Franz Schall Franz Schall ( born 1 June 1918 in Graz , Austria – killed in action 10 April 1945 in Parchim ) was a German World War II 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 was a recipient of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross ( ) . The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership - for the fighter pilots , it was a quantifiable measure of skill and combat success . Career . Following the Austrian " Anschluss " in 1938 , Franz volunteered for the " Luftwaffe " and initially served as a gunner in a " FlaK " battery . In 1940 he transferred to the " Jagdwaffe " and started training as a pilot in September 1941 . On completing his flight training in February 1943 , " Leutnant " Schall was transferred to the Eastern Front and assigned to 3 . / 52 : the 3rd " Staffel " ( squadron ) of " Jagdgeschwader 52 " ( JG 52 — 52nd Fighter Wing ) which was at that time based at the city of Kursk . He achieved his first victory , a La - 5 fighter , on 6 May . His victories continued steadily through 1943 , as his " Gruppe " supported the southern attack of the Kursk offensive , then fought in the intense air battles over the Kuban bridgehead on the Black Sea coast . By the end of the year he had 26 victories to his credit . This success carried into 1944 with the retreat across the Ukraine into Romania , with his 40th victory on 19 April , 50th on 17 May and 60th on 4 June . On 11 August , he was appointed the " Staffelkapitän " ( squadron leader ) of 3 . / 52 . Now fighting across southern Poland and based out of Krakow , it led to his most prolific period in the war with a number of multiple victories in a day : three on 12 August ( 74 - 76 ) , three more on the 24th ( 79 - 81 ) , 11 on the 26th ( 83 - 93 ) including six Il - 2 s and a hefty 13 on the last day of August to bring him up to his century ( 97 - 109 ) including eleven Il - 2s . It was not all one - sided however , and during this period he was himself shot down four times , including a forced landing behind enemy lines . At the beginning of September 1944 , with his score at 116 , he was transferred to the new " Kommando Nowotny " , named after its commander , Walter Nowotny , at that time the top fighter pilot in the world with 255 victories . This was a test - unit set up to devise and evaluate combat tactics for the brand new jet fighter - the Messerschmitt Me 262 . Such an advanced machine was plagued with problems and in the first month of test - flying nearly half the unit ' s aircraft were damaged or destroyed in accidents . On 2 October , on only their second operational mission , " StaKa " and " Ritterkreuzträger " Fred Teumer was killed when an engine flamed out as he was trying to land . Ltn Schall was chosen to replace him as commander of 2 " Staffel " . A week later , on 10 October , he was awarded the " Ritterkreuz " with his tally then at 117 victories . On 8 November 1944 , Fighter General Adolf Galland was visiting to question the slow progress with the unit . But only four aircraft were able to take to the air . Although Schall could not get through to the bomber stream , he was able to shoot down a pair of United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) P - 51 Mustang fighter escorts , but then suffered a flameout of both engines . While attempting to glide back to his base at Hesepe , he was intercepted by a P - 51 , probably piloted by 1st Lt . James W . Kenney of the 357th Fighter Group , which badly damaged Schall ' s Me 262 A - 1a ( " Werknummer " 110 404 — factory number ) " White 7 " . Schall managed to bail out just before his aircraft exploded . It was far worse though for the unit " Kommodore " Maj Nowotny who was , in almost identical circumstances , also bounced by Mustangs after another engine flameout . Witnesses saw his burning aircraft plummet straight into the ground just east of their Hesepe airfield , killing Nowotny instantly . Within a fortnight the unit had been disbanded , and absorbed into the newly formed JG 7 , the world ’ s first operational jet - fighter unit , and " Hauptmann " Franz Schall , now with 122 victories , and his unit ( now renamed 10 . / JG 7 ) was based at Oranienburg . He continued to score regularly in the Me 262 , eventually ending with at least 14 confirmed jet victories ( there were probably more victories , but they remain unconfirmed amidst the chaotic records of the last days of the war ) , making him the 3rd highest scorer of jet victories in the war . On 22 March 1945 , he shot down a Yak - 9 , probably the one flown by L . I . Sivko from 812 . IAP , himself one of the first Soviet pilots to shoot down an Me 262 jet fighter . On 10 April 1945 , Schall shot down a P - 51 Mustang for his final victory , but then attempted an emergency landing at Parchim airbase . His aircraft rolled into a bomb crater and exploded , killing him instantly . Reports vary that Franz Schall was credited with either 133 or 137 victories in 550 missions . The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern front , including 61 Il - 2 Stormoviks . All 14 ( or 16 ) of his victories claimed over the Western front were gained flying the Me 262 jet fighter and included six four - engine bombers and 10 P - 51 fighters . At the time of his death he had been nominated for the Oakleaves to the Knight ' s Cross , however this was never awarded .