"352 Kills — How Germany’s Erich Hartmann Became History’s" Topic
5 Posts
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Tango01 | 06 Jan 2021 8:46 p.m. PST |
… Deadliest Flying Ace "…We'll begin by crunching some numbers. Between Oct. 14, 1942 and VE Day — a period of 937 days — Hartmann flew an astounding 1,404 combat missions. A full 825 of these flights put him in the company of enemy aircraft. This was possible because Germans like him didn't rotate out after set tours — they stayed at the front until death, injury or the war's conclusion ended their careers. All told, Hartmann scored a kill for every 3.99 missions flown, or one for every 2.34 missions that involved air combat. Remarkably, other pilots posted even higher averages, albeit during much shorter periods…" link Main page link Amicalement Armand
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Editor in Chief Bill | 06 Jan 2021 9:26 p.m. PST |
Courtesy of Military History Now |
Oddball | 07 Jan 2021 7:17 a.m. PST |
If I remember correctly Hartmann said during an interview that he was not a good "dog fighter" pilot. He explained that his standard attack was to come in from behind and above, preferably with sun at his back. Pretty standard perfect line up on a target. Hartmann then said he would make 1 and only 1 pass at the target, at speed and continue his dive for 2,000 feet. He would then use his energy to climb back up above and look for another target. Hartmann said he never turned to engage the target, he said that dog fighting was how pilots got killed. 1 ambush pass and gone was his method and it seemed to work pretty well. Also, the article says he shot down a "handful" of Americans. I was always looking at his victory numbers and though, well, those are Russian numbers, what would he do against US/UK pilots? Again, if I remember correctly, Hartmann shot down either 10 or 12 P-51 Mustangs. A double ace against US pilots shows he was a very good fighter pilot. |
skipper John | 07 Jan 2021 9:06 a.m. PST |
My great uncle said American pilots were not THAT good. He flew 109's. |
Tango01 | 07 Jan 2021 12:36 p.m. PST |
Thanks!. Amicalement Armand |
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