Hans Waldmann ( fighter pilot ) Hans Peter Waldmann ( 24 September 1922 – 18 March 1945 ) was a German Luftwaffe ( Air Force ) fighter ace and recipient of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross ( ) , an honour that recognised extreme bravery on the battlefield or outstanding military leadership . Waldmann received the award after he had shot down 85 enemy aircraft . In total , he was credited with 134 aerial victories accumulated in 527 combat missions . Born in Braunschweig , Waldmann volunteered for service in the Luftwaffe of the Third Reich in 1940 . After training at various pilot and fighter - pilot schools , he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 ( JG 52 — 52nd Fighter Wing ) , operating on the Eastern Front , in August 1942 . Here Waldmann fought in the aerial battles over Stalingrad , the Caucasus , the Black Sea , and the Crimea . He was credited with 84 aerial victories before briefly being transferred to the Western Front , where he was credited with one aerial victory . Back on the Eastern Front , Waldmann accumulated further victories , bringing his score to 125 victories by end of May 1944 . He then fought in the skies over France after the Western Allied Invasion of Normandy , claiming seven aerial victories , before converting to the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in late 1944 . Flying the Me 262 , Waldmann shot down two North American P - 51 Mustang s on 22 February 1945 before being killed in a mid - air collision with one of his squadron members on 18 March 1945 near Schwarzenbek , Holstein . Childhood , education and early career . Waldmann was born in Braunschweig in the Free State of Brunswick on 24 September 1922 . He was the second son of Ludwig Waldmann , a bank manager , and his wife Maria . Waldmann had an older brother Paul . In 1928 he attended the " Volksschule " , a primary school , in the Comenius - Street . Over Easter in 1932 he transferred to the humanities - oriented secondary school Wilhelm - Gymnasium . In 1938 , Waldmann applied for a career as an officer in the Luftwaffe for the first time . Travelling to Berlin , he was deemed suitable but at the age of 16 was too young to volunteer for military service . After the outbreak of World War II , while still at school , Waldmann and his fellow students were forced into compulsory labour service ( " Reichsarbeitsdienst " ) . Waldmann was assigned to the Brunswick Mechanical Engineering Institute . Since Waldmann had intended to study aircraft construction after his military service , he was reassigned to the Institute of Aeronautical Metrology and Flight Meteorology at the Braunschweig - Waggum airfield under the leadership of Prof . Dr . Heinrich Koppe . At the end of March 1940 , Waldmann graduated from school with his " Abitur " ( diploma ) . After this he was accepted into the Luftwaffe , two years after his initial application . Commencing in July 1940 , he undertook 12 weeks of basic military training with " Fliegerausbildungsregiment " 72 ( 72nd Flight Training Regiment ) at Fels am Wagram in Austria . Upon completion , Waldmann was transferred to the " Flugzeugführerschule " A / B 72 ( flight school for the pilot license ) at Markersdorf near Sankt Pölten in early October 1940 . Eight days later his training group returned to Fels am Wagram because Markersdorf was overcrowded with other flight courses . Thus flight training started on the improvised airfield without hangars at Fels am Wagram . His first familiarisation flight was on 16 October 1940 , in a Bücker Bü 131 " Jungmann " biplane marked " VTAF " . Waldmann logged his first solo flight on 13 November 1940 at 09 : 17 in a Bü 131 " CGNL " , landing again after six minutes of flight time . His training group returned to Markersdorf in February 1941 . From here , he conducted his first cross - country flights on the Bü 131 " Jungmann " as well as the Focke - Wulf Fw 44 " Stieglitz " . The majority of the cross - country flights were flown on the Gotha Go 145 . From 4 April to 28 April 1941 he made the round trip from Markersdorf to Pocking , Nürnberg , Ettingshausen , Ingolstadt , Zwickau , Hildesheim , Braunschweig , Mannheim , Karlsruhe , Delmenhorst , Halberstadt and Fürth . At Ettingshausen he received instruction in formation flying and aerobatics . By August 1941 Operation Barbarossa , the German invasion of the Soviet Union , had been underway for two months , and after completing his A / B flight training at Markersdorf Waldmann was transferred to the " Jagdfliegerschule " 6 ( 6th Fighter Pilot School ) at Lachen - Speyerdorf near Neustadt an der Weinstraße . He completed the final phase of his fighter pilot training in Gleiwitz , Upper Silesia , from 3 June to 17 August 1942 , before transferring to the front . World War II . Holding the rank of " unteroffizier " , a non - commissioned officer similar in rank to sergeant , on 20 August 1942 Waldmann was tasked with shuttling new Messerschmitt Bf - 109 Gs from a factory at Krakau to units on the Eastern Front . Along with six other newly trained pilots , he reached Lemberg where the group was scheduled for a stop over . Bad weather closed in and Waldmann was the only one to take off before the group was grounded . Getting away at 17 : 55 , he headed for Proskuriv . The next day he continued his journey to Uman , south of Kiev in Ukraine . For the next few days , he was sent back and forth until he finally reached the II . " Gruppe " ( 2nd group ) of Jagdgeschwader 52 ( JG 52 — 52nd Fighter Wing ) at Tusow , operating in the combat area of Stalingrad . On arrival , Waldmann was approached by " Hauptmann " ( Captain ) Johannes Steinhoff and asked whether he would like to fly as his wingman . Waldmann then conducted six familiarisation flights on the " Gustav " , as the Bf - 109G - 2 was referred to , on 30 August 1942 . Flying a Bf - 109 marked with a black " Chevron - 2 " , indicating an aircraft of the " Stab " , he flew his first combat mission on 31 August 1942 in the vicinity of Stalingrad . Steinhoff was impressed by his first performance . At the time , Waldmann was still officially assigned to a transfer squadron , but Steinhoff decided to keep him in his " Stabs " - " Schwarm " , flight of four . Here his comrades nicknamed Waldmann " " Dackel " " , an allusion to his last name . In German , a " " Dackel " " , or Dachshund , is often named Waldi , a hypocoristic form of Waldmann . War against the Soviet Union . On 9 September 1942 Waldmann scored his first aerial victory , and thereafter scored rapidly . After 84 victories on 1 September 1943 , Waldmann was promoted to " Leutnant " ( second lieutenant ) and assigned to Ergänzungs - Jagdgruppe Ost ( Supplementary Fighter Group East ) . Here he was credited with the destruction of a B - 17 Flying Fortress on 5 January 1944 . This victory , his 85th , was actually a separation - shot — a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from his combat box — which counted as an aerial victory . Waldemann had attacked a 28 - aircraft bomber formation and severely damaged the B - 17 . The aerial - victory commission of Luftflotte 3 also credited the Flak - Regiment 45 of 12 . Flak - Brigade with this victory . Following this aerial victory , he received the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 February 1944 . The presentation of the award was announced by the Greater German Radio — the official radio station of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda — on the evening of 20 February 1944 . In late February 1944 Waldmann was sent back to the Crimean peninsula on the Eastern Front , where he took command of 4 . / JG 52 ( 4th Squadron of the 52nd Fighter Wing ) as its " Staffelkapitän " ( squadron leader ) . He continued his success , claiming eight aerial victories in March , and 16 in April of which eight were claimed from 5 – 12 April . On 11 April 1944 he claimed two Yakovlev Yak - 7 s as his 99th and 100th opponents shot down . By 31 May 1944 his score stood at 125 aerial victories . Two " Staffeln " ( squadrons ) of the II . / JG 52 were transferred to Huși at the Prut River on 27 May 1944 . Here Waldmann claimed his final four victories on the Eastern Front before " Gruppenkommandeur " ( group commander ) " Major " Gerhard Barkhorn was ordered to transfer one " Staffel " to the west in Defence of the Reich . Barkhorn selected Waldmann ' s 4th " Staffel " which was officially assigned to the II . / Jagdgeschwader 3 " Udet " ( JG 3 — 3rd Fighter Wing ) , at the time under the command of " Hauptmann " Hans - Ekkehard Bob . Invasion of Normandy . The Invasion of Normandy , which started on the early morning of 6 June 1944 , was in full swing by the time Waldmann ' s " Staffel " arrived in France . The Western Allies were already breaking out of Normandy in what was codenamed Operation Cobra . II . / JG 3 " Udet " ( 2nd Group of the 3rd Fighter Wing ) was stationed at Nogent - le - Roi , roughly southwest of Paris . The Gruppe was tasked with ground support missions . In one of these missions against the Allied invasion forces , Waldmann claimed to have damaged a P - 51 Mustang on 31 July 1944 . He was credited with the destruction of numerous trucks during ground support missions over the period of 2 – 5 August 1944 . Waldmann ' s claimed his first aerial victory in the west , his 126th in total , over a B - 24 Liberator on 6 August 1944 . Waldmann had taken off at 11 : 43 on a free - fighter sweep mission against heavy bombers . His unit spotted a formation of B - 24s after 45 minutes flying time . Waldmann attacked and with his first pass at an altitude of had hit one of the B - 24 between the two starboard engines , which immediately set the bomber on fire . The B - 24 was observed to crash southeast of Méry . His final tally for August was seven Allied planes , including the B - 24 , one Auster on 7 August , and five P - 47 Thunderbolts ( two on 14 August , two on 18 August and one on 19 August ) . Flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 and death . Waldemann learned to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 " Stormbird " , the first operational jet fighter , at Landsberg am Lech and Kaltenkirchen in December 1944 . He was then transferred to 3 . / Jagdgeschwader 7 ( JG 7 — 7th Fighter Wing ) , now flying the " Stormbird " , as its " Staffelführer " ( squadron leader on probation ) . Together with his wingman ‚ " Oberfähnrich " Günter Schrey , Waldmann took off at 11 : 39 on 22 February 1945 from Oranienburg on an offensive counter - air mission against inbound Allied heavy bombers . The Anglo - American attack was codenamed Operation Clarion . About 20 minutes into the flight , roughly west of Berlin , they spotted an American P - 51 Mustang flying at . Closing fast , Waldmann shot down the Mustang at 12 : 02 before proceeding west for Magdeburg . Near Oschersleben they spotted another Mustang at . Waldmann shot it down at 12 : 17 , achieving his 134th and final aerial victory . The Mustang was observed crashing into a forest northeast of the Brocken , the highest peak of the Harz mountain range . On Sunday , 18 March 1945 , the lower cloud ceiling at Kaltenkirchen was less than and most of the time between , while the upper cloud ceiling was at , rendering flight conditions outside the official operational specification for the Me 262 . The jet was not fully cleared for instrument flight , mandating a lower cloud ceiling of more than . " Major " Erich Rudorffer , " Gruppenkommandeur " of the I . / JG 7 , was attending a meeting at the " Luftgaukommando " in Hamburg - Blankensee , when " Oberleutnant " Hans Grünberg , the most senior officer on duty and " Staffelkapitän " of the 1st " Staffel " , received the order from " Major " Richter , the Ia ( operations officer ) , to engage inbound heavy bombers . Grünberg initially argued that weather conditions prohibited a safe takeoff but " Reichsmarschall " Hermann Göring intervened and ordered the jets to engage the enemy . The order resulted in the death of both Waldmann and his wingman Schrey on the following mission . Waldmann was killed following a mid - air collision with " Leutnant " Hans - Dieter Weihs shortly after takeoff , and Schrey was killed in combat with US fighters . Mindful of the direct order of the " Reichsmarschall " , " Oberleutnant " Grünberg ( 1st " Staffel " ) , " Oberleutnant " Fritz Stehle ( 2nd " Staffel " ) and Waldmann ( 3rd " Staffel " ) had decided that each of them would lead a flight of four Me 262s , taking off and flying around for an hour before returning without trying to engage the enemy . Grünberg ' s " Schwarm " took off first followed by Stehle ' s " Schwarm " . Waldmann chose Weihs , as the most experienced pilot trained in instrument flight , to lead the " Schwarm " , while Schrey once again served as Waldmann ' s wingman . Waldmann ' s Me 262 A - 1 " Yellow 3 " ( " Werknummer " 117097 — factory number ) took off at 12 : 24 and Weihs ordered the " Schwarm " to form a close formation , flying wing tip to wing tip . Only three Me 262s took off ; " Flieger " Gerhard Reiher ' s Me 262 had experienced engine failure . Four minutes into the flight , having travelled roughly and flying at less than above the ground , Weihs ' aircraft experienced a heavy blow from below after Waldmann collided with him . His jet in an unrecoverable spin , Weihs bailed out and came down near the Hamburg - Berlin railroad tracks . The airfield at Kaltenkirchen was immediately informed . Waldmann and Schrey were initially believed missing . Waldmann ' s body was recovered the next day near Schwarzenbek , roughly away from the crash site of his Me 262 . Apparently he had managed to bail out but failed to deploy his parachute in time , although the injuries sustained during the crash with Weihs ' aircraft may have already been fatal as the recovery party found Waldmann with his upper forehead smashed . Schrey was also found dead . He had bailed out with his parachute , but his body was found riddled by machine - gun bullets . The fallen airmen were buried with full military honours , including a Me 262 flypast , at the cemetery in Kaltenkirchen . Waldmann ' s successor as " Staffelkapitän " , " Oberleutnant " Walter Wagner , accompanied Waldmann ' s mother from Braunschweig to Kaltenkirchen for the funeral . A number of wreaths were laid on his grave , the largest sent by the " Reichsmarschall " . Waldmann was recommended for the Oak Leaves to the Knight ' s Cross , but the recommendation was either not approved or not finalized before the end of the war . Aerial victory credits . Hans Waldmann was credited with 134 aerial victories , claimed in 527 combat missions , 10 on the Western Front and 124 on the Eastern Front . His tally on the Eastern Front includes five bombers , 86 fighters and 33 Il - 2 Sturmovik ground - attack aircraft . On the Western Front he claimed seven fighters , two four - engined bombers and one observation aircraft . He also flew a number of ground attack missions , destroying 33 various vehicles and eight heavy transports . Awards . Hans Waldmann may have been awarded a posthumous Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . Oberst Nicolaus von Below processed such a request between 20 April 1945 and 2 May 1945 , although no official proof exists .