Hermann Graf (24 October 1912 – 4 November 1988) was a German LuftwaffeWorld War IIfighter ace.[Note 1] He served on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 200 aerial victories—that is, 200 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft.[2] In about 830 combat missions, he claimed a total of 212 aerial victories, almost all of which were achieved on the Eastern Front.
List of aerial victories claimed
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Graf was credited with 212 aerial victories. [3] He claimed these aerial victories in 830 combat missions,[4][5] 10 on the Western Front which included six four-engined-bombers and one Mosquito, and 202 on the Eastern Front.[6][7][2]
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 85 423". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[8]
♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Graf an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
* (asterisk) indicates an Herausschuss (separation shot)—a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from his combat box which was counted as an aerial victory.
Bergström, Christer[in Swedish]; Mikhailov, Andrey (2001). Black Cross / Red Star Vol 2: Resurgence January – June 1942. Pasifica CA: Pasifica Military History. ISBN0-935553-51-7.
Bergström, Christer[in Swedish]; Dikov, Andrey; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2006). Black Cross / Red Star Air War Over the Eastern Front, Volume 3, Everything for Stalingrad. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN978-0-9761034-4-8.
Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939–1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939–1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN978-3-87341-065-7.
Schumann, Ralf (2005). Ritterkreuzträger Profile Nr. 3 Hermann Graf — der erste Jagdflieger mit 200 Luftsiegen [Knight's Cross Profiles Nr. 3 Hermann Graf — The first Fighter Pilot with 200 Aerial Victories] (in German). UNITEC-Medienvertrieb. OCLC819747376. ASINB003RKGYLY (21 October 2014).