Erich Hartmann
German officer and fighter pilot during World War II (1922-1993) · Germany · Historical Figures · Died at 71
Erich Hartmann is read about 1,761 times a day, in 51 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?The most lethal fighter pilot in history: 352 confirmed kills across 1,404 combat missions on the Eastern Front, never once shot down by enemy fire. The number alone explains the lasting attention - and the decade he spent in Soviet gulags after the war.
Also in Deutsch
Photos 8
.jpg?width=1200)
Erich Hartmann voor zijn Bf 109 (G-6).jpg?width=1200)
American flying aces Hub Zemke and Bud Mahurin meeting German flying aces Erich Hartmann and Walther Krupinski (1963)
BIOH00117 Hartmann
Canadair Sabre Berlin Luftwaffen Museum
Canadair Sabre JA-111 at Wittmundhafen 1989.jpg?width=1200)
EM DSC 2067 (2877679605)
Freiflächenheizung Flughafen Zürich 1972.JPG?width=1200)
Messerschmitt Bf 109G Erich Hartmann, modello (Museo del modellismo storico Voghenza)Awards
About this person
Hartmann was a glider pilot before the war; he joined the Luftwaffe in 1940 and finished fighter training in 1942. Posted to JG 52 on the Eastern Front, he learned under veterans and built his tactics mission by mission. By October 1943 he had 148 kills and Germany's Knight's Cross; by August 1944, 301 victories and the nation's highest decoration. His 352nd came on 8 May 1945, hours before surrender. He gave himself up to American forces, who handed him to the Soviets. They convicted him on war crimes charges - a lever to force him into East Germany's air force - and gave him 25 years. He served 10 in the gulags, released in 1955, cleared posthumously in 1997. He joined West Germany's new Luftwaffe in 1956, commanded a fighter wing, then was pushed out in 1970 for opposing the F-104 on safety grounds. He spent his last years teaching civilians to fly.
In common with Erich
Historical Figures from Germany 3
Fame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.