Wilhelm Schilling Wilhelm Schilling ( 30 January 1915 – 14 March 2000 ) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II . 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 measure of skill and combat success . He was credited with at least 50 victories in 538 missions . Career . Upon finishing flight training , Wilhelm Schilling joined 3 . / JG 21 as an " Unteroffizier " . He gained his first victory during the Battle of France , shooting down a Hurricane fighter on 12 May 1940 over Brussels . In the ensuing Battle of Britain ( by which time his unit had been renamed 9 . / JG 54 ) he added three more victories : a Spitfire on 12 August 1940 , another on 5 September near Ashford , and a Bristol Blenheim bomber over the North Sea on 8 November . The unit was then transferred to the Balkans and Bucharest , before going to the Eastern Front to prepare for Operation Barbarossa . His first victory of the campaign was on the second day , 23 June 1941 , when he shot down a Russian SB - 2 bomber . III . / JG 54 was based in the north covering the advance to , and siege of , Leningrad . By the end of the year , he had 17 victories . He hadn ' t advanced his score by 14 February 1942 , when he was seriously wounded by Russian ground fire . Returning to the Leningrad Front in March 1942 , he was awarded the " Ehrenpokal " ( Goblet of Honour ) on 1 July and the German Cross in Gold on 4 August . But he was wounded again by anti - aircraft fire , on September 16 , 1942 over Dubrovka in Bf 109 G - 2 " Yellow 3 " after shooting down an Il - 2 bomber . While recovering in hospital at the front he was awarded the " Ritterkreuz " on 10 October for his 46 victories at the time . In February 1943 , III / 54 was withdrawn from the Eastern Front to Defence of the Reich duties , in a misguided attempt to rotate the fighter units between west and east . But for the pilots of III / 54 , used to low - level combats , being thrown in against the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) four - engined bombers at high altitude it was a disaster . In its first two missions the unit lost 15 planes and some of its best pilots . However , they persisted and things gradually improved . Now commissioned as an officer , on 1 August Schilling was promoted to " Oberleutnant " , and a month later he was promoted to " Staffelkapitän " ( Squadron Leader ) of 9 . / JG 54 in September 1943 . On 20 February 1944 , the 8th Air Force started its Big Week against the Reich ' s industry . By now Schilling had added a further four victories , including three four - engined bombers . During the week III / 54 was heavily engaged , suffering considerable losses but inflicting only light damage on the bomber formations . On the first day , February 20 , he was seriously injured over Dehnsen / Alfeld while flying Bf 109 G - 6 " Yellow 1 " ( " Werknummer " 440141 — factory number ) but made a successful forced - landing . After his recovery , he was transferred back to the Eastern Front , as " Staffelkapitän " of 5 . / JG 54 , on 4 May 1944 . With the siege of Leningrad finally lifted , they were now based in Estonia . In June II . / JG 54 was transferred across to Finland as combat support over the Karelian isthmus as the Soviets launched an attack to try and knock Finalnd out of the war . by July , they were back in Estonia with intense air activity , as another Soviet offensive aimed to turn the flanks of Army Group North either end of Lake Peipus . Then , on 22 August , he was finally transferred back to the Reich , as a fighter - instructor in 1 . / ErgJG Ost ( renamed 1 . / ErgJG Nord on 1 September ) . On 15 January 1945 he was made " Staffelkapitän " of the training unit 4 . / EJG 1 , ( renamed 10 . / EJG 1 in April 1945 ) where he served till the war ' s end . Wilhelm Schilling was credited with 50 victories ( plus 13 more unconfirmed ) in 538 missions , 41 of them on the Eastern Front .