Walter Krupinski Walter " Graf Punski " Krupinski ( 11 November 1920 – 7 October 2000 ) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace of World War II and a senior West German air force officer after the war . He was one of the highest - scoring pilots , credited with 197 victories in 1 , 100 sorties . He was called by his fellow pilots Graf Punski ( Count Punski ) due to his Prussian origins . Krupinski was one of the first to fly the Me 262 jet fighter in combat as a member of the famous aces squadron JV 44 led by Adolf Galland . Childhood , education and early career . Krupinski was born on 11 November 1920 , in the town of Domnau in the Province of East Prussia , and grew up in Braunsberg ( Braniewo ) . He was the first son of Friedrich Wilhelm Krupinski , a " Obergerichtsvollzieher " ( bailiff ) , and his wife Auguste , née Helmke . His two younger brothers were Paul and Günther . Paul joined the " Kriegsmarine " and entered the Unterseeboot service , and was killed in action on 11 November 1944 while serving on as an " Oberleutnant zur See " , which was sunk off the Norwegian coast by the British submarine HMS " Venturer " . Krupinski entered the Luftwaffe in September 1939 as an ensign . From November 1939 to October 1940 , Krupinski entered basic air training and , after being assigned as a fighter pilot , the fighter school . Following two weeks of vacation , Krupinski completed his training at " Jagdfliegerschule 5 " ( 5th fighter pilot school ) in Wien - Schwechat to which he was posted on 1 July 1940 . " Jagdfliegerschule 5 " at the time was under the command of the World War I flying ace and recipient of the Pour le Mérite Eduard Ritter von Schleich . One of his course mates was Hans - Joachim Marseille , who had been posted to the " Jagdfliegerschule 5 " in late 1939 but had not yet graduated out of disciplinary reasons . His three room mates at the school were Walter Nowotny , Paul Galland , the brother of Adolf Galland , and Peter Göring , a nephew of the " Reichsmarschall " Hermann Göring . World War II . After completing his flight training at " Jagdfliegerschule 5 " Krupinski was sent to " Ergänzungsjagdgruppe " Merseburg on 1 October 1940 . He then joined his new unit Jagdgeschwader 52 ( JG 52 — 52nd Fighter Wing ) , where he was placed in 6 . " Staffel " in February 1941 . 6 . " Staffel " at the time was under the command of " Staffelkapitän " ( squadron leader ) Rudolf Resch . Resch later gave Krupinski the nickname " " Graf Punski " " ( " Count Punski " ) or sometimes just " " Der Graf " " ( " The Count " ) . The nickname had its origins in a late - night conversation between Krupinski and Resch . His father was a professor of Slavic studies in Dresden . When Krupinski tried to explain his East Prussian origin , Resch informed him that the ending in " - ski " or " - zky " denoted a landowner , or that it indicated a " Freiherr " ( " free lord " ) , and thus the lowest level in the medieval nobal hierarchy in the East . The witty banter which then followed , led at first in his squadron , then in his group and eventually in the entire German fighter force to his nickname which stuck with for the rest of his life . He flew combat missions over England , but did not gain any successes . Krupinski won his first aerial victory in the early stages of the Russian campaign . By December 1941 his tally stood at seven confirmed victories and by August 1942 at 50 , for which he was awarded the German Cross in gold . After another six victories Krupinski was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross . In March 1943 , Krupinski was promoted to " Staffelkapitän " ( squadron leader ) and was given command of 7 . Staffel . At this time Erich Hartmann , who went on to become the highest scoring Ace of the war , served as his wingman . Hartmann adopted Krupinki ' s close - quarters method of attack . The Oak Leaves to the Knight ' s Cross . Krupinski was awarded the Oak Leaves for his Knight ' s Cross for his 174th victory . Both Krupinski and Hartmann were ordered to the " Reichsluftfahrtministerium " ( Ministry of Aviation ) in Berlin for the Oak Leaves presentation . Both arrived in Berlin on 23 March 1944 only to learn that the presentation would be made at the " Führerhauptquartier " ( Führer Headquarter ) . They were instructed to go the Anhalter Bahnhof where they would take an overnight train to the " Führerhauptquartier " . Here they met fellow JG 52 pilots Gerhard Barkhorn , who was to receive the Swords to his Knight ' s Cross , and Johannes Wiese . Also present were Kurt Bühligen , Horst Ademeit , Reinhard Seiler , Hans - Joachim Jabs , Dr . Maximilian Otte , Bernhard Jope and Hansgeorg Bätcher from the bomber force , and the Flak officer Fritz Petersen , all destined to receive the Oak Leaves . Krupinski assumed that they were heading for the Wolf ' s Lair in East Prussia but the train was heading for the " Berghof " in Berchtesgaden . On the train , all of them got drunk on cognac and champagne . Supporting each other and unable to stand , they arrived at Berchtesgaden . Major Nicolaus von Below , Hitler ' s Luftwaffe adjutant , was shocked . After some sobering up , they were still intoxicated . Hartmann took a German officer ' s hat from a stand and put it on , but it was too large . Von Below became upset , told Hartmann it was Hitler ' s and ordered him to put it back . Defence of the Reich . After achieving 177 victories , Krupinski was transferred from the Russian front to Germany , where he was assigned to 1 . Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 . Promoted to the rank of Hauptmann ( captain ) in May 1944 , Krupinski was made commander of II . Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 11 . After the Allied invasion of France in June 1944 , the Gruppe was rushed to Normandy to operate on low - level Army support missions . Krupinski claimed 10 Allied aircraft shot down before he was wounded and burned on 12 August . By September he was transferred as Commanding Officer of III . Gruppe , Jagdgeschwader 26 . In March 1945 , Krupinski was transferred to the aces unit Jagdverband 44 , which flew the Messerschmitt 262 jet , claiming his last two aerial victories of the war on 16 and 26 April 1945 . At 3 : 00 pm on 24 April 1945 , Krupinski was one of four pilots to take off from Munich - Riem to intercept a United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) B - 26 Marauder aircraft formation . Günther Lützow , who failed to return from this mission , led the flight of four . Lützow ' s fate remains unknown to this date . One of the other two pilots was Leutnant Klaus Neumann . After having claimed 197 enemy planes ( 177 Eastern Front , 20 against the Western Allies , in about 1100 missions ) , Krupinski went into American captivity on 5 May 1945 . He was held in US custody at Salzburg , Aibling , Heilbronn , Heidelberg , in England , France , Munich - Oberföhring and Tegernsee before being released on 26 September 1945 . Krupinski had bailed out four times and had been wounded five times . Gehlen Organization . The former General Reinhard Gehlen had offered his services to the Americans in the end of 1945 . Gehlen had served as chief of " Fremde Heere Ost " ( FHO ) , the German Army ' s military intelligence unit on the Eastern Front . The Gehlen Organization was in need for people who were familiar with the air war . Krupinski was hired and helped gather information about the armed forces in the Soviet occupation zone until 1953 . There are many conflicting or missing bits of information about this stage of Krupinski ' s life . He had done little to lift this veil of uncertainty . Bundeswehr . Krupinski entered the " Amt Blank " ( Blank Agency ) , named after Theodor Blank , the forerunner of the German Federal Ministry of Defence on 15 December 1952 . Given the rank of major in 1957 , Krupinski went to lead Jagdbombergeschwader 33 ( FBW33 ) the first postwar German jet fighter wing . In 1966 Krupinski took command of the German forces of the " Luftwaffen - Ausbildungs - Kommando " in Texas with the rank of brigadier general . In July 1969 Krupinski became commander of the 3rd Luftwaffe division . In 1971 he became chief of staff of Second Allied Tactical Air Force . In October 1974 Krupinski was promoted commanding officer of the airfleet . Due to the " Rudel Scandal " he was forced into early retirement on 8 November 1976 holding the rank of Lieutenant - general . Krupinski died in Neunkirchen - Seelscheid in 2000 .