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I'm an amateur historian and constantly delve into the records of the past.   Paleontology fascinates me.   So does the history of Mankind and the civilizations that it gave birth too.   I became quite interested in the most recent conflict that directly affects me, and that is WW2.   I became completely captivated by the study of a very small group of men who achieved an astonishing goal.   Each of them shot down 200 or more aircraft.   Only 17 men in history have ever been able to accomplish this and their efforts will never be equaled again.

This study does not endorse a political faction or support any kind of cause.   It is a study in history and the remarkable achievement that a few men attained while struggling under great adversity.   They gave everything they had for their Homeland. Although all of them are German, I have never seen anything that indicates they supported Nazi beliefs.   They were simply soldiers doing their job.

The aircraft depicted here were constructed from historical records.   A few of them are wrong in minor details since I have found new information after building them.   Since I suffer from Essential Tremours I am no longer capable of fixing these flaws, but in those cases where the image is wrong I note what needs to be fixed.   There are a lot more of these to be done, but I will not be able to complete this collection now because of my affliction.

Erich Hartmann
Heartmann is the highest scoring air ace in history at 352 confirmed victories.   He was a terrible pilot in the beginning and wrecked a few aircraft while learning to fly.   What is more remarkable is that he did not attain his first air victory until 1942, so it only took four years for him to attain this unequaled goal while other pilots had been at it as early as 1938.

Erich excelled at leadership.   He never lost a wingman.   When the war collapsed he marched the entire squadron (including wives and children) to the nearest American army unit.   Because of an agreement America had with the Soviets, the entire squadron was promptly turned over to them.   He went into Soviet captivity in 1945.   He was to prove to be just as an outstanding a leader in captivity as he was while serving, and without doubt a lot of men under his command would never have returned home had it not been for Erich.

Erich became engaged to Ursula Paetsch and married her in 1944.   After his incarceration she became quite a bane to the Soviets in tireless efforts at attempting his release.   Their reasoning was that in having shot down 352 of their aircraft, a few of the rounds missed the intended target and subsequently fell to earth killing innocent women and children.   He was branded a war criminal.   It was 1957 before they finally let him go home.   "Usche" waited 12 years to get her man back.   Her logo adorns the sides of several of Erich's aircraft.





GERHARD BARKHORN
Both Heartmann and Barkhorn belong to a very exclusive organization.    There are only two members.    Named "The 300 Club", only Erich and Gerhard ever attained this goal though others were to come close.    He ended the war with 301 victories.    Like Erich, he was a terrible pilot and it wasn't until his 120th sortie that he scored.    He climbed steadily after that though.    He was shot down nine times during the course of the war.    He was more fortunate than Erich in that he was not to fall into Soviet hands at war's end.    He also adorned the side of his aircraft with the name of his girlfriend.





HEINZ BAER

Heinz was a remarkable pilot with a lot of his victories gained on the Western Front.    This was far more difficult than on the Eastern Front where the skill levels of opposing pilots were not as high.    He holds the record of the highest scoring jet air ace in history with 16 victories while flying the ME 262.    His final score was 220, but probably would have been a lot higher if he had not spent so much time in hospitals.    Baer was shot down 18 times.


The FW190 A-5 shown here is essentially correct, but I have a number of problems with the accuracy.    I've never seen an actual photo of the aircraft, and I have seen it depicted in a number of minor variations.    Until I can see an actual photo I'll leave things as they are.


There are no questions as to the accuracy of this high speed intercept ME-262.    I have some very good shots of it.




This is the last known aircraft to have been flown by Bar.   Shortages were so bad he was forced to "borrow" this aircraft from a training school.  It was last photographed in a wrecking yard in a sad state of repair about 1954.   I have good photos of this aircraft too.

HERMANN GRAFF

Graff was the son of a common butcher and excelled in flying skills.    Because of his rapid vicory rate, the Nazi propaganda machine quickly latched on to him.    Graff flew rather flamboyantly marked aircraft and was singled out for attention because of his peasant background and his amazing skills.    By the time he joined Heartmann in Soviet captivity in 1945 he had achieved 212 victories.    He gained early release by converting to Communism while in prison.    This caused his former comrades to shun him for the rest of his life.    Historians question the validy of his victories because of the Nazi propaganda machine, but to date nothing has turned up to refute his score.


ANTON HACKL

I have very little information on this pilot.    In fact what I do have is conflicting.    Either he was killed by friendly flak while attacking a bomber stream over Germany or he was downed by two IL-2 Soviet fighters.    His listed score is 192, but considering how hectic things were towards the end of the war he very likely was over the 200 mark.

This aircraft should have an inner black chevron as in the Bf109 immidiately above.
Heinrich Ehrler

I have so little information on this pilot I'm afraid to post this picture.    Ehrler is recorded as having 209 victories.    How someone can achieve such a goal and yet be so obscure is difficult for me to fathom.



Adolf Galland

Adolf Galland ended the war with 104 victories.    I decided to include him in the collection because he was eventually to become General of Fighter Pilots for the Luftwaffe which removed him from the combat roster.    Had he remained an active fighter pilot, it is very likely he would have achieved the 200 mark.    Adolf was a showman and is the only pilot known to have a cigar lighter installed in his personal aircraft and on at least one occasion used his fighter to ferry lobster and champaign for a Staffel party.



Miniatures

Each piece I build has to have a quality that gives it life and reality.    Painstaking research is put into the accuracy.    Here is a figure of a Luftwaffe fighter pilot as he would have looked like in the Spring of 1941.





A much maligned group of elite soldiers and a German version of the British Commandos.    This is a figure of a Waffen SS machine gunner as he would have looked in the Fall of 1944.