The forgotten ace, the fighter pilot gerhard barkhorn. Barkhorn joined the luftwaffe in 1937 and completed his training in 1939. Bailing out of a stricken fighter over open water is no picnic in the best of circumstances. It became known as the most exclusive club in the history of air combat the three. Jg 52 experten walter krupinski, erich hartmann, gerhard barkhorn and heinz ewald make their way through lipferts memoirs in an epic tale of combat over the caucasus, crimea, hungary, and rumania during the late war years of 19431945. Off cherbourg, france in 1864, two old shipmates squared off in the greatest maritime clash of the civil war. Jun 05, 2015 whilst there has been much written about the luftwaffes other two highest scoring pilots, erich hartmann, 352 victories and gunther rall, 275 victories, there has been relatively little coverage devoted to gerhard barkhorn who, with 301 victories, was the only other member of the exclusive 300 club. A detailed development and service history of the messerschmitt bf 109. Lieutenantgeneral gerhard gerd barkhorn 20 march 1919 8 january 1983, was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow luftwaffe pilot erich hartmann.
German combat pilots of wwii stackpole military history series. Heatonlewis books luftwaffe meeting in 1944 autographed books sold by the authors. Messerschmitt bf 109 paperback pen and sword books. The true aryan barkhorn gerhard who is this man who became during the warthe pride of the luftwaffe, is now known not only in germany, but also beyond its borders. The making of a luftwaffe fighter pilot, by mike spick, greenhill books, london, 2006. Buy gerhard barkhorn by jesse russell, ronald cohn isbn. Jul 22, 2016 gerhard barkhorn was born on 20 march 1919 in konigsberg today kaliningrad in the free state of prussia of the weimar republic. Aviation history magazine, september 2012 don hollway, c.
G erhard barkhorn scored 301 victories, achieved in 1,104 missions. The forgotten ace fighter pilot gerhard barkhorn rzm imports. Erich hartmann with 228 victories at the time, barkhorn would score two more kills that morning for a total of 273, before being shot down, critically wounded, and almost knocked out of the war. Gerhard gerd barkhorn was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow luftwaffe pilot erich hartmann. He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in aerial combat on 825 separate occasions. Whilst there has been much written about the luftwaffes other two highest scoring pilots, erich hartmann, 352 victories and gunther rall, 275 victories, there has been relatively little coverage devoted to gerhard barkhorn who, with 301 victories, was. Ballantines illustrated history of world war ii, weapons book no. He was born on march 20, 1919 in koenigsberg the present kaliningrad, and in those years the large city of east prussia. Jul 06, 2011 gerhard barkhorn secondhighest scoring ace of all time. Han lensi yli 1 100 taistelulentoa ja ampui alas 301 vihollisen lentokonetta.
It also contains color sideviews of every aircraft flown by barkhorn. The best part of the book is the incredible collection of photographs, several in color and some of which were taken by barkhorn himself. Rare autograph letter signed, one full page, feb 23, 1982. Gerhard gerd barkhorn 20 march 1919 8 january 1983 was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow luftwaffe pilot erich hartmann. Only battle wounds kept gerhard barkhorn, with 301 victories historys second ranked fighter. Oct, 2009 the greatest air aces ever erich hartmann duration. The book also contains 15 full page color profiles of all the machines that barkhorn flew as well as claim lists and more information about barkhorn. Ride into combat with such luftwaffe luminaries as ace of aces erich hartmann, gunther rall, gerhard barkhorn and dozens of others. The messerschmitt bf 109page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated to this aircraft. Erich hartmann is the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. This book describes barkhorns wartime experiences with jg 2 on the channel, jg 52, jg 6 and finally jv 44.
The forgotten ace, the fighter pilot gerhard barkhorn from luftfahrtverlagstart most of us modellers and armchair experten will know of the high scoring ace gerhard barkhorn though many nonmodellers may have the familiarity of this multiple ace of many fronts of wwii. Barkhorn joined the luftwaffe in 1937 and completed his training in 1939 barkhorn flew his first combat missions in may 1940, during. His final score of 301 victories made him, after erich hartmann, the secondhighest scoring ace in aviation history legends are proud to offer a selection of limited editions of this print. Gerhard barkhorn secondhighest scoring ace of all time. Gerhard barkhorn was the second highestscoring fighter ace of all time, scoring 301 aerial victories in world war ii. The foundation of this book is a collection of color slides in the estate of a. Stephen koschal, autograph authenticator, quality historical. The print has been professionally mounted in black mountboard, with a great 5x7 wartime photograph reproduction of erich hartmann and gerd barkhorn, to an overall size of 12x16 approx 30x40cm. The next book from the oliver publishing group and adh publishing soldaten. Gerhard was gallands most constant wingman in the early years and was later a fighter leader and 45 victory ace with the knight cross in jg26 the german aces speak is now available as an audio book and will also be released in paperback, along with volume ii in 2018. Many of the new titles you see around i will carry and when i do have the book in stock they will be posted immediately. No post war aircraft but i suppose this would be a minority interest. He was also a recipient of the knights cross of the iron cross with oak leaves. He died, with his wife christl, in an automobile accident on 6 january 1983.
The knights cross of the iron cross and its higher grade oak leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military. He was credited with shooting down 352 allied aircraft350 soviet and two. Born in the weimar republic in 1919, barkhorn joined the luftwaffe in 1937 and completed his training in 1939. We dont know when or if this item will be back in stock. This book describes barkhorns wartime experiences with jg 2 on the. Despite being the secondhighest scoring pilot in aviation history, barkhorn was not awarded the diamonds to his knights cross with oak leaves and swords. On 1 august 1940 leutnant barkhorn was transferred to 6.
Generalleutnant walter krupinksi scored 197 victories earning the oak leaves to the knights cross, and flew with johannes steinhoff, gunther rall, erich hartmann, gerhard barkhorn, dieter hrabak and many others in jg52. Only battle wounds kept gerhard barkhorn, historys secondranked fighter pilot, from becoming the alltime ace of aces. German knight on the russian front, by don hollway only battle wounds kept gerhard barkhorn, with 301 victories historys secondranked fighter pilot, from becoming the alltime ace of aces. The most iconic german aircraft of the second world war, the messerschmitt bf 109 was the luftwaffes principal fighter from 1939 until 1942 when the superior fockewulf fw 190 came into greater prominence. Hartmann is on the left with his commander major gerhard barkhorn on the right. Shortly after dawn on may 31, 1944, near husi, romania, gerhard barkhorn downs the first of two bell p39s he scored that day. Gerhard barkhorn military wiki fandom military wikia. Aug 06, 2016 gerhard gerd barkhorn was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow luftwaffe pilot erich hartmann. In november 1937, he joined the military service in luftwaffe as a cadet. Below is walters letter that he wrote as the endorsement for my admission into graduate school, where my research was oral history. Gerhard barkhorn was the second best nazi luftwaffe ace with 301 victories. This book was created using printondemand technology. The illustrations are complemented by black and white archive photographs, maps. The print has been professionally mounted in black mountboard, with a great 5x7 wartime photograph reproduction of erich hartmann and gerd barkhorn, to an overall.
Gerhard barkhorn was born on 20 may 1919 at konigsberg in east prussia. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Barkhorns career in the postwar bundeswehr is also examined. Fockewulf fw 190d9, 301victory ace gerhard barkhorn, jg. Author, illustrator, historian, musician, reenactor. On this day he received knights cross with oak leaves and swords, later flew me262 jets with galland and krupinski. Major gerhard barkhorn 19181983 the second highest scoring fighter ace in history with 301 victories in 1104 missions battle of france, battle of britain, russia campaign. Men like gerhard barkhorn, hans joachim marseille, werner molders. Schiffer publishing fighter aces of the luftwaffe the most successful fighter pilots of all time spring to vibrant life again in this revised and updated edition of the classic account of germanys greatest aces in action. Franzjosef beerenbrock kco, hansekkehard bobkc, hugo broch. Please note, i do not add new books to my website until i actually have them in stock, as too many times in the past there have been the so called checks in the mail issues with problems from release dates to shipping and so on. Lieutenantgeneral gerhard gerd barkhorn 20 march 1919 8 january 1983 was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow luftwaffe pilot erich hartmann. Signed by the artist nicolas trudgian and the 23 outstanding knights cross holder luftwaffe and panzer aces of the caucasus edition all holders of the knights cross.
Lieutenantgeneral gerhard gerd barkhorn 20 march 1919 8 january 1983 was the second most. Autograph luftwaffe ace gerhard barkhorn knights cross. Yes, most of us had many kills, and nine of us had over 100 victories, and a couple, such as baer, had over 200, and barkhorn had 300. Oberstleutnant wolfgang schenck 192010 ace with over 400 missions including 40 in the me 262.
Barkhorn flew his first combat missions in may 1940, during the battle of france and then the battle of britain without scoring an aerial. Despite the fact that gerhard barkhorn scored a total of 301 victories while flying. Gerhard barkhorn autograph famous celebrity autographs. Interview with world war ii luftwaffe eagle johannes steinhoff. Excerpts from original combat reports enable the reader to feel the drama of the events that happened back then.
Other than hartmann, barkhorn is the only fighter ace to ever exceed 300 claimed victories. The gerhard barkhorn tribute edition limited to 5 copies worldwide. Beginning with his early days flying with jg 2 through his final days with jv 44, this book chronicles nearly every victory in some detail. By don hollway shortly after dawn on may 31, 1944, near husi, romania, gerhard barkhorn downs the first of two bell p39s he scored that day. Fockewulf fw 190d9, 301victory ace gerhard barkhorn, jg 6, 1945 1. A gerhard barkhorn autograph reproduction would be appropriate for a history album.
Fifteen aircraft that were flown by barkhorn are illustrated throughout this book from the first two bf109e s, five bf109 f s, four bf109g6 s, a single bf109g10, a fw190d and a jet powered me262 are captured here by the artist. Barkhorn joined the luftwaffe in 1937 and completed his training in 1939 barkhorn flew his first combat missions in may 1940, during the battle of france and then the battle of britain without scoring a kill. Only battle wounds kept gerhard barkhorn, with 301 victories historys secondranked fighter. The bf 109 served in every theatre of the war, though in this book the author examines the tip and run era, dday and the eastern front. An exact high quality, professional reproduction from an original, authentic german aces erich hartmann and gerhard barkhorn autographs on the decorative paper. He was credited with shooting down 352 allied aircraft345 soviet and seven americanwhile serving with the luftwaffe. Barkhorn is the worlds second top scoring ace credited with 301 victories. Despite the fact that gerhard barkhorn scored a total of 301 victories while flying with. Despite being the second highest scoring pilot in aviation history, barkhorn was not awarded the diamonds to his. Holland is based around oliver publishings usual format of full colour pages and features 5 plates of uniform an insignia details in addition to illustrations of 24 different armoured vehicles.
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