Gerhard Barkhorn Pilot. Date of Birth: 20.05.1919 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Gerhard Barkhorn
2. Early Career
3. Combat Style
4. Later Career and Legacy

Biography of Gerhard Barkhorn

Gerhard Barkhorn, a pilot, was the second highest-scoring flying ace of the Luftwaffe after Erich Hartmann. He conducted over 1100 combat sorties and shot down 301 enemy aircraft on the Eastern Front, as part of the famous 52nd Squadron alongside Hartmann and Rall.

Early Career

Barkhorn's combat debut in the "Battle of Britain" was relatively unsuccessful. He did not shoot down any enemy aircraft, but he himself had to bail out of a burning plane twice, once directly above the English Channel. However, during his 120th sortie on July 2, 1941, Barkhorn achieved his first victory. After that, his success became more consistent. He reached his 100th victory on December 19, and on July 20, 1942, he had his most successful sortie, scoring four aerial victories. However, Barkhorn's effectiveness slightly declined, and he reached the 200th mark only on November 30, 1943.

Combat Style

Barkhorn was a master of surprise attacks. He preferred attacking from a dive, using the sun as cover, or approaching from below and behind the enemy aircraft. At the same time, he did not avoid classic dogfights, especially when flying his beloved Bf 109F, even if it was equipped with only one 15mm cannon. However, not all Russian pilots succumbed easily to Barkhorn's tactics. In one instance, in 1943, he engaged in a 40-minute dogfight with a stubborn Russian pilot, but neither could achieve any results.

Later Career and Legacy

Barkhorn was cautious in his approach to the enemy, likely influenced by his experiences battling RAF fighters. This caution paid off, as he achieved numerous victories with fewer sorties than many other experts. However, his aircraft was shot down nine times in 1104 combat sorties. In May 1944, after having 273 victories, Barkhorn returned to his airfield and was caught off guard by a Russian fighter attacking from behind. Although Barkhorn managed to escape, he was out of action for four months. After returning to JG 52, he increased his personal victory count to 301 and was then transferred to the Western Front as the commander of the 6th Squadron. However, he did not achieve further success in aerial combat.

Barkhorn later joined JV 44, a unit led by Adolf Galland, where he trained on the Me 262 jet fighters. However, during his second combat sortie, the engine of his aircraft failed, and Barkhorn suffered severe injuries during a forced landing. After the war, Barkhorn resumed flying as part of the new German Air Force. In the mid-1960s, during testing of a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, he crashed his "Kestrel" (predecessor to the "Harrier"). As Barkhorn was being pulled from the wreckage, he weakly uttered, "302nd!"