Alfred Grislawski Alfred Grislawski ( 2 November 1919 – 19 September 2003 ) was a German former " 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 . He was credited with 133 victories claimed in over 800 combat missions . He recorded 24 victories over the Western front , including 18 United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) four – engine bombers . Of his 109 claims recorded over the Eastern front , 16 were Il - 2 Sturmoviks . Military career . Alfred Grislawski was born 2 November 1919 at Wanne - Eickel in the Ruhrgebiet , the son of Gustav Grislawski , a coal miner , and his wife Henriette . He was the second of four children , with an older brother , Walter , a younger sister , Herta , and the youngest brother Horst . On leaving school Grislawski worked on a farm in Pomerania . He applied to join the Navy but was rejected in preference to a posting in Naval Aviation . Grislawski began his training at " Fliegerersatzabteilung 16 " at Schleswig . In July 1940 , the graduated Gefreiter Grislawski was posted into III . / Jagdgeschwader 52 ( JG 52 ) , based at Zerbst . He was promoted to " Unteroffizier " in October . The same month III . / JG 52 was ordered to Romania and as the redesignated I . / JG 28 tasked with training Romanian Air Force personnel . In August 1941 , III . / JG 52 was ordered to the Eastern Front and based in Ukraine . Grislawski gained his first victory on 1 September 1941 , when he shot down a Soviet I - 16 . By the end of 1941 , Grislawski had a victory total 11 . At the end of December , III . / JG 52 relocated to the Kharkiv area . In April , 9 . / JG 52 were ordered to the Crimea in support of the Kerch offensive . Grislawski recorded his 20th claim on 30 April , when he shot down a Soviet I - 15bis fighter - bomber . Grislawski was particularly successful during May 1942 claiming 22 victories , and in July Grislawski was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross ( " Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes " ) for 43 victories , and sent on leave on 24 July . In August 1942 " Oberfeldwebel " Grislawski was assigned to 7 . / JG 52 based in the Caucasus . In September , he claimed 16 victories over the Terek bridgehead . On 5 November he shot down four Ilyushin Il - 2 s but was shot down in Bf 109 G - 2 and belly - landing with a few bruises . On 18 January 1943 , Grislawski ' s " Rotte " was intercepted by Soviet I - 16 fighters and Grislawski ’ s Bf 109 was hit , setting on fire . He nursed his aircraft over German lines before baling out , sustaining facial burns . Grislaski was one of the four pilots in the famed Karaya Quartet . On 26 January Grislawski received promotion to " Leutnant " . He recorded his 92nd victory on 3 February 1943 . On 27 April 1943 he recorded his 100th victory . In June 1943 he was wounded by blast from a German land mine near Taman . On his recovery Grislawski transferred to Jagdgruppe Süd ( JGr Süd ) . In August 1943 elements of JGr Süd were redesignated Jagdgeschwader 50 ( JG 50 ) , under the command of Major Hermann Graf and charged with intercepting the high - flying Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquito fighter - bomber and photo - reconnaissance aircraft . Based at Wiesbaden - Erbenheim he shot down his first two United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) four - engine bombers on 17 August . In early October Grislawski was promoted to the rank of " Hauptmann " and given temporary command of JGr . 50 . In November 1943 Grislawski was appointed " Staffelkapitän " of 1 . / JG 1 based at Deelen , flying the Fw - 190 . He was shot down by USAAF bombers over Baske on 24 January 1944 and wounded , bailing out of his Fw 190A - 7 . Grislawski was then posted as " Staffelkapitän " of 8 . / Jagdgeschwader 1 ( JG 1 ) on 13 March 1944 . Operating the new Bf 109 G - 6 / AS especially equipped for high - altitude operations , the unit was tasked with combating the potent USAAF fighter escorts . Hauptmann Grislawski was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ( " Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub " ) on 11 April for 122 victories . Grislawski then led 8 . / JG 1 to France to combat the Allied landings in Normandy . After less than a week the unit was relocated to Germany having been decimated in operations against the beachhead . In July Grislawski was back to France as acting " Gruppenkommandeur " of III . / JG 1 . On 27 July , Grislawski was shot down by Spitfires , baling out safely . At the end of July 1944 Grislawski was transferred to Staffelkapitän of 11 . / JG 53 . He claimed two B - 17 four - engine bombers shot down on 12 September . On 26 September 1944 , Grislawski was credited with a P - 38 twin - engine fighter shot down as his 133rd and last claim . His Bf 109 G - 14 was hit in the engine by a P - 51 flown by Col . Hubert Zemke and caught fire . He baled out but had a very hard landing that cracked two vertebrae in his back and he spent the remainder of the war in a military hospital . By the end of the war Grislawski was at Badgastein in the Austrian Alps . He was able to cross the zone border and return to his hometown of Wanne - Eickel . He declined to join the Bundesluftwaffe because of his wartime injuries . Grislawski died on 19 September 2003 .