Background
Erich Barkhorn was born on 20 March 1919 in Königsberg.
Erich Barkhorn was born on 20 March 1919 in Königsberg.
His first posting was in Ostend in 1941 where he was attached to Fighter Group 52 as a First Lieutenant. Promoted to Captain and then to Major within two years, Barkhorn was sent to the Russian front where he managed not only to survive the war but also to down more enemy planes than any other pilot except his fellow-countryman, Erich Hartmann - according to the claims made by the Luftwaffe statisticians.