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 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.

Over the English Channel in late October 1940, it was bloody dangerous. 22-year-old Leutnant Gerhard Barkhorn had crashed his Messerschmitt Me-109E in France the month before, but survived. As he came up sputtering cold seawater on this hazy, cloudy Tuesday, his chances of survival seemed less promising.

Jul 18, 2019 · Gerhard Barkhorn was a Luftwaffe pilot during World War II and the second-most successfull flying ace. Gerhard “Gerd” Barkhorn was born on March 20, 1919 in Königsberg, Weimar Republic (now Kaliningrad, Russia). After completing secondary school he completed his compulsory Reich Labor Service before enlisting in the Luftwaffe in 1937.

Gerhard Barkhorn was noted by the command. He was promoted to lieutenant-lieutenant and promoted to the rank of commander of the unit 4./JG52. First awards By the summer of 1942 from a young pilota real air ace was formed.

Sep 17, 2014 · Gerhard “Gerd” Barkhorn was born on March 20, 1919 in Königsberg, Prussia. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and completed his training in 1939. Plunged into World War II, he flew his initial combat missions without shooting down any aircraft.

Oct 13, 2014 · Review: The Forgotten Ace, The Fighter Pilot Gerhard Barkhorn from Luftfahrtverlag-Start Most of us modellers and armchair experten will know of the high scoring ace Gerhard Barkhorn – though many non-modellers may have the familiarity of this multiple ace of many fronts of WWII.

Aug 22, 2017 · Only battle wounds kept Gerhard Barkhorn, history’s second-ranked fighter pilot, from becoming the all-time ace of aces. Bailing out of a stricken fighter over open water is no picnic in the best of circumstances. Over the English …