Facts: - death place: santiago de cali , colombia - caption: gerhard thyben - battles: world war ii - death date: 4 september 2006 - allegiance: nazi germany - commands: 7 . / jg 54 - nickname: '' gerd '' - awards: knight leaves 's cross of the iron cross with oak - birth date: 24 february 1922 - unit: jg 3 , jg 54 - name: gerhard thyben - branch: 18px - laterwork: la violencia -lrb- colombian conflict , as instructor -rrb- - image: bundesarchiv bild 183-2007-1218-500 , gerhard thyben.jpg - birth place: kiel - link: luftwaffe - rank: oberleutnant Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of gerhard thyben .
A:
gerhard thyben -lrb- 24 february 1922 -- 4 september 2006 -rrb- 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 .gerhard '' gerd '' thyben flew 385 combat missions and claimed 157 aerial victories .he claimed 152 victories on the eastern front , including 28 il-2 sturmoviks and five victories on the western front .he flew 22 fighter-bomber missions on which he claimed two aircraft and seven trucks destroyed on the ground .