Eric Hartmann - Every aviation aficionado knows that Hartmann reached the top score ever. Credited with 352 kills, he crash-landed 16 times but was never shot down from direct fire. Hartmann flew the 109 exclusively. He admitted that he was not a master at gunnery, or deflection shots, but he developed a technique that worked for him - simple and impressively effective.
This is a rendering of Hartmann's famous rudder; the original no longer exists. He apparently didn't keep score throughout his career with the Luftwaffe, as no photographic record shows a higher score than that depicted here. This was likely due to the many aircraft losses as well as a desire not to be singled out by enemy fighters while in combat.
This is a rendering of Hartmann's famous rudder; the original no longer exists. He apparently didn't keep score throughout his career with the Luftwaffe, as no photographic record shows a higher score than that depicted here. This was likely due to the many aircraft losses as well as a desire not to be singled out by enemy fighters while in combat.
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