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Erich Hartmann

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Aviator

The Resume

    (April 19, 1922-September 20, 1993)
    Born in Weissach, Germany
    Top fighter ace of World War II
    Credited with shooting down 352 aircraft (345 Soviet, 7 American)
    Awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
    Imprisoned by the Soviets for war crimes (1945-55)
    Joined the West German air force (1956-70)

Why he might be annoying:

    Because of his baby-faced appearance, he was nicknamed 'Bubi' ('young boy').
    He and his fellow Eastern front Luftwaffe pilots were able to rack up such huge kill totals because their Soviet opponents were poorly trained and equipped. (Example: For a couple of years, the Soviet planes lacked gunsights and the pilots were expected to draw one on their windscreen.)
    He would hold fire until he was so close to an enemy plane that frequently his own plane was damaged by debris from the kill.
    He had his plane decorated with a black tulip until his combat kills dropped off as Soviets recognized and avoided him. He then went back to having his plane painted like the rest in his unit.
    When he and three other fighter aces were to receive the Iron Cross from Hitler, they got falling-down drunk on the train ride from the front (March, 1944).
    Leaving the ceremony, he accidentally grabbed and put on Hitler's hat until an aide ordered him to put it back.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was an instructor for glider pilots when he was only 14. (Although it probably helped that the flying school where he taught was owned by his mother, one of the first female pilots in Germany.)
    He earned his pilot's license when he was 17.
    He was a master of ambush tactics and estimated that 80% of the pilots he shot down never knew what had hit them.
    He survived 14 crash landings caused by mechanical failures or by his plane being hit be debris from his kill.
    He was never shot down or forced to land by enemy fire.
    The Soviet high command put a price of 10,000 rubles on his head.
    The 'war crimes' charges against him were fabricated to punish him for refusing to join the East German air force.
    The post-Soviet Russian government officially exonerated him and admitted his conviction was unlawful (1997).
    During his imprisonment, his son Erich-Peter was born in 1945 and died at age three without Hartmann ever seeing him.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 75 Votes: 49.33% Annoying