Career
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership and was bestowed upon him after the destruction of 72 Soviet tanks. On 16 July 1944, his aircraft was hit by Soviet flak over Poland while attacking Soviet armoured formations. The airplane exploded, and he was killed instantly.
At the time of his death, he had recorded 80 tank kills, placing him high on the list of the most successful aerial tank-killers of World World War II and in the history of aerial warfare.
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