Career
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Hoffmann was credited with 130 aerial victories—that is, 130 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. Unteroffizier Hoffmann was transferred to the 4.
(JG 52) in June 1942 on the Eastern Front.
He was wounded on 25 September 1943 and claimed his 100th aerial victory on 16 March 1944 over the Crimea. He was transferred to the Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe West at the end of April 1944 as a fighter pilot instructor and promoted to Leutnant.
He was put in command of the 4./Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 1 (EJG 1). He claimed 4 aerial victories in March 1945 at the Oder front with this Staffel and was made Staffelkapitän of the 11./JG 52.
He shuttled an aircraft to Breslau on 11 April 1945.
On this flight he crashed and was killed. The reasons for this crash remain unanswered. Bibliography.
