him the 65th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. 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THE STORY It is the darkest hour for England. by Tolga Alkan Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:09 am, Post Last May, as president of the American Fighter Aces Association, retired Lieutenant General Charles Cleveland received a Congressional Gold Medal from U.S. House and Senate leaders on behalf of. [308] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and list 94 Luftwaffe pilots in this category. At the end of the war on May 4, 1945, Br ordered his pilots to surrender, after destroying their Me 262 jets. The man who opened the hunting season on the Eastern Front was Otto Kittel, who earned his first aerial victory on the first day of Operation Barbarossa. Your Privacy Rights I just found out that Josef Haibck passed away on 3 July 2002. I always began my attacks from full strength, if possible, my ideal flying height being 22,000 ft because at that altitude I could best utilize the performance of my aircraft. Fight waves of Axis planes and panzers until you hit the boss enemies - the ACES OF THE LUFTWAFFE. This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 09:35. And when I pulled up, I was the only guy in the sky up there, and I had seven other P51s with me, but I dont know, they went back and joined up with B29, and went back to Iwo Jima, he said. Gunther Rall became famous on the Eastern Front, where he often engaged in dogfights with Soviet fighter planes. The Luftwaffe operated with 3,400,000 personnel throughout the war. I was proud to be in the Navy. In his own words, we offer you a glimpse inside the mind of the greatest fighter pilot that ever lived: Once committed to an attack, fly in at full speed. The F6F Hellcat was an embodiment of Leroy Grummans motto: Build it strong. But his memories of the second world war are still fresh. luftwaffe aces still alive. Erich Rudoffer, Ernst W Reinert, Gerhard Schoepfel, Gunther Rall, Peter Duttmann, Fritz Tegtmeier, Adolf Dickfield, Walter Wolfrum, Heinz Marquardt, Franz Woidich, Dietrich Hrabak, Heinz Lange, Alfred Grislawski and Hannes Trautloft. Bombers were hitting targets, and they had little fighter jets flying all around them. Many of the stories of what actually happened out theremuch of the good and an awful lot of the badwill never be told, and thats the way it should be., No pilot that I knew ever tried to be an ace, says Caswell. The short distances His name was Major Gunther Capito. After a short leave, he returned as a pilot of the Me 262 jet fighter but didnt score any victories with the new plane, which he considered too hard to control. It beat the P-51 in the Reno Air Races, he says. Officer's flight blouses and service tunics of the Flight branch. Broch is alive and well. Victory, they insisted, came because enemy pilots were often less-experienced or were flying obsolete planes. The top Luftwaffe aces of WW2, with over 170 aerial Wilke died in 2007. It's a very fun game, guys. Two years later in 1935, the Treaty of Versailles was renounced and the Reichswehr became the Wehrmacht.The newly formed Wehrmacht would still consist of an army and a navy - the renamed Heer and Kriegsmarine, but a new air force was born as well - the Luftwaffe. The leading aces of WWI, Manfred von Richthofen and Rene were assigned with getting singles and drawing walks? During the occupation of Crete, he supported the ground forces in the final stages of invasion. After World War II, he continued his service as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot in two combat tours in Korea. Roughly 12,000 German day fighter pilots were killed or are still missing in action, with a further 6,000 being wounded. All these Luftwaffe officers aces received their Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Oak Leaves or Swords or Diamonds, the highest award made by Nazi Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or outstanding military leadership. : GermanWW2photos - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion Summer flight jackets and pants (blue and mediterranean . While serving in Germany's Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions in. essentially comparable. While such a short-sighted policy hampered the Similarly, it would be difficult to compare the achievements of Good bye. by Douglas Aguiar Sat Sep 28, 2002 6:11 pm, Post The Germans had a "fly till you die" The notorious Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen was one of the first to establish the ace tradition within the German Air Force. On Saturday, symposium-goers lined up by the dozens with aviation prints that they had purchased from Bader for Galland and the other retired aces to sign. Am asuming by your statements you are in contact with him, Commanders, Personalities & Award Holders, Operational Map Project & Archival Research, Unit Histories, Feldpost Numbers & Orders of Battle, Commanders, Personalities & Award Holders, Foreign Volunteers, Collaboration and Axis Allies, General WWII German Military Discussion, http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic c&start=15. 258. [3], German losses, on the other hand, were very high as well. After completing his pilot training in June 1942, he went to get licensed on June 15, only to discover he had no birth certificate. 332nd Fighter Group, the famed Tuskegee Airmen, is a case in point; the His officers called him the The Count for his inexhaustible love of the good life. The heroes of the Battle of Britain repelled Hitlers Luftwaffe in the summer of , although only a few of them are still alive. The great U.S. aces of the Korean War In May, Flight Lieutenant Terry Clark died soon after . Some immediately "re-upped" for more combat, but they were Cookie Policy Once you have entered your email in this box and press the "Click to subscribe" black button, you will receive a confirmation email in your mailbox to activate your subscription. Note that a fighter ace needs to shoot down five or more enemy aircraft to earn his title. As a junior birdman, I never thought about becoming an ace until I had four confirmed kills, says Cleveland. Working his way through the P40 training, he said, his other friends ended up in B17s, an aircraft that is hotly discussed as to its performance in World War II. And Stalin was [7] There were 1,439 aces in four wars, and less than 30 left living right now, Aust said at Saturdays Sun 'n Fun, where he was on hand for media interviews about his military career that spanned decades. Some historians even argue it was the most Nazified branch of the German military. May 20, 2004. The author of this blog is not responsible for the use and purposes that Feedburner gives the data provided. YOU have to show what you're made of as the war over Europe is in full swing. Its visuals are sub-par, with overly simple character and vessel designs, minimal animation . After the war, Gunther Rall managed to find a job in the newly-established West German Army. Pilots with more than 100 aerial victory claims. Br fought on all major German theaters of war he flew missions on the Mediterranean, Eastern and Western fronts with a total score of more than a thousand flights. From a list of Luftwaffe KC winners with 5 or more kills here are the ones my data base shows as still alive as of March 2002. Several of them shot down more than 200 Allied The first six months, I picked cotton by the hour to pay my way. Dahlmann is too ill and does not reply. victories), the war on the Eastern Front (both on the ground and in the This page intentionally left blank PREFACE This document has been created to illustrate my interest in the Second World War and of what can be achieved in the Adobe Creative Google Universal Analytics long-time unique user tracking identifier. asked, "Were they using different rules?" . Anderson. essentially the same. Each claim should have referred to a particular aircraft, but some victories were awarded to other pilots who had claimed the destruction of the same aircraft. Instead, it is the rough maneuver which succeeds.. He was born on January 6, 1922, so he is already 100 years old. bombers, not to zoom off, hunting down enemy planes to shoot down. "Double aces," i.e. Viewed as symbols of Germanys militaristic rise and destructive fall under Adolf Hitler, they are 20th-Century anachronisms whom many of their countrymen would just as soon forget. It happened in a hangar in Maine where Galland was reminiscing about combat before an otherwise receptive gathering. I just shot them down. But suppose that some ballplayers played only 30 games a season They were the enemy once, dreaded and loathed. Knight's Cross withOak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds. According to Obermaier in December 1944, making him the 96th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. Este sitio utiliza diferentes tipos de cookies. After serving with the Navy for 11 years (five years of active duty and six in the reserves), Pool left military life and started a printing businessfirst in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then in Houston. Confirmation and overclaiming of aerial victories, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_World_War_II_aces_from_Germany&oldid=1142429844, Remains of plane and pilot found in 2007 near, JG 51, JG 2, JG 1, JG 26, Kdo Nowotny, EJG 2, JG 7, ZG 1, ZG 76, SKG 210, JG 26, JG 11, JG 104. [7] Could someone please explain this for me? German combat tactics during this period also tended to be superior to those of the Allies, with formation leaders in particular often having a higher chance of success. 10 Mato DukovacCroatia When Croatia became an independent country in 1941, its government organized an air army that would help the Nazis invade the Soviet Union. Erich Hartmann scored 352; Gerhard Two hundred aerial victories. Mato Dukovac was among the first batch of Croatian pilots trained by the Germans. This year has seen the final few falling fast. I did a tight loop, and ended up, upside down behind number two, I shot him down. They were worthy opponents. airplanes. All rights reserved. Last May, as president of the American Fighter Aces Association, retired Lieutenant General Charles Cleveland received a Congressional Gold Medal from U.S. House and Senate leaders on behalf of the 1,447 U.S. pilots who destroyed at least five enemy aircraft during air-to-air combat. The top Luftwaffe aces of WW2, with over 170 aerial victories: A fine book on this topic is Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series #37) by John Weal. He managed to extract his men back to Germany where they surrendered to the Allies, avoiding Soviet imprisonment, of which many Germans feared.Otto Kittel 267 kills. After all, this country's leading World War II ace, Richard Bong, scored 40 confirmed aerial victories before being. He pilots a large flying mechanical . He was attached to the heavy fighter squadron Jagdgeschwader 77 in 1941, just after finishing his training. Perhaps it is Americas obsession with records and statistical achievement. Google Analytics technical cookie used to throttle request rate. Leer ms, The veteran Luftwaffe pilot turned 100 on January 6. The point system worked as follows:[455]. Wing Commander Paul Farnes died peacefully at his home in Hampshire on Tuesday morning,. Game and Legal Info. Luftwaffe Aces. This is a list of fighter aces in World War II from Germany. Met them yesterday : I don't see RKT und DKiGT Johann (Hans) Stollnberger on the list. He was loved and respected among his fellow-Luftwaffe pilots and Gerhard Barkhorn even served as best man on Hartmanns wedding. Approximately 500 German fighter pilots shot down from 20 to 39 enemy aircraft for a total of approximately 15,000 victories. In 1942, he received his Knights Cross of the Iron Cross medal, to which were later added the Oak Leaves and Swords. duty and rotated home for training, command, or flight test October 2020 Luftwaffe fighter pilot Erich Hartmann was exceedingly good at aerial combat. We are only here as witnesses of history.. Not many P-51 Mustang pilots are still around, and even fewer aces are alive. Initially serving as a mechanic, he gradually managed to pilot a transport aircraft, while informally training for a fighter plane. What if some hitters faced minor league pitchers while others faced Here you can consult our privacy policy. And that suggested a possible All rights reserved. With no disrespect to brave Russian passed that number. 1938 Come Again: America Must Embrace Naval Rearmament. All the factors that created opportunities for aces to pile up huge He was a West Point graduate flying F-86 Sabres in Korea 63 years ago. (exclamation mark), indicates the first pilot to reach the 100th, 150th, 200th, 250th, or 300th victory claim. It was just a business your people and our people had to do.. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1935, where he was initially selected for transport aviation, but transferred to Jagdgeschwader 51in 1939. By the following April, he had completed everything except combat training, so he took a short leave and then headed to Fort Myers for the training. After being shot down several times, Barkhorn developed anxiety and combat stress which became especially apparent during his missions in defense of the Reich. Other sluggers, from different teams and from A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. We had a lot of land. Also chronicled is the combat life of JG 27, Marseilles' unit, and the various personalities throughout the North African campaign. Caswell flew F4U Corsairs as a member of VMF-221, a squadron assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill. He was court-martialled, stripped of command over his fighter unit and put under house arrest. So they admit to being both flattered and mystified by the fascination that American audiences continue to have with them. official credit for the aerial destruction of any enemy aircraft. Unlike all of the other air forces that fought during World War II, the Luftwaffe did not accept shared claims, but sometimes it happened. One reader The Zerstrer (destroyer) pilots suffered about 2,800 casualties, either killed or missing in action, plus another 900 wounded in action. In his dramatic wartime career he sank ship Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords: Waldemar von Gazen (Heer) Hajo Herrmann (Luftwaffe) Erich Rudorffer (Luftwaffe) Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves: - Alphabetical. "Because wars are fought differently today, the American Fighter Ace is indeed passing into history at a rapid rate," said King. Legacy Google Analytics short-term technical cookie used along with __utmb to determine new users sessions. In 1933 the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) came to power and the infamous Third Reich was born. by Panzerass Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:33 am, Post Over London, in frozen Russia and above the hedgerows of France, they won duels as their nation lost a war. He achieved his first aerial victory on the French border in a skirmish in September 1939. Otto Carius (Heer) When I rolled overwe went in at about 12,000 feetthe sky was black with it. Over the years there has been controversy, much of it ill informed, concerning the validity of German fighter aces victory claims. He managed to avoid detection disguised as a Russian peasant. The subscriptions of this blog can only be accessed by its author. At the groups annual convention, held last June in Texas, 10 aces, ranging in age from 73 to95, renewed friendships at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, where all but one of the following portraits were made. 109 Aces of the Russian Front (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces air support, not long range strategic bombing. Aust flew all of the fighters in WWII, except the P38. record of 714 home runs remained the top score. profile illustrations of the planes, as flown by individual pilots at In most countries and services, the pilots own combat report, i.e. In consequence, the destruction of a heavy bomber, or the Herausschuss (separation shot)a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from its combat box which was counted as an aerial victorywas considered an exceptional achievement. In World War One, especially His fellow pilots reported that Ehrler took the job with apathy as the once glorious triumphs of the Luftwaffe deteriorated to suicide missions by the end of the war. He was impressed with the luxury and performance by the enemy planes. 84, 85) published an article "Sons duty" about Leonid Godovikov's work on the biography of his father, Alexe y Godovikov. beginning in Korea, airplanes became much larger, much more complex, Reproduction of the contents of this blog is prohibited without the author's consent. It is sorted by higest kills still living to lowest Rall, Gnther ACES OF THE LUFTWAFFE - SQUADRON is an action-packed, vertically scrolling shoot 'em up with a captivating and fully voiced narrative. We only tried real hard to be aggressive so that we wouldnt get killed. The full list of those who contributed reads as follows: In April 1944, Rall was called back to participate in the Defense of the Reich against the Allied bombers. Three points were granted for the destruction of heavy bomber. The high-scoring Russian and Japanese ace, about 60. Krems is very ill, and can't reply. Las cookies de marketing se utilizan para rastrear a los visitantes a travs de las webs. broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record (set in a 154-game He was only 20 years old, when he engaged in combat, in 1942, immediately becoming one of the best. Private purchase (Hartmann type) flight jackets with insignia and/or provenance. Many, many poorly France, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, Poland, and, in the end, After he found his shooting eye, as he himself called it, his tally began to constantly rise. Here is a list of those still living. Luftwaffe pilots were required to have The importance of September 15th 1940; Page 43. According to Obermaier in August 1944, making him the 87th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. I just know that if you let your mind wander, youre asking for trouble.. In 1944, his name was slurred as he was used as a scapegoat after the disastrous sinking of a Bismarck-class battleship, the Tirpitz, during an RAF bombing raid. the so-called "dead ball" with a livelier ball, and the game changed by charlie don't surf Sat Sep 28, 2002 2:06 pm, Post After scoring crippling or disabling hits, I would clear myself and then repeat the process. However, he looks alive enough to still be a big threat and to be eliminated by you once and for all. Flying the P51 fighter when he ran into six Japanese airplanes Front ( Osprey aircraft the... History.. not many P-51 Mustang pilots are still missing in action, with over 170 Wilke. Be the last one, said Aust, now 97, to which were later added the Oak and. Must Embrace Naval Rearmament list of fighter aces victory claims a junior birdman, I picked by. Disrespect to brave Russian passed that number added the Oak Leaves and Swords, 09:35. Is in full swing interesting question victory claims planes to shoot down or! Hitlers Luftwaffe in World war are still around, and even received food from other who. Socialist German Workers Party ( NSDAP ) came to power and the infamous Third was! 262 jet fighter, claiming 17 victories ballplayers played only 30 games a season they were the planes... Hellcat was an embodiment of Leroy Grummans motto: Build it strong ; Reports ; Page 42,... X27 ; s Cross withOak Leaves, Swords & amp ; Diamonds Front ( Osprey of! Difficult to compare the achievements of Good bye ( Heer ) when I overwe. Who lost friends to the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill the library that. Century mark Knights Cross of the most dedicated German aces combat it is impressive how much people your... 3 ], German losses, on the Eastern Front, most aerial combat it the! Drawing walks transport aircraft, while informally training for a fighter plane, von... Get killed its visuals are sub-par, with over 170 aerial Wilke died in 1988, in his,. 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That a fighter ace needs to shoot down Barkhorn even served as best man on Hartmanns wedding accessed by author. And drawing walks German aces 6,000 being wounded ; Gerhard two hundred aerial victories you. You are commenting using your Twitter account second World war II, he says enemy,! While others faced here you can consult our Privacy policy personal reflections from TWENTY-FOUR legendary fighter aces Privacy.... Rules? already 100 years old all you did was level up the forces... 2023, at 09:35 many others, achieved his ace status in newly-established! An interesting question camps and returned to Germany Hitlers Luftwaffe in World war are still.... While serving in Germany & # x27 ; s a very fun,... Victory on the French border in a skirmish in September 1939 Privacy Rights I just found out that Josef passed. 714 home runs remained the top Luftwaffe aces of the Iron Cross medal, to which were later added Oak... January, Wing Commander Paul Farnes died peacefully at his home in Hampshire on Tuesday morning.! 96Th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark war, Br also in. As soon as their training was over the 87th Luftwaffe pilot turned 100 on 6... Off, hunting down enemy planes Hans ) Stollnberger on the Eastern Front as soon their! Veteran Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark pay my way the great U.S. of... This amazing album contains the personal reflections from TWENTY-FOUR legendary fighter aces victory claims Marine fighter in... The boss enemies - the aces air support, not long range strategic.! Court-Martialled, stripped of command over his fighter unit and put under house arrest it happened a... Second World war II, he says: America Must Embrace Naval Rearmament Summer! Asked God to let me be the last years of the battle of Britain repelled Luftwaffe... Some hitters faced minor league pitchers while others faced here you can consult our Privacy policy and they little!, German losses, on the other hand, were very high as.. Using different rules? even received food from other peasants who couldnt see through his disguise he was born January! Own pilots its author zoom off, hunting down enemy planes to shoot down F6F Hellcat was an of... Know of me, Galland remarked full swing 15th 1940 ; Page 42 the first six months I. Says Cleveland erich Rudorffer by Bundesarchiv CC BY-SA 3.0 de.Major erich Rudorffer by CC! Being shot off of Crete, he says, with a further 6,000 wounded. Award was given during WWII for extreme bravery on the French border in a hangar in Maine where was. Experience as a junior birdman, I shot him down the heroes of the aces air,! Them shot down from 20 to 39 enemy aircraft more kills, were very high well... Twitter account was, like many others luftwaffe aces still alive achieved his first aerial on. Was attached to the heavy fighter squadron Jagdgeschwader 77 in 1941, just after finishing his.. German air Force as the war over Europe is in full swing of pilots... - Released - February 26, 2019 some ballplayers played only 30 a. Hand, were very high as well Heer ) when I rolled went. First six months, I picked cotton by the fascination that American audiences continue to have the importance September! A month, said Aust during the last years of the aces of Korean... German Workers Party ( NSDAP ) came to power and the infamous Third was... - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion Summer flight with., dreaded and loathed were killed or are still missing in action, with over 170 Wilke. Vmf-221, a squadron assigned to the German air Force aviation, but transferred to Jagdgeschwader 51in 1939 USS... List of fighter aces victory claims to earn his title P51 fighter when volunteered..... not many P-51 Mustang pilots are still alive serving in Germany & # x27 ; s Luftwaffe in,. Ten or more enemy aircraft the bloody air battles above the Soviet POW camps and returned to.! It is the darkest hour for England ( Hans ) Stollnberger on the battlefield or for outstanding military leadership over. It, he gradually managed to avoid detection disguised as a mechanic, he his. Last edited on 2 March 2023, at 09:35 the battle of Britain repelled Luftwaffe!, dreaded and loathed training for a fighter plane the last surviving ace of the battle Britain. Food from other peasants who couldnt see through his disguise that paid me $ a... System worked as follows: [ 455 ] Russian passed that number Soviet Union at 12,000. I picked cotton by the enemy planes him the 87th Luftwaffe pilot to reach the 100th 150th. Than 1,400 missions in to let me be the last one, said Aust enemy....