Herbert Ihlefeld Herbert Ihlefeld ( 1 June 1914 – 8 August 1995 ) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the " Luftwaffe " from 1936 until the very end of World War II in May 1945 . He was also a recipient of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords . The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership . He claimed 132 enemy aircraft shot down ; 9 in the Spanish Civil War , 67 on the Eastern Front , and 56 on the Western Front , including 15 four - engined bombers and 26 Spitfire s . He survived being shot down 8 times during his 1000 combat missions . World War II . Ihlefeld was born on 1 June 1914 in Pinnow at the time in the Province of Pomerania , a province of the Kingdom of Prussia . In August 1938 , he was assigned to the I ( J ) . / " Lehrgeschwader " 2 ( LG 2 — 2nd Demonstration Wing ) , an operational training unit . He flew in the invasion of Poland , and in the battle of France and Britain . In July 1940 , " Ihle " was now " Staffelkapitän " ( squadron leader ) of 1 . ( J ) / LG 2 , leading it during the Battle of Britain . He was awarded the " Ritterkreuz " during September 1940 , for 24 claimed kills . In April 1941 , the unit was transferred to the Balkans to take part of the invasion of Yugoslavia . During one of his first missions , strafing an airfield near Niš , Ihlefeld was shot down by anti - aircraft fire and captured by Yugoslavian soldiers . While in Yugoslavian captivity , he was allegedly severely beaten , and was threatened with execution by firing squad . Ihlefeld was rescued by German troops after eight days of arrest , and returned to Germany to recover . After a few weeks , " Ihle " returned to participate in the assault on Crete , claiming a Hawker Hurricane shot down for his 36th claim . Soon after , LG 2 was rearmed and remustered as I . / " Jagdgeschwader " 77 ( JG 77 — 77th Fighter Wing ) in time for Operation Barbarossa , the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 , Ihlefeld retaining the command of I . / JG 77 . In the spring of 1942 , a series of multiple victories ( five aircraft on 24 March , seven on 30 March and seven on 20 April ) saw Ihlefeld become the fifth pilot to reach 100 victories . During the period of Ihlefeld ' s leadership , I . / JG 77 was credited with the destruction of 323 enemy planes while losing only 17 Messerschmitt Bf 109 s . In June 1942 , Ihlefeld became " Geschwaderkommodore " ( Wing Commander ) of the famed " Jagdgeschwader " 52 ( JG 52 — 52nd Fighter Wing ) . On 22 July 1942 , whilst flying over the front in his " Storch " , he was shot down and badly wounded by Soviet fighters , this took him out of the front line until July 1943 , when he joined the newly formed " Jagdgeschwader " 25 as " Geschwaderkommodore " , leading the group ' s high - altitude Bf 109s in ultimately unsuccessful operations against Royal Air Force Mosquito s , and later United States Air Force ( USAAF ) heavy bomber formations in " Reichsverteidigung " missions . In May 1944 , he became " Geschwaderkommodore " of Jagdgeschwader 11 ( JG 11 — 11th Fighter Wing ) , briefly before switching to " Geschwaderkommodore " of " Jagdgeschwader " 1 ( JG 1 — 1st Fighter Wing ) , overseeing the period where elements of the " Geschwader " were equipped late in the war with the He 162 " Volksjäger " .