Question: The Blond Knight of Germany is a book dedicated to the most successful fighter ace who flew how many combat missions?
Context: Kurt Welter (25 February 1916 – 7 March 1949) was a German "Luftwaffe" fighter ace and the most successful "Jet Expert" of World War II.  A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.  He claimed a total of 63 aerial victories—that is, 63 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—achieved in 93 combat missions.  He recorded 56 victories at night, including 33 Mosquitos, and scored more aerial victories from a jet fighter aircraft than anyone else in World War II and possibly in aviation history.  However this score is a matter of controversy; research of Royal Air Force losses suggests Welter overclaimed Mosquito victories considerably. Hans Beißwenger (8 November 1916 – 6 March 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II.  A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.  In 500 combat missions, Beißwenger was credited with 152 victories, making him the 34th highest-scoring Luftwaffe fighter pilot of World War II.  He was "ace-in-a-day" twice, shooting down five aircraft on a single day.  He claimed all but one of his victories over the Eastern Front.  He was reported missing in action in March 1943. Werner Baake (1 November 1918 – 15 July 1964) was a German "Luftwaffe" night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.  The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.  Baake claimed 41 nocturnal aerial victories in 195 combat missions.  Baake was the 36th most successful night fighter ace of World War II, and of aerial warfare.  Baake's total surpassed that of all Allied night fighter pilots. Ludwig Franzisket (born 26 June 1917 in Düsseldorf – died 23 November 1988 in Münster) was a German World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace.  A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.  He scored all of his 43 victories against the Western Allies in over 500 combat missions whilst flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109.  He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.  After the war, he became a professor and director of the Westfälisches Museum für Naturkunde. Erich Rudorffer (1 November 1917 – 8 April 2016) was a German "Luftwaffe" fighter ace who was one of a handful who served with the "Luftwaffe" through the whole of World War II.  He was the 7th most successful fighter pilot in the history of air warfare, with 222 victories claimed.  Rudorffer fought in all the major German theaters of war, including the European and Mediterranean Theater of Operations and the Eastern Front.  During the war he flew more than 1000 combat missions, engaging in aerial combat over 300 times.  Rudorffer was shot down by flak and enemy fighters 16 times and had to take to his parachute nine times.  He distinguished himself by shooting down 13 enemy planes in 17 minutes.  His 222 aerial victories included 58 heavily armoured Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft. Joachim Brendel (27 April 1921 – 7 July 1974) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: "Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub" ).  The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.  Brendel was credited with 189 aerial victories—that is, 189 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in 950 all Eastern Front combat missions, among them 162 ground support missions.  A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The Blond Knight of Germany is a book by the American authors Trevor J. Constable and Raymond F. Toliver dedicated to the life and career of the German fighter pilot of World War II, Erich Hartmann.  Originally released in the United States in 1970, it was published in Germany the next year, as Holt Hartmann vom Himmel! . Erich Alfred Hartmann (19 April 1922 – 20 September 1993), nicknamed "Bubi" ("The Kid") by his German comrades and "The Black Devil" by his Soviet adversaries, was a German fighter pilot during World War II and the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare.  He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in aerial combat on 825 separate occasions.  He claimed, and was credited with, shooting down 352 Allied aircraft—345 Soviet and 7 American—while serving with the "Luftwaffe".  During the course of his career, Hartmann was forced to crash-land his fighter 14 times due to damage received from parts of enemy aircraft he had just shot down or mechanical failure.  Hartmann was never shot down or forced to land due to enemy fire. Max-Hellmuth Ostermann (11 December 1917 – 9 August 1942) was a "Luftwaffe" fighter ace during World War II.  A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.  He is credited with 102 enemy aircraft shot down claimed in over 300 combat missions.  The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front with eight claims over the Western Front and one over Belgrade.  Ostermann was of such short height that wooden blocks had to be attached to his rudder pedals for him to engage in tight turning aerial combat. Wilhelm Crinius (2 December 1920 – 26 April 1997) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II.  A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.  Crinius is credited with 114 aerial victories claimed in approximately 400 combat missions.  He recorded 100 victories over the Eastern Front.  Of his 14 victories claimed over the Western Front, one was a four-engined bomber.  On 23 September 1942, Crinius became the only German fighter pilot to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ("Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes") and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ("Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub") simultaneously.
Answer: 1,404