|
|branch= |serviceyears= |rank= |commands=4./JG 52, II./JG 52, JG 6, Jagdbombergeschwader 31 ''Boelcke'' |unit=JG 2, JG 52, JG 6 and JV 44 |battles= |awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |laterwork=}} Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn (20 March 1919 – 8 January 1983) was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow ''Luftwaffe'' pilot Erich Hartmann. Barkhorn joined the ''Luftwaffe'' in 1937 and completed his training in 1939. Barkhorn flew his first combat missions in May 1940, during the Battle of France and then the Battle of Britain without scoring an aerial victory—that is an aerial combat encounter resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. His first victory came in July 1941 and his total rose steadily against Soviet opposition. In March 1944 he was awarded the third highest decoration in the ''Wehrmacht'' when he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (''Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern'') for 250 aerial victories. Despite being the second highest scoring pilot in aviation history, Barkhorn was not awarded the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords after achieving his 300th victory on 5 January 1945. Barkhorn flew 1,104 combat sorties and was credited with 301 victories on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Red Air Force piloting the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9. He flew with the famed ''Jagdgeschwader 52'' (JG 52—Fighter Wing 52), alongside fellow aces Hartmann and Günther Rall, and ''Jagdgeschwader 2'' (JG 2). Less than two weeks later he left JG 52 on the Eastern Front and joined ''Jagdgeschwader 3'' (JG 3), defending Germany from Western Allied air attack. Barkhorn survived the war and was taken prisoner by the Western Allies in May 1945 and released later that year. After the war Barkhorn joined the ''Luftwaffe'' of the ''Bundeswehr'' also called colloquially ''Bundesluftwaffe'', serving until 1976. On 6 January 1983, Barkhorn was involved in a car crash with his wife Christl. She died instantly and Gerhard died two days later on 8 January 1983. ==Early life and career== Barkhorn was born on 20 March 1919 in Königsberg in the Free State of Prussia of the Weimar Republic. Today it is Kaliningrad in Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. He was one of four children of ''Stadtbauoberinspektor'' (urban design inspector) Wilhelm and his wife Therese. Barkhorn had two brothers, Helmut and Dieter, and a sister Meta.〔Stockert 1997, pp. 302, 306.〕 Following four years of ''Volksschule'' (primary school), Barkhorn attended the Wilhelms-Gymnasium, a secondary school, where he graduated with his ''Abitur'' (diploma). After his compulsory ''Reichsarbeitsdienst'' (Reich Labour Service) Barkhorn joined the military service in ''Luftwaffe'' of the Third Reich in November 1937 as a ''Fahnenjunker'' (Cadet). He started his flight training in March 1938.〔〔Flight training in the ''Luftwaffe'' progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations.〕 World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland and Barkhorn was selected for specialized fighter pilot training. Upon completion of his training, he was commissioned as a ''Leutnant'' (Second Lieutenant) and posted to 3. ''Staffel'' (3rd squadron) in Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing).〔 This unit had an old tradition and was named after the World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen. He was flight trained by Franz Stigler,〔(A Higher Call, pg 16 )〕 who would later become a ''Luftwaffe'' ace himself. He was then transferred to the 6. ''Staffel'' (6th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) on 1 August 1940.〔For an explanation of the meaning of ''Luftwaffe'' unit designations, see Luftwaffe Organization.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gerhard Barkhorn」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|