Issue #15, June, 2004 Streng geheim First in, Last out!

 

 

Gerhard Barkhorn

Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
301 victories

filed by Janz

Another First to Last pilot, Gerhard Barkhorn was born on March 19th, 1919 in Konigsberg, East Prussia. He was another pilot who was the beneficiary of a formal, excellent education. Herr Barkhorn was also bilingual, and this skill, combined with his education served him well throughout his military career.

Barkhorn joined the pre-war Luftwaffe in March, 1938. He qualified for posting to a fighter unit in October, 1939. Though he ended the war the second highest scoring pilot in history, his beginning was very ordinary. He flew in the Battle of Britain using the Me-109E with JG2, but he did not score during this epic battle. In fact, he didn't get his first kill until he flew 120 missions!

In August, 1940 he was transferred to II/JG52. His association with JG52 would last until January, 1945. It is of note that another very special pilot also flew in this unit - Hans Joachim Marseille. Barkhorn finally scored his first victory on July 2nd, 1941 on the Eastern Front. This began a scoring tally that would continue until January, 1945. He preferred the Me-109 over the FW-190 and the Me-262. The Me-109F was in his eyes the best of all the Me-109 models built.

"The Me-109F could climb and turn like hell. It was lighter than the other 109's, and was especially good when fitted with the 15mm MK 151 gun. I felt I could do anything with it."

He won the Knights Cross on August 23rd, 1942 as an Oberleutnant with 59 victories.

He won the Oak Leaves to his Knights Cross on January 1st, 1943 as Oberleutnant with 120 victories.

He won the Swords to his Knights Cross on March 2nd, 1944 as a Hauptmann with 250 victories.

He was never a big single mission / day scorer unlike others in the East. His best single mission score was four confirmed, his best single day score was seven. In over 1100 combat missions, he was shot down nine times, bailed out once and was wounded twice. On one mission in May 1944, he was flying escort for the famous Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel. On the way back to base, he was bounced by a Soviet fighter -

"I got a message that there were Russian fighters about, but I was very tired and negligent. I didn't look behind me. I had 273 victories at the time, and I remember thinking about getting 275, and perhaps later 300. The next victory was me!"

He spent four months in the hospital paying for this mistake, and Hartmann took over the scoring lead permanently.

Barkhorn enjoyed a universal respect from his contemporaries, and he had the respect of the best pilots in the Luftwaffe. Said Johannes Steinhoff -

"Gerd Barkhorn is my choice of all the fighter pilots in World War Two. He was the best, or among the best, and extremely reliable. Whenever he made a claim for victory there was no doubt about it. I never knew of a single claim of Barkhorn's that was not confirmed."

Gerhard Barkhorn was Erich Hartmann's commanding officer in JG52, and was also the best man at Hartmann's wedding. They had an excellent relationship which was maintained after the war when they were both in the post-war Bundesluftwaffe. Said Hartmann about Barkhorn -

"Gerd Barkhorn could really enjoy it if someone else was successful. Few men were like this. When I overtook him, he congratulated me with all his heart. He was a man and a leader who really could take his men into hell itself. Everybody would be proud to kill themselves for this leader. He was the fighter commander of whom every fighter pilot dreams - leader, friend, comrade, father - the best I ever met."

After he recovered from his injuries, he was transferred to the West to be Kommodore of JG6. However, his scoring days were over. He did not score against the West with JG6, and was later transferred to Galland's " Squadron of Experts " JV44. He was jumped by Mustangs on his second Me-262 mission and during the crash landing the canopy - which he slid back before landing to help facilitate his escape - slammed forward on his neck. He ended the war in the hospital.

To get an idea of his overall scoring pace, his first victory was on July 2nd, 1942. His 100th victory was on December 19th, 1942. His 200th victory was on November 30th, 1943. His 250th victory was on February 13th, 1944 and his 300th was on January 5th, 1945.

After the war, he was one of the few high scoring Eastern Front Experten who was not turned over to the Russians for illegal imprisonment. Surrendering to the American's, Barkhorn remained a POW of the British and Americans until his release in September, 1945. He joined the new Bundesluftwaffe in 1956, undergoing jet training in the US, eventually becoming Kommodore of JaboG31 - "Boelcke." He retired as a Generalmajor in 1976.

On January 6th, 1983 on an autobahn near Koln, Germany, Gerhard and his wife Christl were in a serious automobile accident during a winter storm. Christl Barkhorn died at the scene, and Gerhard Barkhorn died two days later on January 8, 1983. They are survived by two daughters.

Erich Hartmann has a few final words about his friend Gerhard Barkhorn -

" He was too honest for the new German Air Force, but remains one of the few commanders whose men thirty, forty, fifty years later, continue to speak of him with respect and affection. Gerd Barkhorn was an unforgettable man."

 

All material © 2004 KGW Newsletter unless otherwise noted. Cartoons by Willy Tee and Mugin. Templates by Auton. Background and header images by Vrichter.

Editor-in-Chief: thames. Complaints, praise or contributions can be addressed to thames@nameplanet.com.