Erich Hartmann memoirs. Erich Hartmann: "black devil" of the Luftwaffe

27.11.2021 -

Hartmann, Erich (Hartmann), Luftwaffe fighter pilot, major. According to official statistics, he shot down 352 enemy aircraft, topping the list of German aces in the 2nd World War. Born April 19, 1922 in Weissach. He spent his childhood in China, where his father worked as a doctor. Since 1936, he flew gliders in the aviation club under the guidance of his mother, an athlete pilot. He has been piloting airplanes since the age of 16. From 1940 he was trained in the 10th training regiment of the Luftwaffe near Koenigsberg, then at a flight school in Berlin. He began his combat flying career in August 1942 as part of the 52nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, which fought in the Caucasus. Participated in the Battle of Kursk, was shot down, captured, but managed to escape. In 1944 he was appointed commander of the 53rd air group. He was awarded many orders and medals, including becoming the sixth Luftwaffe pilot to receive the Knight's Cross with oak leaves, swords and diamonds.

During the Second World War, he made 1525 sorties, scoring 352 air victories (of which 345 were over Soviet aircraft) in 825 air battles. For his small stature and youthful appearance, he was nicknamed Bubi - baby.

A pre-war glider pilot, Hartmann joined the Luftwaffe in 1940 and completed pilot training in 1942. Soon he was sent to the 52nd Fighter Squadron (Jagdgeschwader 52) on the eastern front, where he came under the tutelage of experienced Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Under their guidance, Hartman developed his skills and tactics, which eventually earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on 25 August 1944 for his 301st confirmed aerial victory.

Erich Hartmann made his 352nd and last air victory on May 8, 1945. Hartman and the remaining members of JG 52 surrendered to American forces but were handed over to the Red Army. Accused formally of war crimes, but in fact - for the destruction of enemy military equipment in wartime, sentenced to 25 years in strict regime camps, Hartman will spend 10 and a half years in them, until 1955. In 1956, he joined the rebuilt West German Luftwaffe, and became the first squadron commander of JG 71 Richthoffen. In 1970, he left the army, largely due to his rejection of the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter fighter, which was then equipped with the German troops, and constant conflicts with his superiors.

Childhood and youth

Erich Hartmann was born in Weisch, Württemberg and was the older of two brothers. During World War II, his younger brother Alfred also joined the Luftwaffe (he was a Ju 87 gunner during the German campaign in North Africa and spent 4 years in English captivity). Some of the boys' childhood was spent in China, as their father wanted to escape the effects of 1920s German poverty and economic depression. With the help of his cousin, who worked as a consul at the German embassy in China, Erich's father managed to find work there. Upon arrival in the city of Changsha, to no small surprise, he realized that living conditions in China are much better and moved his family there. However, in 1928 they had to return to Germany due to the outbreak of the civil war in China. The local population ceased to trust foreigners, attacks on diplomats began. Eliza Hartmann and her two children hastily left the country, their return journey took place along the Trans-Siberian Railway - this was Erich's first meeting with the USSR.

After some time, the family was reunited in the city of Weil im Schönbuch in southwestern Germany. From this moment, Hartmann begins to be interested in aviation. He joins a glider training program organized by the resurgent Luftwaffe. Hartman's mother, Eliza, was one of the first female pilots. The family even bought a small light aircraft, but was forced to sell it in 1932 due to poverty following the economic collapse of Germany. After the National Socialists came to power, flight schools began to receive support from the new government, and Elisa Hartmann created a new flight school in her city, in which the fourteen-year-old Erich received a pilot's license, and at the age of fifteen he became an instructor in one of the glider groups Hitler Youth.

After studying at a secondary school (April 1928 - April 1932), a gymnasium (April 1932 - April 1936) and at the National Institute for Political Education in Rottweil (April 1936 - April 1937), he entered the gymnasium in Korntal, where in October 1939 he met girl Ursula, who soon became his wife.

Luftwaffe

During training, Erich showed himself to be an outstanding sniper and a diligent student (although he had little interest in military drill), and by the end of training, he was fluent in his fighter. On August 24, 1942, while still in the higher aerial shooting courses at Gleiwitz, he flew to Zerbst and demonstrated over the airfield some of the tricks of Lieutenant Hogagen, a former German aerobatic champion. After performing some aerobatics over the Gleiwitz airfield, the authorities put the pilot under a week of house arrest, which may have saved his life - the pilot who flew instead of him the next day crashed.

In October 1942, having completed his training in the reserve fighter group "Vostok", he was assigned to the North Caucasus in the 52nd fighter squadron on the Eastern Front. After arriving at the Luftwaffe supply base in Krakow, Erich Hartmann and three other pilots had to fly to their squadron in a completely unfamiliar Stuka. This ignorance turned into a local pogrom and two broken attack aircraft, the pilots were sent to JG 52 on a transport plane. The battles on the Eastern Front were fought at least 750 miles below Soviet territory, and Hartmann would have to fight aerial battles in these unknown places. The JG 52 squadron had already earned great fame in Germany, flying many of the best aces of the Luftwaffe, which Hartmann was able to verify immediately after arrival - Walter Krupinski barely got out of the burning fighter that landed. Walter Krupinski (197 downed aircraft, 16th in the world) became his first commander and mentor. Among others was Oberfeldwebel Paul Rossmann, who preferred not to engage in an "air carousel", but to attack from an ambush, carefully studied, this tactic would bring Erich Hartmann first place in the informal competition of the best aces in the world and 352 air victories. When Krupinski became the new squadron commander, Erich became his wingman. Since the 20-year-old recruit, who looked much younger than his years, Krupinski constantly called "Bubi" (boy, baby), this nickname was firmly attached to him.

Hartmann shot down his first plane on November 5, 1942 (IL-2 from the 7th GShAP), but over the next three months he managed to shoot down only one plane. Hartmann gradually improved his flying skills, emphasizing the effectiveness of the first attack. Over time, the experience paid off: during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, he shot down 7 aircraft in one day, in August 1943 there were 49 on his account, and in September he added 24 more downed aircraft to his personal account.

Walter Krupinski and Erich Hartmann (right)

By the end of the summer of 1943, Erich Hartmann already had 90 victories, but on August 19, when another IL was attacked, his plane was damaged, and he made an emergency landing behind the front line. Squadron commander Dietrich Hrabak ordered Hartmann's unit to support Stuck's dive bombers from the second squadron of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 attack aircraft, led by the famous attack aviation ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel, but the situation suddenly changed, and the German pilots had to face a mass of Yak-9 and La-5 fighters. Hartmann managed to shoot down 2 aircraft before fragments damaged his Bf-109. Having landed with difficulty (behind the front line), Hartmann, having fussed with his plane for some time, saw the approaching Russian soldiers. Realizing that resistance was useless and there was no way to escape, he pretended to be wounded. His acting skills convinced the soldiers, and he was put on a stretcher and sent to headquarters by truck. Patiently waiting, Hartmann seized the moment by using a Stuck attack that distracted the soldiers, he hit the only guard hard, jumped out of the truck and ran towards a large field of huge sunflowers, eluding the bullets flying in pursuit. At the same time, the whole story related to the details of Hartmann's rescue from Russian soldiers is known exclusively from his words and does not have any reliable confirmation. After waiting for the night to come, he followed the patrol going west and returned to the unit, crossing the front line. Already approaching his own, Erich tried to shoot the nervous sentry, who did not believe that he was really a downed pilot, but the bullet miraculously missed the target, tearing his leg.

Four III./JG52 pilots on the Eastern Front in late 1942

From left to right: Oberfeldwebel Hans Dammers, Oberfeldwebel Edmund Rossmann, Oberfeldwebel Alfred Grislawski and Lieutenant Erich Hartmann

On October 29, 1943, Lieutenant Hartmann was awarded the Knight's Cross, having 148 aircraft shot down, on December 13 he celebrated the 150th air victory, and by the end of 1943 their number had risen to 159. In the first two months of 1944, Hartmann earned another 50 victories, and the rate of getting them was constantly increasing. These results raised doubts in the Supreme Headquarters of the Luftwaffe, his victories were rechecked two or three times, and an observer pilot attached to Hartmann's unit watched his flights. By March 2, 1944, the number of victories reached 202 aircraft. By this time, the call sign Karaya 1 had already become familiar to Soviet pilots, and the command of the Soviet Army set a price of 10,000 rubles for his head.

Erich Hartmann with his mechanic Heinz "Bimmel" Mertens

For some time, Hartmann flew aircraft with the Black Tulip paint element (a multi-beam star painted on the spinner and around the hood).

From left to right: Walter Krupinski, Gerhard Barkhorn, Johannes Wiese and Erich Hartmann

Having achieved the first significant successes, Bubi, in a purely boyish way, applied a frightening coloring to his "Messer" - the nose of the fighter was painted black. Allegedly, therefore, according to British historians, Soviet pilots nicknamed him "The Black Devil of the South." To be honest, it is doubtful that the Russians called the adversary so metaphorically. Soviet sources retained prosaic nicknames - "Black" and "Damn".

Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann in the cockpit of his Bf-109G-6. Russia, August 1944

For "Cherny" they immediately staged a hunt, appointing a bonus of 10 thousand rubles for his head. I had to run away all the time. Having played enough of "cool", Erich returned the plane to its normal appearance. He left only the sign of the 9th squadron - a heart pierced by an arrow, where he entered the name of the bride - Ursula

In the same month, Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn, Walter Krupinski and Johannes Wiese were called to Hitler's headquarters to present awards. Barkhorn was presented with the Swords and Knight's Cross, while Hartmann, Krupinski and Wiese were to be presented with Leaves. During the train ride, the pilots drank heavily and arrived at the residence, barely standing on their feet and supporting each other. Hitler's adjutant from the Luftwaffe, Major Nikolaus von Below, was shocked. After Hartmann came to his senses, he took an officer's cap to try on from the hanger, but greatly upset von Belov, who remarked to him that it was Hitler's cap.

With vast flying experience, Hartmann disregarded the rules of classic dogfighting. On his "Messerschmitt" he flew virtuoso, sometimes flaunting his courage. He described his tactics in the following words: "I saw - I decided - I attacked - I broke away." Hartmann survived 14 crash landings, was shot down twice and bailed out once. When the war ended, his immediate superior, Air Commodore Seidemann, ordered him to fly from Czechoslovakia to the British occupation zone. For the first time, Hartmann did not comply with the order, and joining a group of civilian refugees, he surrendered to the advancing American troops, not suspecting that he would spend the next 10 years in the extremely difficult conditions of a Soviet prisoner of war camp.

In October 1955, Erich Hartmann finally returned to Germany and joined the resurgent Luftwaffe. He mastered jet flights and was appointed the first commander of JG 71 Richthoffen. He objected to equipping the Luftwaffe with American supersonic F-104 Starfighters, considering them too difficult to fly and not effective enough in combat. This led him on September 30, 1970 to a premature farewell to military service, which he left with the rank of colonel of aviation.

Erich Hartmann, blond knight of the Reich.

Childhood and youth

Luftwaffe

Walter Krupinski and Erich Hartmann (right)

Four III./JG52 pilots on the Eastern Front in late 1942

From left to right: Oberfeldwebel Hans Dammers, Oberfeldwebel Edmund Rossmann, Oberfeldwebel Alfred Grislawski and Lieutenant Erich Hartmann

Erich Hartmann with his mechanic Heinz "Bimmel" Mertens

For some time, Hartmann flew aircraft with the Black Tulip paint element (a multi-beam star painted on the spinner and around the hood).

From left to right: Walter Krupinski, Gerhard Barkhorn, Johannes Wiese and Erich Hartmann

Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann in the cockpit of his Bf-109G-6. Russia, August 1944

Current page: 1 (total book has 20 pages)

Toliver Raymond F., Constable Trevor J
Erich Hartmann - blond knight of the Reich

Erich Hartmann

Translator's Preface

Write the truth and only the truth. But not the whole truth.

Moltke Sr.

“In the beginning was the word,” says the Bible. In our case, this is absolutely false. At first there was deathly silence. Read the memoirs of our pilots, the works of "historiographers". No personalities. Abstract Nazi invaders and planes with black crosses on their wings. At best, some indistinct aces of diamonds flicker - and nothing more. Maybe someone is more fortunate than me. Personally, I found only one mention of the name of a German ace in our literature of the Soviet era. Kurzenkov's memoirs speak of sergeant major Müller (92 victories), who was shot down by a young lieutenant Bokiy. All. Next is silence. It seems that Hartmann, Rall, Graf, Mölders and others do not exist.

Then the revelation began. Not a single book about the aces of the enemy has yet been published, but fluff and feathers flew from bourgeois falsifiers. Like any honest Soviet person, I have not read this book, but I unanimously condemn it! "Ac or U-two-s?" "Tagged aces" ... Well, and so on. Some names are worth something. Only in the last couple of years have at least some scraps of information about enemy pilots appeared.

And here is an opposite example - a book written during the same Cold War. But pay attention with what respect, even admiration, the authors speak about Pokryshkin! They consider him an excellent pilot, a brilliant theoretician, and an excellent commander. About which of the German aces have we said at least half of these kind words? By the way, I learned a number of details of Pokryshkin's biography from a book about Hartmann, although his own memoirs, The Sky of War, are now on my desk. And details to be proud of! For example, his perseverance and perseverance, his colossal analytical work. In fact, the authors call Alexander Pokryshkin one of the creators of the theory of air warfare. Why do you have to learn all this from a book about a German ace? Isn't this a shame for our historians!

But this concerns the general approach to the problem. When it comes to some particular issues, doubts remain. The personal account of German aces and pilots of any other countries looks too different. 352 aircraft of Hartmann and 60 aircraft of Kozhedub, the best of the Allied fighter pilots, involuntarily suggest different thoughts.

I will make a reservation right away that what follows will be rather reasoning aloud. I do not claim to be the ultimate truth. Rather, I want to offer the reader "information for thought."

First of all, I want to point out the typical mistakes of Soviet historiographers. But besides them, one often has to deal with examples of forgeries and falsification, alas. Precisely because we are talking about typical examples that can be found more than once, not twice, or even ten, I will not specify where exactly one or another blunder can be found. Every reader has come across them.

1. Erich Hartmann made only 800 sorties.

Hartmann made about 1,400 sorties during the war years. The number 800 is the number of air battles. By the way, it turns out that Hartmann ONE made 2.5 times more sorties than the ENTIRE Normandie-Niemen Squadron put together. This characterizes the intensity of the actions of German pilots on the Eastern Front. The book emphasizes more than once: 3-4 departures per day were the norm. And if Hartmann conducted 6 times more air battles than Kozhedub, then why can't he, respectively, shoot down 6 times more aircraft? By the way, another Knight of the Diamonds, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, made more than 2,500 sorties during the war years.

2. The Germans recorded victories with a photo machine gun.

Witness confirmation was required - pilots who participated in the battle, or ground observers. In this book you will see how the pilots waited a week and more for confirmation of their victories. What, then, to do with the unfortunate pilots of aircraft carrier aviation? What kind of ground observers are there? In general, they did not shoot down a single aircraft during the entire war.

3. The Germans recorded “hits”, not “victories”.

Here we are faced with another variant of unscrupulous multiple translation. German - English - Russian. A conscientious translator can get confused here, but there is room for forgery in general. The expression "claim hit" has nothing to do with the expression "claim victory". The former was used in bomber aircraft, where it was rarely possible to be more specific. Fighter pilots did not use it. They only talked about victories or downed planes.

4. Hartmann has only 150 confirmed victories, the rest are known only from his words.

This, unfortunately, is an example of a direct forgery, because the person had this book at his disposal, but preferred to read it in his own way and throw out everything that he did not like. Hartmann's first flight book has been preserved, in which the FIRST 150 victories are recorded. The second disappeared during his arrest. You never know that they saw her, and filled her squadron headquarters, and not Hartmann. Well, she's not there - that's all! Like the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This means that since December 13, 1943, Erich Hartmann has not shot down a single aircraft. Interesting conclusion, isn't it?

5. German aces simply could not shoot down so many planes in one sortie.

They could very well. Read carefully the description of Hartmann's attacks. First, a blow is struck on a group of cover fighters, then on a group of bombers, and if you're lucky, then on a mopping up group. That is, in one run, 6-10 aircraft alternately fell on his sight. And he didn't kill everyone.

6. You can't destroy our plane with a couple of shots.

Who said they were a couple? Here is a description of the flight from the Crimea. The Germans are taking out technicians and mechanics in the fuselages of their fighters, but at the same time they do not remove wing containers with 30-mm guns. How long will a fighter survive under fire from 3 cannons? At the same time, this shows to what extent they despised our aircraft. After all, it is clear that with 2 containers under the wings, the Me-109 flew a little better than a log.

7. The Germans fired on one plane in turn and each wrote it down on his own account.

Just no comment.

8. The Germans sent elite fighter units to the Eastern Front to seize air supremacy.

Yes, the Germans did not have elite fighter units, except for the Galland JV-44 jet squadron created at the very end of the war. All other squadrons and groups were the most common front-line formations. There are no "Aces of Diamonds" and other nonsense. It’s just that among the Germans, many connections, in addition to the number, also had a proper name. So all these Richthofens, Greifs, Condors, Immelmanns, even Grün Herz are ordinary squadrons. Pay attention to how many brilliant aces served in the ordinary unnamed JG-52.

You can, of course, dig further, but it's too disgusting. I should not be accused of apologising for fascism and praising the enemies of the Soviet Union. Hartmann's account and I doubt it, however, it seems to me that one should not try to deny that he was the best ace of the Second World War.

So who is Erich Hartmann?

After reading this book, it becomes clear that such a pilot as Hartmann, and indeed none of the German aces, in principle, could appear in the Soviet Air Force. So different were the tactical methods of warfare, so different were the views on their duties, that any comparison would be incorrect from the very beginning. Hence, in my opinion, there is such a sharp rejection of their results, as a result of the UNWANTING TO UNDERSTAND AND UNDERSTAND. Well, in addition, everyone knows for sure that the Soviet elephant is the strongest in the world. In part, our historians can be understood. It is always difficult to part with myths, you have to tear them out of your memory with meat and blood.

For example, the first, completely paradoxical conclusion that arises after reading the book. Erich Hartmann did not conduct ALMOST A SINGLE air battle. So dear to the heart of our pilots, he denied the air carousel on principle. Climbing, diving on the target, immediate departure. Shot down - shot down, not shot down - it doesn't matter. The fight is over! If there is a new attack, then only on the same principle. Hartmann himself says that at least 80% of the pilots he shot down were not even aware of the danger. And even more so, no winding over the battlefield in order to "cover your troops." By the way, once Pokryshkin also rebelled against this. “I can't catch bombs with my plane. We will intercept the bombers on the way to the battlefield.” Got it, got it. And then the inventive pilot got a hat. But Hartmann only engaged in hunting. So, it would be more fair to call his 800 fights air clashes, or something.

And also remember that undisguised irritation that shows through in the memoirs of our pilots about the tactics of the German aces. Free hunting! And you can't force a fight on him! Such helplessness, obviously, from the fact that the Yak-3 was the best fighter in the world. The shortcomings of our best fighters were also shown by the authors of the Russian film "Fighters of the Eastern Front", which recently appeared on the screens. A. Yakovlev writes about the maximum ceiling of 3–3.5 km for our fighters in all his books, passing it off as a big plus. But it was only after watching the film that I remembered the constantly flashing line of Hartmann's own memories. "We approached the battle area at an altitude of 5.5-6 km." Here! That is, the Germans, in principle, received the right of the first strike. Right on the ground! This was determined by the characteristics of the aircraft and vicious Soviet tactics. What is the price of such an advantage, it is not difficult to guess.

Hartmann made 14 forced landings. This phrase appears only once in the book. The authors love their hero, so they do not press on this fact, but still do not try to hide it. However, read more closely the descriptions of those cases that were included in this book, for example, the battle with 8 Mustangs. Hartmann ran out of fuel, and what is he? – trying to save the plane? Not at all. He only chooses an opportunity to jump out with a parachute more carefully. He does not even have the thought of saving the plane. So only our pilots returned on the planes that received 150 hits. The rest reasonably believed that life was more precious than a pile of iron. In general, it seems that the Germans treated the fact of a forced landing quite casually. The car broke down, and okay, we'll change it, we'll move on. Remember 5 forced landings in one day by Johannes Wiese. Despite the fact that on the same day he shot down 12 planes!

However, let's just say that Hartmann was not a reckless brave man. During the fighting over Romania, when JG-52 was supposed to cover oil rigs, he showed reasonable cowardice, preferring to deal with fighter escorts, and not with the close formation of "Fortresses", bristling with dozens of machine guns. And it's not that he was a fighter specialist. It's just that once again he soberly assessed where the chance of breaking his neck is higher.

They can stick a heroic surrender under my nose along with civilian refugees. Yes, there was such a fact that later broke his whole life. 10 years of Stalin's camps and a complete collapse later. But even here there is a simpler explanation. It was not courage that prompted Hartmann to do this, but naivety and ignorance. He simply had no idea what “socialist legality” was, and in general, he had the same idea about the morals of the communists as about life on Mars. Most likely, Hartmann believed that he would be beaten up well, kept for a year and kicked out to his homeland. Ha ha ha! He, like any normal person, simply could not imagine the way of thinking and logic of real communists. On the Western Front, everything would have worked out well. But not in the East. And all the subsequent inventions of the authors are nothing more than a desire to pass off need as a virtue.

In general, from the book we see an eccentric, hysterical drinker, alien to any discipline. And the authors should not blame detractors for Hartmann's post-war failure. Even Kammhuber, who clearly favored him, did not dare to give the best ace of the last war general's shoulder straps. Of course, it is impossible to leave the Soviet camps as a normal person, but even during the war years, several excellent pilots did not turn into excellent commanders. For example, the same Otto Kittel. The Germans had many aces, and commanders - Galland, Mölders ... Who else? But Erich had an undoubted talent, though not in any way related to the military sphere. German, Chinese, English, French, Russian - not bad for a boy who has never seriously studied anywhere?

But this book will tell about Erich Hartmann better. Before I started working with her, I thought that Hartmann could have about 150 aircraft on his account. Now I think that he shot down more than 250, the figure of 352 still seems too high. But this is my personal opinion, which I cannot confirm with any facts. And the exact result of Hartmann, apparently, will never be established. The only possible way is to compare the data of Hartmann's flight book with the combat logs of the units that fought against JG-52. I reject Soviet historiography by definition. "An impartial display of facts is in itself biased and unacceptable for a Marxist historian." It is called bourgeois objectivism. And we, however, have a class approach and analysis. After our historians successfully burned more than 3000 out of 90 Ferdinand self-propelled guns, it is quite difficult to believe them.

This book was not written by Marxists, but it should be treated with caution. For example, are all Russians the degenerate-looking Asians, as the authors claim? I have the strongest doubts and statements about the love of the population of the temporarily occupied territories for the Germans. They are especially loved in Khatyn ... Mentions of the mysterious Lagg-5 and Lagg-9 also cause outright bewilderment. I can only assume that we are talking about ordinary La-5s, although there is no complete certainty in this. At the same time, this also shows that Western publishers are no better than our unfortunate book slaps from the era of the wild market. Drive a reprint and do not hesitate. This book first appeared in the 60s, but the passage of time did not affect the quality of the preparation of the text. All errors and omissions have been preserved. However, I hope that the first biography of the best fighter pilot in the world published in our country will be useful to the reader, despite some drawbacks.

A. Patients

Chapter 1
Hero Scale

The world is a constant conspiracy against the bold.

General Douglas MacArthur

Eight years after the end of World War II, exhausted German soldiers in the Degtyarka camp in the Urals had little hope of survival. Buried in the depths of Russia by the vindictive Russian government, deprived of all the rights of a soldier and a man, half forgotten at home, they were completely lost people. Their attitude to life rarely rose above the stoic apathy in ordinary prison reality. However, on an October morning in 1953, a rumor spread about the arrival of a German prisoner, which revived a glimmer of hope.

Major Erich Hartmann had a special spiritual quality that could again ignite the hearts of the humiliated and needy prisoners. This name was repeated in a whisper in the barracks of Degtyarka, his arrival was a significant event. The greatest fighter ace of all time, Erich Hartmann received the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, Germany's highest honor. But this exceptional display of heroism meant little to the prisoners. For them, Hartmann was the hero of other, longer battles that he had fought with the Soviet secret police for many years. He was a symbol of resistance.

His true significance as a person and leader was revealed after his arrival in Degtyarka. All the prisoners of this hard labor camp ran out of the barracks and pressed against the wire as the prison truck, raising a cloud of dust, drove through the gate. When this cloud dissipated, the new arrivals began to go outside under the watchful eye of armed guards. A wiry man of medium height with a shock of straw hair and piercing blue eyes stood in a group of ragged captives, dressed in the same shapeless robe as everyone else.

"It is he! shouted one of the prisoners standing by the barbed wire. It's Hartmann!

The filthy crowd behind the fence burst into cheers. They yelled and waved their arms like fans at a football match. The blond man smiled and also waved at them, causing another fit of delight. The nervous sentries hurried to drive Hartmann and his comrades behind the barbed wire barrier. The armed Russians had also heard of Hartmann. Like the deprived German prisoners in Degtyarka, they knew that a true leader had arrived, one of the most expensive prisoners of the Soviet Union, who at the same time created a lot of problems.

Erich Hartmann was a model of implacable resistance. Several times this brought him to the brink of death when he went on hunger strikes. And last year his resistance culminated in an outright mutiny in Shakhty. Former German soldiers labeled as war criminals were turned into slaves in Russian coal mines. Erich Hartmann refused to work, and this led to a mutiny in the camp, which then inspired all the Germans in Russia.

It was a special kind of story. These are loved by prisoners who cannot escape, whose life energy is depleted by daily resistance to the process of dehumanization. The Russian commandant and guards at Shakhty were crushed by prisoners, and Hartmann was released from solitary confinement by his comrades. He led a movement to improve the impossible conditions of life in the camp. He coolly dissuaded many German prisoners from trying to escape. Instead, Hartmann demanded the arrival of an international commission to survey the slave camp at Shakhty.

The enraged Russians did not dare to kill Hartmann, but they left him alone in another camp in Novocherkassk. Some of his comrades in the rebellion in Shakhty were sent to Degtyarka and brought back the history of this rebellion. The strict regime camp in Degtyarka lived according to harsh laws, but still the prisoners managed to greet Hartmann with shouts.

Located in the Urals near Sverdlovsk, Degtyarka had a special regime block, a prison within a prison, where important German prisoners were kept. There were 12 German generals, representatives of famous German families and "war criminals" like Erich Hartmann. In the eyes of the Russians, this blonde, who was given such a noisy reception by the inhabitants of the special block, was not a soldier doing his duty according to the laws of his country and the general military traditions and codes. His tireless resistance to the Soviet secret police led to his "conviction" as a war criminal by a buffoonish Soviet court.

Erich Hartmann was handed over to the Russians in 1945 by an American tank unit, to which he surrendered along with his group (Gruppe) from the 52nd Luftwaffe fighter squadron. He consistently refused to work for the Russians or cooperate with their East German puppets. His resistance continued for 6 years, despite threats, deceit and attempts at bribery. He even refused an extremely tempting offer to immediately return him to West Germany to his family, if only he would agree to become a Soviet spy. After 6 years, the Soviets realized that Hartmann would never agree to cooperate with them. Then he was put on trial as a war criminal and sentenced to 25 years hard labor. In response, he asked to be shot.

Soviet imprisonment is a long and terrifying test of human character. Literally at every step, the Germans were subjected to soul-corroding humiliations, and many broke down. America today has had its own experience of the nightmares of such imprisonment, with many of its sons similarly turned into "war criminals" by the Asian communists. Even Erich Hartmann, who looked indestructible, had his own strength. Those who spent many years in Soviet prisons unanimously assert that any person has his own limit of endurance in such conditions.

Senior generals in Russia turned out to be no stronger than privates. And when they broke, it was an even more pathetic sight. The officers did not show any superiority over the rank and file in the fight against the NKVD. Age, experience, family tradition, or education—the traditional determinants of character and intelligence—provided almost no protection against moral destruction. Those who endured these sufferings better and for a longer period were people who drew strength from one or two sources.

Religion became a strong personal bastion for people in Russian captivity. A religious person could resist the jailers, regardless of the nature of his faith - conscious belief or blind fanaticism, it did not matter. Those who enjoyed absolute family harmony could also maintain internal integrity, so they unshakably believed that they were waiting for them at home, in the family. These people forged armor from their love. Erich Hartmann belonged to the second group.

His wife Ursula, or Ush as he called her, was a source of spiritual and moral strength when he was in shackles at the Soviets. She was the light of his soul when the black curtain of a Soviet prison hid him from the rest of the world. She never let Erich down, she was always a part of him. Without her, he would not have survived 10 years in Soviet prisons, without her he would not have been reborn to a new life.

By the general admission of his fellow captives, Erich Hartmann was not only the strongest man to fall into the clutches of the Soviets. He belonged to an elite group of true leaders. When Germany lay in ruins, and all military codes were thrown aside, German prisoners recognized only those leaders who themselves had come forward from their midst. They were usually the best of the best.

Ranks and awards did not matter here, just like age and education. There were no tricks or tricks. Traitor generals and magnificent sergeants sat in Russian prisons, unbending privates stood shoulder to shoulder with corrupt officers. However, those leaders who showed themselves were among the best representatives of the German nation in terms of character, willpower and endurance.

Erich Hartmann was barely 23 years old when he fell into the hands of the Russians. And he was at the very top, despite his youth. He was able to withstand all the tests himself and during 10 years of imprisonment in unbearable conditions served as an example of perseverance for his compatriots. Very rarely in ancient history and simply never in modern history can one find such a long attempt to break a hero. Hartmann's behavior in inhumane conditions better confirms his heroism than all his awards.

The origins of Erich Hartmann's power lay beyond the reach of the NKVD. These sources were his family, his upbringing in the spirit of freedom, natural courage, strengthened by the undying love of a beautiful woman - his wife. Erich combined the best features of his parents. His father was a calm, noble man, a worthy example of a European doctor of old times, who was distinguished by sincere concern for his neighbor and practical wisdom, almost completely lost in modern people. His mother, who was alive when this book was written, was in her youth a sensitive extrovert, a cheerful, energetic, enterprising adventurer.

Dr. Hartmann liked to philosophize over a glass of beer, taking a break from the daily worries of his laborious profession. And his restless blonde wife flew airplanes long before German public opinion decided that this occupation was also decent for a woman. The willingness to take risks and a firm awareness of the limits of what is acceptable are the key elements that allowed Erich Hartmann to become the best pilot of all time. And he directly inherited these traits from his parents. Such a happy legacy put an axis on his own outstanding qualities and resulted in an exceptional talent.

His will to overcome obstacles was almost fierce. His directness of thoughts and words dumbfounded the interlocutor, turned the timid and hesitant into unshakable. He was a diehard individualist in an era of mass submission and conformity. He was a fighter pilot to the core, not only in the sense that he became the best ace, but also in relation to life's trials.

Wagging around something was unthinkable for him, even if his life depended on it. He was completely unfit for diplomatic service with his habit of hacking backhand, but he was an excellent sportsman and supporter of fair play. An honest man could not be afraid of him at all. In an era when fair play is considered something incomprehensible and even anachronistic, Erich was ready to lend a hand to a defeated opponent, as the knights of former times did.

In aerial combat as a soldier, he killed many enemy pilots, but in everyday life he was simply not capable of hurting anyone. He was not religious in the formal sense of the word, although he admired and respected the Germans who endured such torments in Russia. His religion was conscience, which was an extension of his warrior heart. As George Bernard Shaw once remarked, “There is a certain type of person who thinks that certain things simply cannot be done, no matter what the cost. Such people can be called religious. Or you can call them gentlemen." Erich Hartmann's code of conduct - his religion, one might say - was that he could not do what he sincerely considered wrong. And he didn't want to do what he thought was wrong.

This way of thinking was a consequence of his black and white perception of the world, which almost did not allow halftones. He believed in the moral principles of the past. Perhaps it was instilled in him by his father. He felt the Truth especially keenly, which earned him the admiration of today's young German pilots. In the Russian camps, his spiritual powers focused on creating the ideal image of his beloved Ush. His belief that everything will be fine at home, the mental pictures that Erich saw, also became a kind of religion. His faith in Ush never wavered and was rewarded a thousandfold.

Was therefore Erich Hartmann a closed egocentrist, focused only on himself and his Ush? Of course not. In fact, he didn't even have to go to a Russian prison. Just before the end of the war, General Scheidemann ordered him to fly from Czechoslovakia to central Germany. He was ordered to surrender to the British. General Scheidemann knew that the Russians would retaliate against their most formidable aerial enemy. The order to fly to safety was the last order Hartmann received from higher headquarters during the war.

The young blond major deliberately refused to obey this order. Thousands of German civilian refugees - women, children and the elderly - accompanied his group. Most of them were somehow connected with his subordinates. For the military, an order is everything, it must be carried out. Instead, Erich did what, in his opinion, dictated the code of honor of an officer and a decent person. He stayed with defenseless refugees. This decision cost him ten years of his life.

Modesty was as much a feature of this man as his blue eyes and blond hair. He did not tell the authors about the order of General Scheidemann for all 12 years of acquaintance that preceded the preparation of this book. They learned about the order from other sources. When asked directly about this, Hartmann only chuckled.

Ruthlessly hard on himself, he could always find in his heart an excuse for a comrade who could not withstand the pressure of the Soviets. Each person has his own strength, someone breaks earlier, someone later, Erich Hartmann thought so. When the psyche of his comrades gave up, unable to withstand such a test as a divorce from their wives who remained in Germany, he tried to restore their spiritual strength. He could speak softly to them or bring them back to reality with a sharp slap. His way of the cross was his own. Other people could follow him only if they themselves voluntarily made the same choice.

When Chancellor Adenauer secured his release from Russian captivity in 1955, there were still many German prisoners in Russia. Many prisoners were released before him, and when he returned to Western

Germany to their relatives, it became a holiday for former prisoners and their families. At the station at Herlechshausen, where he first set foot on free land, he was greeted with noise and joyful excitement. He was informed that an even grander meeting was being planned in Stuttgart, near his hometown of Wel im Schönbuch. The Association of Prisoners of War organized celebrations, the arrival of important people was expected.

The thin and haggard Hartmann was visibly shocked. Then he stunned those meeting with an urgent request not to organize such a reception. He could not take part in such festivities. The newspapermen asked him why he refused to accept the most cordial greetings from the inhabitants of Stuttgart.

“Because the Russian point of view on life is different from ours. They may well decide, having heard of such a festivity, not to release any more German prisoners. I know the Russians well enough to fear such a decision regarding my compatriots who remained in captivity in Russia.

When they ALL return home, then we should celebrate. And now we have no right to calm down until the last German prisoner is repatriated from Russia.”

His 10-year skirmish with the Russian secret police sharpened Erich's innate directness. He did not tolerate evasions, and if he encountered mistakes, he declared it loudly and directly. Even Reichsmarschall Goering, at the time when the Nazis were in power in Germany, could not convince the young ace Erich Hartmann, who protested, deciding that Goering was acting wrong.

In January 1944, Erich visited his mother, who lived near Juteborg. During this period, the air defense of the Reich suffered more from a shortage of pilots than a shortage of aircraft. He landed at a fighter base near Juteborg when the weather worsened. Erich was only 22 years old, but he was struck by the youth of the pilots based at this airfield. He did not like the youth of the pilots who came to his squadron on the Eastern Front, but these pilots generally looked like high school students.

When he returned from a visit to his mother, he found that his squadron had been sent flying in bad weather. The wind picked up a few hours before he himself landed at the airfield. The task of the pilots was to intercept American bombers. Limited training and even more modest experience resulted in 10 young pilots crashing without even encountering American planes. The enraged Blond Knight sat down and wrote a personal message to Reichsmarschall Göring.

Blond Knight of the Reich

I bought a book published in a very small circulation (even by today's times) "Erich Hartmann - the Blond Knight of the Reich" by the Americans R. F. Toliver and T. D. Constable, and it forced me to return to the topic of World War II aces. This biography of the officially best ace of that war (352 victories), dictated by himself, makes us take a different look at some aspects of the war in the air.

In the preface, the Americans praise Hartmann: “The sources of Erich Hartmann's strength are ... education in the spirit of freedom, natural courage. ... he was an excellent sportsman and a believer in fair play ... His religion was conscience ... Such people can be called religious. Or you can call them gentlemen."

Readers know that I sincerely respect the Germans - the defeated opponents of our fathers and grandfathers - in terms of their military talents and valor. And if I had not read the infamy that these Americans wrote, then I would have treated Hartmann as they said about him in the quoted preface. But I read their writings beyond the preface, and Hartmann appeared before me outstanding cowardly bandit.

Such a characterization is not easy to explain, and I will first have to describe a number of circumstances that, it would seem, are not directly related to this issue. The fact is that our morality has been radically changed. In early January 1999, a fascist court in Moscow sentenced Andrei Sokolov, a Russian patriot for 20 years, to 4 years in camps and compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital. At the forensic psychiatric examination, the doctor asked him a question - could he give his life for the Motherland? Andrey, of course, answered in the affirmative, and the doctors wrote down in the conclusion: "Prone to suicide" - that is, to suicide. And what - from the point of view of cattle, and not people, death for the Motherland is really suicide.

Same with Hartmann. In the summer of 1944, he, already a well-known ace (250 victories), fled from the American fighters chasing him, and, not reaching 6 km (half a minute) to his airfield (where anti-aircraft guns would cover him), he jumped out with a parachute from a perfectly serviceable aircraft. Try to say that he was afraid - and a crowd of cattle who consider death for the Motherland to be suicide will immediately announce that he is not a coward, but an intelligent person who knows that life is more expensive than any piece of iron.

True, I still won’t explain anything to the cattle, but I’ll try to do without such examples.

So why was Hartmann an outstanding pilot?

Firstly, he was one with the aircraft. Even as a child, his mother took him on flights, and at the age of 14 he was already a glider pilot. He claimed that for him the plane was like a car, in the air his head was not occupied with thoughts about controlling the plane - the body itself controlled it.

Secondly. He had a unique and very valuable feature for a pilot - super-acute vision. Soviet tactical instructions required that in a group of aircraft flying away on a combat mission there should be at least one pilot with such vision, since, as Hartmann himself claimed: the first one to see is half the winner. The Japanese specifically forced their pilots to train their eyes for hours to exhaustion, and some achieved perfection: they could see stars in the sky during the day. And Hartmann had sharp eyesight by nature.

These two qualities made him a pilot who should be called outstanding.

Now let's move on to a more difficult issue - about cowardice. Let's consider a number of circumstances. Military aviation exists in order to destroy the enemy on the ground. Its main aircraft are bombers. They perform the main task - to ensure victory in the battles waged by ground troops. Fighters protect their bombers from enemy fighters and prevent enemy bombers from bombing their troops - this is their combat mission.

After reading the biography of Hartmann, who all the time fought only in the 52nd squadron (JG-52), you come to the conclusion that as soon as he became an ace, he was no longer given combat missions. As for other aces, it is difficult to understand. Perhaps it depended on themselves: he has courage - he performs a combat mission, he does not have - he simply hunts freely.

But besides the aces in this squadron, there were, so to speak, ordinary pilots who could hardly refuse to carry out a combat mission - they flew to accompany their bombers to the bombing, they attacked the Soviet bombers that bombed the German troops. And they died in large numbers. Here, for example, the Americans write about the battles near the Kuban: “Erich flew very often. Every day his comrades died. On the same day that Krushinski crashed, another 5 pilots died, or a third of the squadron. But the battles near the Kuban did not last 3 days, therefore "his comrades" replenished and replenished the squadron and died, and "Erich flew."

There are only two moments in the whole book that can be considered as the fact that Hartmann was given a combat mission, and in both episodes he evaded his execution.

The book contains an episode of the battles near Kursk. The group leader Hrabak assigned Hartmann (squadron leader) the task of: “The main breakthrough is here. Rudel's dive-bombers will give them hell. Protecting dive bombers and destroying Russian fighters is your main task." Hartmann sneezed on "main task" and didn't even try to do it. He found the attacking IL-2, which during the attack scatter the formation and become vulnerable, quietly crept up to them and attacked. (And was shot down).

In the second episode, he was given the task of preventing the bombing of the Romanian oil fields by American bombers. But they flew in close formation and Hartmann was afraid to attack them. He attacked escort fighters that did not notice him, flying with additional external tanks. On the second day, he was again afraid to attack the bombers, but the American fighters were on the alert and drove him to the parachute jump, which I mentioned above.

In all other episodes of the book, Hartmann is a free hunter and attacks only when his safety is more or less guaranteed (more on how to ensure this safety below).

One more moment. In the West, German fighters did what Hartmann was afraid of - they attacked formations of American and British bombers. So, Hartmann was twice tried to be transferred to the West, but he twice evaded this, although he declared to his biographers that he "The thought of Allied bombers flying over Germany day and night was painful." But neither this "pain", neither the fact that his parents and wife sit day and night in the basement under American bombs, nor the temptation to transfer to a jet fighter, he, already a holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, was not forced to change his status as a "free hunter" in the East front, the ability to shoot down allied bombers over their home.

Let's digress for a while from the bombers. Hartmann flew almost exclusively over the territory occupied by German troops. German sources claim that there was an order not to send aces behind the front line, and this is also confirmed by the biography - out of 14 forced landings, Hartmann made only one on the territory occupied by Soviet troops, and then - by accident. The fact that Hartmann flew only over his troops is important in our reasoning.

Let's get back to the bombers. Hartmann's victories were recorded in his flight book with the date and type downed aircraft. But only the first flight book with a list of victories up to the 150th has been preserved. The second book, with victories from 151 to 352, was allegedly stolen by the Americans, who carefully robbed Hartmann (taking off his wristwatch as well) when, after capitulation, he climbed to surrender to them. Therefore, biographers restored the last 202 of his victories from the combat diary of the jg-52 squadron in which the ace served. The number of victories in both the squadron diary and Hartmann's flight book is given in his biography and is quite interesting for two reasons.

An analysis of JG-52's combat diary suggests different thoughts. It noted the numbers of victories, dates, the type of aircraft shot down and the place where it was shot down. But the diary is a headquarters document, the data from which was not sent to Dr. Goebbels for propaganda, but to Reichsmarschall Goering to take into account and evaluate the combat capabilities of the Red Army Air Force. Brehat in these data was hardly allowed. Therefore, the numbers of Hartmann's victories, the dates and places of victories in the combat diary are noted, but there are problems with the type of aircraft shot down by Hartmann.

So, for example, Hartmann told the Americans about the story that in July 1944, having used up only 120 rounds of ammunition, he shot down three Il-2 attack aircraft in a row, which stormed the positions of German artillery, i.e. were over German territory. And, probably, these Ilas were recorded in that flight book that the Americans stole, as 248, 249 and 250 downed aircraft.

But in the combat diary of JG-52, opposite the numbers of the downed Hartmann aircraft 244-250, in the column "Type" of the downed aircraft, the Yak-9 stands alone. Moreover, against the many numbers of Hartmann's "victories" in the column "Type" of the aircraft, nothing at all was affixed. Why? Staff oversight? It's hard to believe that they forgot to tell Goering the type of downed aircraft, because the Luftwaffe headquarters needs to know exactly which aircraft have decreased in the Red Army - bombers or fighters?

The Americans do not give explanations for such an oversight, and therefore the reason for this must be found by ourselves. All apologists for the German aces foam at the mouth assure that the fact that the German ace shot down the plane, which was recorded in his flight book, was carefully checked and confirmed. It is very long to quote, so I will retell the apologists in my own words how the fact of the downing of the 301st aircraft by Hartmann was “checked”.

On August 24, 1944, Hartmann flew in the morning to hunt and, having arrived, he reported that he no longer had 290, but 296 victories over the Ivans. Ate and flew again. This flight was followed by radio conversations, and Erich did not disappoint - he said 5 more victories on the radio. The total was 301. When he landed, there were already flowers, flags, a garland around his neck at the airfield (as we met Stakhanov from the face), and in the morning of the next day he was called by the commander of JG-52 and said: "Congratulations! The Fuhrer has awarded you Diamonds." And there is not the slightest hint that someone tried to check this bike that he shot down 11 planes in one day and in two battles. And in the combat diary for August 24, in the column “Type” of the downed aircraft, the Airacobra stands alone. And that's it.

In this regard, I have a hypothesis. The fact that 352 aircraft shot down by Hartmann is nonsense, in my opinion, should be clear to everyone. Everything he came up with was recorded in his flight book, or, at best, those planes that he fired at and what was recorded with a photo machine gun. But accurate The Germans should have known the number of downed planes!

Therefore, I believe that the headquarters of JG-52 requested confirmation from the ground troops about the downed aircraft (after all, Hartmann shot down over his territory, and the ground troops could confirm this). If the downing was confirmed, then the ground troops could confirm what type of aircraft was downed. Then the downed aircraft was recorded in a separate list, and this list was sent to the headquarters of the Luftwaffe, and the types of aircraft were entered in the combat diary. And if no one saw the downing of the declared aircraft or its wreckage, then a dash appeared in the “Type” column. I don't see any other logical explanation.

Of course, there could be overlays, for example, a downed plane reached its territory, fell in a remote place, the infantry could not determine its type, etc. And, probably, Hartmann shot down more than it was written in the diary, but still ... In the diary from Hartmann declared 202 downed Soviet and American aircraft, aircraft types are affixed in only 11 cases! True, in one case the type of aircraft is in the plural - "Mustangs". Hartmann announced as many as 5 of them that day. Even if all of them are added, it will be 15. Not many out of 202 declared victories.

But that's not all that can be gleaned from JG-52's combat diary about Hartmann. Let's imagine ourselves in his place and fly instead of him along the front line. Which Soviet aircraft - bombers or fighters - will we meet more?

Hartmann got to the front in 1943, and from the beginning of 1942 to May 9, 1945, our aviation industry produced 44 thousand fighters and more than 52 thousand attack aircraft and bombers. We received from the allies about 11 thousand fighters and a little more than 3 thousand bombers. That is, in the total number of the USSR Air Force, bombers accounted for approximately 50%. Here, of course, there are nuances, but they are mutually exclusive: bombers were shot down more often, so in real formation they should be less in% than built; on the other hand, fighters in the air defense system were dispersed throughout the country and there were fewer of them at the front. That is, we will not be much mistaken if we assume that in Hartmann's place, when flying along the front line, every second Soviet aircraft we encountered should be an attack aircraft or a bomber.

Moreover, it was attack aircraft and bombers that inflicted damage on the Germans, therefore, we should not be surprised if in the list of those aircraft that the blond knight fired at while defending his Reich, bombers made up 80%. And Hartmann's fighters would shoot down only those that would prevent him from shooting down bombers.

And what was really?

In the combat diary of JG-52, in the column "Type" of the downed aircraft, there is not a single bomber for all 202 "victories" of Hartmann. In his flight book, out of 150 aircraft entered there, the bombers were: Il-2 - 5; Pe-2 - 4; A-20 "Boston" - 1; Po-2 - 2 cars. A total of 12 bombers out of 150, which is 8%. Not 80%, as a real knight should have, but only 8!

Add to this what has already been said - the Germans took all the aces of the Eastern Front to the West to shoot down American and British bombers, but Hartmann eluded this twice. It remains to be concluded: Hartmann, like fire, was afraid to attack the bombers!

So maybe all the German aces-"hunters" were the same "knights" as Hartmann? I don’t think, it’s just that real knights didn’t live long, and they simply didn’t have time to take down as many downed planes as Hartmann did.

For example, Alfred Grislavsky, whose novice Hartmann was a follower. Grislavsky specialized in shooting down our Il-2s. To do this, he had to break through the formation of our fighters and, pursued by them, rush to the machine guns of the Il-2 airborne gunners. And Grislavsky did it. He was wounded many times, he was constantly shot down. In one day he was shot down 4 times, he jumped out with a parachute or went for an emergency landing, the infantry brought him to the airfield, he got into a new plane and again flew to fight. Finally, he was seriously wounded and was written off with 133 victories.

Hartmann was so afraid to fight!

And fear wised him up to his own battle tactics, which he constantly boasts about. He teaches (emphasis added):

“If you see an enemy aircraft, you are not at all obliged to immediately rush at it and attack. Wait and use all your benefits. Evaluate what kind of formation and what tactics they use. Assess if the enemy has a stray or inexperienced pilot. Such a pilot is always seen in the air. Shoot HIM. It is much more useful to set fire to only one than to get involved in a 20-minute carousel without achieving anything. All enemy pilots will see the downed aircraft, which will have a serious psychological impact.

I will comment: the psychological impact is twofold - the brave will be furious from this.

It was his tactics that meant the following. I remind you that he was an excellent pilot with especially sharp eyesight and noticed Soviet aircraft from such a distance when they could not see him. Noticing where they were going and in what formation, he took up a position at high altitude so that he could attack the escort fighters from behind, unnoticed by them. Then, at high speed, he made a maneuver, approached and hit the fighter that did not see him. And since radio communication was not very important for us, the attacked pilot could not always warn his comrades. Therefore, Hartmann often had the opportunity to hit a few more. But as soon as they noticed him, he immediately fled, and our fighters, tied to the escorted bombers, could not pursue him. And at a great distance, he again, unnoticed by ours, maneuvered and again got the opportunity to strike. And always on fighters! After all, if you break through to the bombers, then our fighters will notice it and attack. Hartmann was afraid of this: like a jackal, he attacked only the stragglers and only suddenly. To save his foul life for him was the most important thing.

He believed he had invented the magic formula for war:

“This magic formula sounded like this:“ I saw - I decided - I attacked - I broke away. In a more detailed form, it can be represented as follows: if you see an enemy, decide whether it is possible to attack him, taking him by surprise; attack him; break away immediately after the attack; break away if he notices you before you strike. Wait to attack the enemy in convenient conditions, do not let yourself be drawn into a maneuvering battle with an enemy who sees you.

Notice that it doesn’t even matter to him what strength the enemy is, if he sees you, he has to run away. Hartmann, for example, boasts of such a fight. He flew with a wingman in his rear and they were attacked by a lone Yak. Hartmann dodged the blow, and the two of them tried to knock Yak down. But he went one and the other time in a frontal attack on the blond knight of the Reich. Hartmann at first evaded, and then simply ran away with the follower, and when Yak, having lost sight of them, went home, they caught up with him, crept up and shot him down. Well, athlete! Well, knight! Well gentleman!

Imagine that a certain type from around the corner jams passers-by, and if it fails to stun, then immediately flees. And then he declares that since he stunned 352 people, he is the world boxing champion and some Pokryshkin and Kozhedub, who have barely 60 knockout victories in the ring, are no match for him.

We have the film “Only Old Men Go to Battle” and there is an episode in it when German pilots accept a challenge to a duel from the Soviet ones. The authors of the film did not read Hartmann's biography - this JG-52 did not even think about a duel, but at least about trying to fight with the pilots of any of our guards fighter divisions. It was those still "knights".

They may say that, nevertheless, Hartmann, albeit in a cowardly bandit way, shot down a lot of our pilots and it doesn’t matter what this method is called, because the result is important in a war. This is true. But let's think about the result of Hartmann's victories.

Imagine that an Il-2 regiment, under the cover of an La-7 regiment, flew to storm the unloading station of a German division. And Hartmann's squadron, with the help of its "formula", without loss, shot down 10 of our fighters at cover, or even all of them. Formally, this is an achievement. But in fact? A regiment of stormtroopers at the station will turn a regiment of German infantry into piles of bloody meat. And the fact that our fighters suffered losses - after all, there is no war without losses, and fighters are designed to protect bombers at their cost.

But if Hartmann, even at the cost of losing his squadron and without touching any of our fighters, shot down all the Il-2s, then the German infantry regiment would be alive, and the La-7 regiment would become useless without bombers.

After all, war is not a sport, it needs one victory for everyone, and not goals, points, seconds for everyone.

From whatever side you look - at least from the military, at least from the moral - Hartmann was neither a knight, in the full sense of the word, nor an athlete. A cowardly bandit, albeit an outstanding one. Not an eagle, but a vulture.

This could have ended the story about this knight of the Reich, if this bastard had not piled up a bunch of abominations about us and our army. You see, he was forced to work in captivity after the war, and this creature spilled tons of lies on our fathers. Therefore, I had the idea to consider another of his feats - an escape from Soviet captivity.

I will give a very long quotation from a book describing the capture and escape of a knight of the Reich, and in it I will highlight the words that I ask you to mark in your memory.

“The fighter easily sat down and screeched through the ground. Now Erich will get out of here. He unfastened his parachute and prepared to leave the warped machine. Leaning down to the dashboard, he began to unscrew the ship's clock. Strict orders required all pilots who survived the crash landing to take this valuable instrument with them. There were not enough on-board clocks.

As he struggled against the rusted screws holding the watch, Erich felt the tension of the battle leave him. "Damn it, Erich. You even today didn't have breakfast". He broke off the monologue as he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye through the dusty glass. A German truck showed up. He felt relieved. He didn't know how far he flew west before belly-landing, but the German truck knew it unmistakably. Few people heard about the Luftwaffe pilots who landed on Russian territory again. He resumed the struggle with the clock and raised his head only when the brakes screeched. What he saw scared him.

Two huge The soldiers who jumped out of the back of the truck were dressed in strange uniforms. German infantrymen wore grey-green uniforms. The uniforms of these soldiers were yellow-gray. As the men turned to face the crashed fighter, Erich got cold as soon as he saw their faces. These were Asians.

The Russians had captured a German truck and were about to take the German pilot as well. Erich broke out in a cold sweat as the two Russians approached. If he tries to run, they will shoot him. The only way out is to stay put. He can pretend to be hurt. He will try to convince them that he received a shell shock during a forced landing.

He pretended to pass out as the Russians jumped onto the wing and peered into the cockpit. One of them put his hands under his armpits and tried to pull Erich out. From Russian smelled disgusting. Erich screamed as if in pain and continued to scream and sob. The Russian let him go.

Two people talked about something among themselves, then turned to Erich.

« Comrade, comrade. War finish. Hitler Kaput. Do not worry".

« I'm hurt, - moaned Blond Knight showing his right hand on his belly. Then he pressed both hands to his stomach. Through closed eyelids, he saw that the trick worked.

The Russians carefully helped him out of the cockpit. Erich moaned and sobbed like a real actor. He sank to the ground as if his legs couldn't support him. The Russians ran to the truck, removed the old canopy and laid down the "wounded" pilot on a folded tarp. They dragged him into the back like a bunch wet linen, and carefully lifted into the back.

The soldiers tried to talk to Erich and were friendly enough. They were jubilant, for that night had brought them a great victory. Erich continued to moan and clutch his stomach. The alarmed Russians, who could not relieve his pain, brought him to their headquarters in a nearby village.

The doctor appeared. He knew a few German words and tried to make an inspection. From the doctor smelled like cologne. Every time he touched Erich, he screamed. Even the doctor believed. The soldiers who seized him brought some apples. Erich pretended to forces himself to eat. Then he cried out again, as if a terrible pain shot through his entire body after he swallowed a few pieces of an apple.

This theater lasted two hours. Then the same two soldiers put him on a tarp and carried him back to the truck. As they headed east, further into the Russian rear, Erich knew he had to get out. And as soon as possible. Otherwise, he will spend the rest of the war in Soviet captivity. He assessed the situation. The truck has already driven 2 miles deep into Russian territory. One soldier was driving second was in the back, guarding a wounded German prisoner. Erich's thoughts raced at a gallop. But then, in the west, the characteristic silhouette of a ju-87 dive bomber appeared.

The German dive bomber flew low over the ground. The truck skidded to a stop and nearly fell into a ditch. The sentry in the back stared fearfully up at the sky. Here Erich jumped to his feet and hit him with his fist. The sentry hit his head on the cab and collapsed to the bottom of the body.

Throwing back the tailgate, Erich jumped out into a field overgrown with tall sunflowers along which the road ran. As soon as he dived into the thicket, the creak of the brakes showed him that the flight was seen. Bending down, he ran further into the field. Erich heard the crackle of rifle shots and the whistle of bullets overhead.

Stupid Americans swallowed this bike, and let's save time on discussing whether it's bullshit or not. Let's ask ourselves a question - is this nonsense invented from beginning to end or is its canvas real?

I think that the story is accurate except for some details, which we will try to find out. After all, Hartmann had to tell his commanders and comrades hundreds of times, and if he invented it completely, he would certainly get confused.

In passing, we note that the mandatory equipment of the German pilot was a pistol, and the pilots have an ultra-fast reaction. There were only two of our soldiers with rifles - weapons good for fighting at long distances. The Hartmann pistol in this situation had an advantage: a bullet with a greater stopping effect and a faster rate of fire. While each of the soldiers would have fired a shot, Hartmann would have fired 8 shots at them from his "Walter". But he does not fight face to face with the enemy, and this episode did not add anything new to what we already know about him.

Now let's clean up the small nonsense that covers the main one.

"Asians" with Hartmann speak German?

Soviet soldiers in the third year of the war call a fascist pilot a comrade?!

Asians, like Russians (or Russians, like Asians?), consider a lot of work superfluous and their principle is never to do superfluous work. And here they put Hartmann on a tarpaulin and load it into a truck out of philanthropy towards a fascist?

Let's take a closer look at this operation. The body of a person is loaded into the body like this. They take him under the armpits and drag him to the side, then, grabbing him with one hand under the arm and with the other under the crotch, they jerk him up so that he lies on the floor of the body or on board (if he is too lazy to open) the center of gravity (on the stomach), and after that throw his legs into the body. Ready!

Now look at the technology proposed by Hartmann. If a person is put on a tarpaulin and lifted by both ends of the cloth, then the body will fold and get something like a bag with the center of gravity at the very bottom. How to lift such a bag onto the platform of the body? It is necessary, like a weightlifter, to raise your hands with the edge of the cloth up, which is terribly inconvenient, and for Asians, who are usually lower than Europeans, it is impossible. This means that one person needs to climb into the body, kneel down and try to grab his edge of the cloth, stand with him and then practically (the second one needs to support his edge) pull the body into the body. For Asians (and Russians too) to do such a bad job, very good reasons are required and not those that Hartmann mentioned.

A person has about 5 liters of blood, when he is injured - it flows out, clothes and hands with which he clamps the wound are stained with blood. Hartmann had no blood and everyone believed that he was wounded?!

What did the doctor believe, seeing neither blood nor hematomas? Or did this doctor not see simulators for 2 years of the war and believed in some unusual wound? Hartmann screamed in pain, and the doctor didn't even inject him with morphine?

In short, this whole story with a wound and with the fact that they believed in it is sewn with white thread.

But the fact remains - the soldiers, seeing that in front of them a strong muscular man, did not take any security measures - they did not tie him up. Yes, he moaned and pretended not to stand on his feet. But after all, without blood and traces of shell shock, this should have aroused even greater suspicion, especially among the “Asians”. Yes, they would have tied him hand and foot and, to be sure, they would have hit the "pumpkin" with their butt. Instead, the soldier remained in the back with Hartmann one on one. When driving in an empty body along country roads, it is impossible to hold anything, including a rifle, in your hands - you need to hold on to the sides so that you are not thrown over the body. Why was this soldier without a weapon not afraid that Hartmann would attack him?

They are not afraid only when they feel their huge advantage, but there was no physical advantage, and I repeat, they cannot be deceived by cries of pain from the “Asians” (and precisely them). One thing remains - Hartmann's soldiers were despised to such an extent that they lost their caution and ceased to be afraid.

All doubts come down to one question - what did Hartmann do that caused contempt that exceeded the feeling of self-preservation? Was he lying at his feet, crying, humiliating himself, shouting: “Hitler is kaput, comrades”? Probably, but the “Asians” would hardly have believed this too much.

The version of what happened was suggested to me by the following fact. In the entire biography of Hartmann, he never touches on the topic of smell, although he was in different places and under different circumstances. And in the episode of his captivity, he twice recalls (decades later) about smells. Moreover, if in the first case, for example, he simply wanted to insult the soldiers, then why does he keep in mind that the doctor smelled not of carbolic acid, but of cologne?

I don't know if I'm right, but I think Hartmann got the smells in his head because he was haunted by some smell throughout this event, which he cannot even talk about, and is not able to forget. Unable to talk about this smell, he talks about others.

Let's put things together:

- the doctor does not provide any assistance to the valuable "language", the officer;

- the soldiers drag him on a tarpaulin, instead of picking him up under the crotch and throwing him into the body;

- he was haunted by some smell;

- he said about himself that he was loaded "Like a pile of wet laundry" although linen is never worn on a tarpaulin, where does this association - "wet" come from?

- the soldiers despised him to the point of losing a sense of caution;

- he describes everyone as very affectionate towards him - a sworn enemy - a way to convince everyone that there was no contempt for him;

For some reason, he considered it necessary to remember that he had not had breakfast.

There are enough questions not to try to combine them in one answer.

He is such a. When Hartmann, unexpectedly for himself, saw that Soviet soldiers were getting out of the truck, he jumped out of fear. I think that in front-line conditions this is not such a rare occurrence, although it does not greatly decorate the blond knight of the Reich. In any case, it must be admitted that he also succeeded in this Teutonic trick. Lucky!

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Erich Hartmann - blond knight of the Reich

Erich Hartmann

Translator's Preface

Write the truth and only the truth. But not the whole truth.

Moltke Sr.

“In the beginning was the word,” says the Bible. In our case, this is absolutely false. At first there was deathly silence. Read the memoirs of our pilots, the works of "historiographers". No personalities. Abstract Nazi invaders and planes with black crosses on their wings. At best, some indistinct aces of diamonds flash - and nothing more. Maybe someone is more fortunate than me. Personally, I found only one mention of the name of a German ace in our literature of the Soviet era. Kurzenkov's memoirs speak of sergeant major Müller (92 victories), who was shot down by a young lieutenant Bokiy. All. Next is silence. It seems that Hartmann, Rall, Graf, Mölders and others do not exist.

I will make a reservation right away that what follows will be rather reasoning aloud. I do not claim to be the ultimate truth. Rather, I want to offer the reader "information for thought."

1. Erich Hartmann made only 800 sorties.

2. The Germans recorded victories with a photo machine gun.

3. The Germans recorded “hits”, not “victories”.

4. Hartmann has only 150 confirmed victories, the rest are known only from his words.

5. German aces simply could not shoot down so many planes in one sortie.

6. You can't destroy our plane with a couple of shots.

7. The Germans fired on one plane in turn and each wrote it down on his own account.

Just no comment.

8. The Germans sent elite fighter units to the Eastern Front to seize air supremacy.

Yes, the Germans did not have elite fighter units, except for the Galland JV-44 jet squadron created at the very end of the war. All other squadrons and groups were the most common front-line formations. There are no "Aces of Diamonds" and other nonsense. It’s just that among the Germans, many connections, in addition to the number, also had a proper name. So all these "Richthofens", "Greifs", "Condors", "Immelmanns", even "Grun Herz" are ordinary squadrons. Pay attention to how many brilliant aces served in the ordinary unnamed JG-52.

So who is Erich Hartmann?

Erich Hartmann memoirs. Erich Hartmann: "black devil" of the Luftwaffe

Toliver Raymond F., Constable Trevor JErich Hartmann - blond knight of the Reich

Erich Hartmann

Translator's Preface

Chapter 1Hero Scale

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Toliver Raymond F., Constable Trevor J
Erich Hartmann - blond knight of the Reich

Chapter 1
Hero Scale