serviceyears branch death_date allegiance birth_date alt signature commands death_place signature_size battles placeofburial rank image name caption birth_place unit awards nickname article_title
1938 -- 42 18px 30 september 1942 nazi germany 13 december 1919 the shown blond and short and combed back , his nose is in long and straight , and his facial expression is determined semi-profile ; looking to the left of the camera . . he wears a military uniform with head an iron cross displayed at the front of his white and shirt collar . his hair appears blond and short and shoulders combed back , his nose is long and straight , of and his facial expression is determined ; looking to the a left of the camera . the head and shoulders of young a young man , shown in semi-profile . he wears man a military uniform with an iron cross displayed at the , front of his white shirt collar . his hair appears marseille signature.svg '' 3 . / jg 27 '' sidi 28 41 42.87 e abdel rahman , egypt 30 53 26.80 n 150 world war ii heroes reinterred -rrb- cemetery in derna memorial gardens at tobruk -lrb- hauptmann bundesarchiv bild 146-2006-0122 , hans-joachim marseille.jpg hans-joachim marseille hans-joachim marseille berlin , germany '' and '' jg 27 '' lg 2 '' , '' jg 52 '' '' ritterkreuz mit eichenlaub , schwertern und brillanten '' '' jochen '' to his friends star of africa '' to the germans '' hans-joachim marseille

hans-joachim marseille

hans-joachim marseille -lrb- 13 december 1919 -- 30 september 1942 ; -rrb- was a `` luftwaffe '' fighter pilot and flying ace during world war ii .
he is noted for his aerial battles during the north african campaign and his bohemian lifestyle .
one of the most successful fighter pilots , he was nicknamed the `` star of africa '' .
marseille claimed all but seven of his `` official '' 158 victories against the british commonwealth 's desert air force over north africa , flying the messerschmitt bf 109 fighter for his entire combat career .
no other pilot claimed as many western allied aircraft as marseille .
marseille , of french huguenot ancestry , joined the `` luftwaffe '' in 1938 .
at the age of 20 he graduated from one of the `` luftwaffe 's '' fighter pilot schools just in time to participate in the battle of britain , without notable success .
a charming person , he had such a busy night life that sometimes he was too tired to be allowed to fly the next morning .
as a result , he was transferred to another unit , which relocated to north africa in april 1941 .
under the guidance of his new commander , who recognised the latent potential in the young officer , marseille quickly developed his abilities as a fighter pilot .
he reached the zenith of his fighter pilot career on 1 september 1942 , when during the course of three combat sorties he claimed 17 enemy fighters shot down , earning him the `` ritterkreuz mit eichenlaub , schwertern und brillanten '' -lrb- knight 's cross with oak leaves , swords , and diamonds -rrb- .
only 29 days later , marseille was killed in a flying accident , when he was forced to abandon his fighter due to engine failure .
after he exited the smoke-filled cockpit , marseille 's chest struck the vertical stabiliser of his aircraft .
the blow either killed him instantly or incapacitated him so that he was unable to open his parachute .
