Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn (20 March 1919 – 11 January 1983) was a German military aviator who was a renowned wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was the second most successful fighter pilot of all time after fellow pilot Erich Hartmann. Other than Hartmann, Barkhorn is the only fighter ace to ever exceed 300 claimed victories.[1] Following World War II, he became a high-ranking officer in the German Air Force of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Born in the Weimar Republic in 1919, Barkhorn joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and completed his training in 1939. Barkhorn flew his first combat missions during the "Phoney War" and then the Battle of Britain without shooting down any aircraft. Flying with Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing), he claimed his first victory in July 1941 and his total rose steadily against Soviet Air Forces. In March 1942, Barkhorn was appointed squadron leader of 4. Staffel (4th squadron) of JG 52 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in August 1942. He was given command of II. Gruppe (2nd group) of JG 52 in September 1943. Barkhorn was awarded the second highest decoration in the Wehrmacht when he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords for 250 aerial victories.
Barkhorn flew 1,104 combat sorties and was credited with 301 victories on the Eastern Front piloting the Messerschmitt Bf 109. In January 1945, he left JG 52 on the Eastern Front and joined Jagdgeschwader 6 (JG 6—6th Fighter Wing) as Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander), defending Germany from Western Allied air attack. In April 1945, he joined Galland's Jagdverband 44 (JV 44—44th Fighter Detachment) and surrendered to the Western Allies in May 1945 and was released later that year. After the war, Barkhorn joined the German Air Force of the Bundeswehr, serving until 1975. On 6 January 1983, Barkhorn was involved in a car crash with his wife Christl. She died instantly and Barkhorn died five days later on 11 January.
Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn (20 March 1919 – 11 January 1983) was a German military aviator who was a renowned wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World...
1944, Hartmann, GerhardBarkhorn, Walter Krupinski and Johannes Wiese were summoned to Adolf Hitler's Berghof in Berchtesgaden. Barkhorn was to be honoured...
of the top three scoring flying aces of all time, Erich Hartmann, GerhardBarkhorn and Günther Rall. In 1935, the Ministry of Aviation designed an air...
Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn (20 March 1919 – 11 January 1983) was a German military aviator and wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a...
Luftwaffe, Stigler became an instructor pilot. One of his students was GerhardBarkhorn, who went on to down over 300 planes in combat. Stigler himself flew...
regent of Denmark GerhardBarkhorn (1919–1983), German World War II flying ace Gerhard Berger (born 1959), Austrian racing driver Gerhard Boldt (1918–1981)...
(2014). Das vergessene As — Der Jagdflieger GerhardBarkhorn [The Forgotten Ace — The Fighter Pilot GerhardBarkhorn] (in German and English). Bad Zwischenahn...
the latest U.S.-supplied hardware. These included Erich Hartmann, GerhardBarkhorn, Günther Rall and Johannes Steinhoff. Steinhoff became commander-in-chief...
dinner for Arthur Harris. In January 1983, he attended the funeral of GerhardBarkhorn and his wife Christl, who had died in a traffic accident. In early...
ever with 300 victories, achieved coincident with Double-ace in a day GerhardBarkhorn Germany Luftwaffe 301 Günther Rall Germany Luftwaffe 275 Otto Kittel...
Oak Leaves and Swords, Bundesluftwaffe general, and 176-victory ace GerhardBarkhorn, holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, and second-highest-scoring...
In consequence, command of 4. Staffel was handed to Oberleutnant GerhardBarkhorn. In Jesau, the Gruppe received many factory new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft...
(second lieutenant) on 1 August 1939. His classmates at Gatow included GerhardBarkhorn and Julius Meimberg. Mayer was selected for specialized fighter pilot...
notability, cause of death (if known), and reference. January 8 – GerhardBarkhorn, German World War II fighter ace (b. 1919) January 11 Ghanshyam Das...
further 24 victories increasing his total to 124. On 2 August, Hauptmann Gerhard Homuth, the commander of I. Gruppe was wounded in combat. In consequence...
Finucane Francesco Baracca Francis Gabreski Saiful Azam Frank Luke GerhardBarkhorn George Beurling George H. W. Bush George W. Bush Georges Guynemer Georges...
Messerschmitt Bf 109 E. At Merseburg, Krupinski met and befriended GerhardBarkhorn and Willi Nemitz. On 1 February 1941, Krupinski was transferred to...
pilots achieved very high scores, such as Erich Hartmann (352 kills) or GerhardBarkhorn (301 kills). There were 107 German pilots with more than 100 kills...
Tariki, Saudi politician and government official (d. 1997) March 20 – GerhardBarkhorn, German World War II fighter ace (d. 1983) March 24 – Lawrence Ferlinghetti...
Yoshiaki Banno 1952 1991 39 years Japanese astronomer and co-discover car GerhardBarkhorn 1919 1983 63 years German World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace car Cologne...
who had temporarily led the Gruppe after its former commander Major GerhardBarkhorn had been transferred. Command of III. Gruppe was then passed on to...
under Hauptmann Erich Woitke, his comrades included the future aces GerhardBarkhorn, Günther Rall and Walter Krupinski. After initial operations during...
and 20 July 1942, 2 December, 28 December 1943 and 16 November 1944, GerhardBarkhorn, Luftwaffe fighter pilot on the Eastern Front, became a six-time ace...
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