The 300 Club - Hartmann and Barkhorn

The 300 Club is THE most exclusive club in the world. No amount of networking, smooth-talking, or wealth will get you membership. And did I mention it has only two members? Their names are Erich Alfred Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn - elite fighter pilots with the Luftwaffe during WW2. Click on print image for more details To this day, they are the only fighter pilots in history who BOTH claimed more than 300 victories in aerial combat. Erich Alfred Hartmann Nicknamed ‘Bubi’ (the kid) by the other pilots in his squadron, Hartmann downed over 350 Allied and Soviet aircraft. When later interviewed, he claimed his success was due to his successful ‘stalk and ambush’ technique. He flew over 1,400 missions. And most of his kills were Soviet planes, claimed while stationed on the Eastern Front. No wonder then that his Russian adversaries nicknamed him the ‘Black Devil.’ He added his last aerial victory in May 1945, hours before the Second World War ended. Click on patch image for more details Along with the surviving members of his squadron, JG52, he surrendered to the U.S. Army. They immediately handed him over to the Russian Army to be tried for war crimes. After many years in various Soviet prisons, Hartmann was released in 1955 and returned to Germany. There he continued his military career by joining the new German Air Force, and after several years, retired and became a civilian flight instructor. Hartmann died in September 1993, aged 71. Gerhard Barkhorn He joined the Luftwaffe in 1937, and his first combat mission was over Belgium during the Battle of France. He later took part in the Battle of Britain. He flew the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D and was part of the JG2 ‘Richthofen’ squadron. He later transferred to the JG52 squadron and flew with his friend Hartmann. In 1941 Barkhorn took part in Operation Barbarossa—the invasion of Russia. During combat missions across the Russian Front, he downed over 300 Russian planes. Barkhorn scored his final victory in January 1945. A few days later he was assigned Wing Commander of the JG6 Fighter Wing. This was a unit of mainly rookie pilots, and the squadron suffered heavy losses. It took its toll on Barkhorn, who spent several months in hospital suffering from severe mental and physical stress. In April of 1945 he was well enough to return to flying and was invited by Adolf Galland to join his elite squadron, JV44. Towards the end of April, he was flying a combat mission with the unit when he suffered engine failure. Distracted while trying to keep his Messerschmitt flying, he failed to spot an enemy fighter and was attacked by an American P-51 Mustang. Barkhorn crash-landed but survived. He was taken prisoner by the Allies and remained a prisoner until after the war ended. Following his release in September 1945, Barkhorn returned to Germany, where he continued his military career with the German Air Force until he retired in 1976. This ace pilot—who had survived the trauma and aerial combat of WW2—was killed in 1983 in a road traffic accident.

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The 300 Club - Hartmann and Barkhorn

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