When Germany's Greatest Ace Actually TRICKED The Allies

This is the story of Erich Hartmann's battle against American and Soviet fighters in World War II, where he tricked American P-51 Mustangs and Yak Fighters into turning on each other. This was made using the World War II flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder Have an idea for one of my videos? Submit it here! forms.gle/91xwbGKQsRCNZmwm9
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[@TJ3]

Thanks for watching! If you enjoy my content please consider supporting me on Patreon! patreon.com/tj3history Also small correction: I said Hartmann was the most decorated pilot. This is not correct, that was Rudel! Meant to say one of the most decorated. Thanks guys!

[@160clive]

Both were still great pilots

[@teoengchin]

Just curious, did you fact-check his story against any US or Soviet sources? Pretty sure such a dog fight between allies would have been recorded if it really happened

[@philippelafenetre2519]

yes, it was Hans Ulrich Rudel, on the famous Stuka....

[@SirPsychonautic]

Im curious where you got this information because I've been looking for more details and haven't found a damn thing about this supposed incident.

[@SirPsychonautic]

@@teoengchin the only record of any US versus soviet actions during ww2 were when US aircraft accidentally strafed soviet ground forces near nis in Yugoslavia. Honestly the more and more I look to find ANY information about this "incident" the more I think this is just a completely made up story for clicks. seeing how its been months, I'm willing to believe the latter. Either that or whatever he's referencing is exaggerated which would also make sense as war can do that.

[@qaiserbutt5354]

Wish he was around. How bold he must've been. Absolutely incredible pilot Only born once.

[@Wookie120]

I recommend reading his biography, The Blonde Knight of Germany. it is an eye opener into his life.

[@BadMuflon]

They all were... Rall, Novotny, Marseille...

[@BigKWS]

Without a doubt, this is one of the most unusual air battles I've ever heard of. Although I wouldn't be surprised if there were other incidents similar to this one.

[@nesca647]

I know of at least one more. Some lightnings attacking by error a Soviet convoy (although it was probably intentional), and Soviet planes came to the rescue and engage in dogfight

[@garryreeve824]

@@nesca647 There was also 2 RAF squadrons who engaged each other in what was known as 'The battle of Barking Creek'.

[@localmilkman3917]

@@nesca647 wasnt intentional

[@Wookie120]

There was indeed. A flight of P38's actually strafed and bombed a Soviet column and I do believe managed to kill a General. Got to a point the Soviets did not allow U aircraft to fly over their areas if memory serves. IMHO, General Patton had the right idea though! LOL

[@terryturner5360]

There were others.

[@rodneypayne4827]

The engagement was pretty wild and over a vast area where both Russian and American fighters were continuosly encountering each other. Russian ace Sergei Kramarenko also recorded that his flight of LA-5's encountered Mustangs and Thunderbolts but they held fire until attacked by another flight of Mustangs before disengaging,some with heavy damage. All on the same day so it wasn't that unbelievable. A lot of American units were new to the theatre or had new pilots that didn't help with visual identification when going after fighters.

[@ricardobeltranmonribot3182]

Also didn't help that the La-5/7 looks like the FW 190 A at certain distance

[@mikeromney4712]

@@ricardobeltranmonribot3182 Or the P-47......:)

[@wicusjansenvanvuuren2614]

This man was a legend, just sad how he was treated by the West German Airforce after the war, plus it was a crime how the Americans handed him to the Soviets at the end of the war.

[@dave8599]

Crime? Hartman murdered Allies for his master, hitler. Hartman is a cold blooded murderer for hitler. How many allied mothers and wives wept because of Hartmans murderous rampage in the air, all for hitler. piss on his grave.

[@scratchy996]

Like the general they fired recently, when he said Germany should buy the F35. Then Germany decided to buy the F35 anyway. When politics get in the way of logic.

[@juantoomany7202]

I haven’t heard about that, it is my understanding that he refused to abandon his unit and surrender to the Americans, but rather stay with his unit and surrender to the soviets. Unfortunately this resulted in 10 years of unjust incarceration at their hands post war. I read about it in his autobiography entitled “The blonde knight of Germany”. Is there another version of events? I have never heard of Americans handing him over to the soviets. Please explain.

[@scratchy996]

@@danphariss133 It's more complicated than that. The Soviets took normal war prisoners, then they had the guys they punished for war crimes, and then they had political prisoners. Hartmann and other high profile prisoners were treated like political prisoners, the Soviets tried to force them into cooperating for their own propaganda reasons. Some, like Hartmann, resisted and were tortured for years, others collaborated and were later given titles in the new East German establishment.

[@scratchy996]

@@juantoomany7202 His unit, along with a civilians surrendered to the Americans. The Soviets asked the Americans to turn them over. Hartmann could have chosen to stay with the Americans, but he went with his unit. He didn't expect what the Soviets will do to him. They later admitted the accusations were fake and acquitted him posthumously.

[@fahimhyder4738]

Eric Hartmann was a highly professional ace of a pilot, flying the Messerschmitt bf109 aircraft. His record remains unmatched even to this day. He was the king of all all fighter pilot aces.

[@touristguy87]

He was also a Nazi

[@rathlingthelittleone4329]

i really dont get it when people call the bf 109 a messerschmidt the original desing was bought by bf and at that time it stopped beeing a messerschmidt. Especially after so much time has passed and so many changes have been made to the plane. You do you, but i dont understand.

[@thomashawkins9380]

@@rathlingthelittleone4329 Most people aren’t as smart as you…🙄

[@thkempe]

Hartmann's tactic depended heavily on his visual skills. He could spot and identify enemy aircraft much earlier than his comrades flying with him. And he had learned to wait. He only started firing when the enemy aircraft filled his entire windscreen. When you got that close, decisive hits were guaranteed.

[@EK-gr9gd]

Well, on his first combat mission he failed miserably. So he created his own " Dicta Hartmann".

[@thkempe]

@@EK-gr9gd Indeed, he disobeyed orders, lost orientation, fled from his comrade and finally destroyed his own plane. Fortunately, the Luftwaffe did not immediately send him to the infantry.

[@acepreussen14preussichaddl88]

@@EK-gr9gd wait... I thought he was using Richthofen's tactic in which he also take it from Boelcke??

[@rokinz3270]

probably had vision better than 20/20

[@jpmtlhead39]

And his first rule was, only attack with the sun behind him. A simple but deadly "rule".

[@xenos7583]

I would've laughed my ass out if I was hartmann

[@claytonlonetree7971]

Xenia: How would you do that? Fart?

[@wrmaliccissdelicciss1797]

I'm going to 2 it'll happen again

[@syleise8729]

He probably did

[@KermitTheGamer21]

Ironically, Hartmann was not a very good pilot in training, he was very nervous and almost scared in the air. But his instructor, Franz Stigler, aka the guy who famously rescued a crippled B-17, boosted his confidence and he was able to become the top ace of the war.

[@0005Emerson]

I think the fellow you are referring to was Gerhard Barkhorn. If memory serves me right Franz flew him over a nudist colony, to "ease" his nerves. From there he went on to become second to Hartmann with 300+ victories.

[@BadMuflon]

I dont believe that since Hartmans parents owned a glider and his mother was the female air pioneer in Germany at that time

[@jprules2578]

Yeah, it was Gerd Barkhorn, not Hartmann that Stigler instructed.

[@clintonreisig]

Hans Ulrich Rudell also nearly washed out of training

[@clintonreisig]

@@BadMuflon It is true that Hartmann was almost dropped from training for poor performance

[@160clive]

The most highly decorated luftwaffe pilot was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds.

[@MausTanker]

Hartmann was the most highly decorated fighter pilot. Rudel was a ground pounder.

[@clintonreisig]

@@MausTanker Rudel also was an ace in his Fw-190 in the final months of the war, though still flying his Stuka when it was the best option for a particular mission

[@conniemeerman2156]

Rudel was a 100% nazi Hartmann was a patriot

[@user-px6yt4bz6i]

@@clintonreisig there were some editions of fw 190 for ground pounding and not for dogfighting such as the fw 190 f 8

[@skyislands8887]

The red barron also employed a similar tactic. Many of his kills were recon or bombers not fighters. Thanks for a great video.

[@tonybarnes3658]

Was thinking that too. I’m sure the Baron had a mantra of never entering a fight he couldn’t win.

[@thomashawkins9380]

He destroyed 31 fighters. But considering that their primary duty was, in fact, to destroy recon and bomber aircraft why wouldn’t most of his kills be those types? Look at the victories of James McCudden, a first class British ace. High flying German recon planes were his specialty. Richthofen also shot down the highest scoring British ace of his time Lanoe Hawker who won the Victoria Cross.

[@cmdrgunslinger5955]

Also I would postate that Richhofen not Hartmann is the most renowned fighter pilot. Casual civilians still know his name & who he is/was over 100 years after his exploits. Hartmann is the higher scoring but known mostly by historians.

[@thomashawkins9380]

@@cmdrgunslinger5955 My personal opinion on that has to do with the fact that Hartman fought for the most despised regime in modern history. Also, air combat was a brand new thing in WW1 so there was the novelty factor. Thirdly “The Red Baron” as a nickname with his all red Fokker triplane just has the “X” factor written all over it.

[@acepreussen14preussichaddl88]

@@thomashawkins9380 Albert Ball, also another British ace, hunt down enemies by element of surprised too. Rather than from high, but he will creep from underneath enemy's death six. Mostly also recon aircraft.

[@Cuccos19]

Hartmann's tactic was the future of aircombat, rather than dogfighting (what typically liked by the Japanes pilots).

[@thefellathathuntsvatniks]

Well, not all Japanese pilots like dogfighting. Take Tetsuzō Iwamoto for example. Unlike other Japanese pilots who would go guns blazing and dancing with the enemy, Iwamoto is somewhat a hunter himself. He didn't go for turnfighting but rather go for a high speed sneak attack of course, just like Hartmann did.

[@tim1polman]

Boom & Zoom?

[@thefellathathuntsvatniks]

@@tim1polman Yup

[@wolf310ii]

It wasnt a new tactic, Richthofen in WW1 used the same tactic.

[@Cuccos19]

@@wolf310ii Actually it's a very old tactic. Most of the birds of prey - especially the peregrine falcon - use this tactic. :D

[@attila7092]

Another amazing fact about this great ace is he only achieved 30 victories in his first year of combat (summer 42 to summer 43). That means in less than two years, the last and hardest of the war, he shot down over 300 more. Many of them hard veterans I'm sure.

[@paoloviti6156]

It is good to understand that Hartmann had very good sights and he had admitted that Marseille was a master of deflection shooting. Actually regarding his tatics you pointed out that is correct, in reality he rarely did deflection shooting but preferred really closings near the tail in order not to miss! What it distinguish him from so many pilots was that he was gifted also with an impressive battle awareness including being a very skilled tactician. Because of this he has never lost his wingman and always helped his mates. His squadron adored him because of this. Without any doubts he is the highest scoring ace ever. Immediately behind was major Barkhorn that was suffering nervous breakdown in the final months of war, because of this he probably could have a better score compared to Hartmann....

[@vineetkaddu1214]

This has to be one of the greatest WW2 stories I've heard, Thanks for this mate, great work!

[@jibeco]

Hartmann was an incredibly skilled Ace at flying and using weapons. TJ you are the Ace of the videos of these incredible stories. Thanks again for the excellent video. Thanks.

[@TJ3]

Thanks Joe!

[@tyleringle268]

@@TJ3 I have sad news to share with you TJ the ghost of Kiev is dead. The Ukrainian military had revealed his identity the pilot was 29 years old had 40 confirmed kills. Pull the ghost of Kiev up on wikipedia new information has been added I hope to see you make a video. Very sorry to have to be the one to break the news. Found out what happened just now wanted to let you know.

[@koshischunter4336]

@@tyleringle268 you mean the pilot that isn't real?

[@topivaltanen4432]

I dont know if he was most skilled if he was shot down and crashlanded 16 times.He shure was most luckiest one as he allways ended to Germany lines.

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

Hartmann would land, rush the ground crews to refuel and replenish his ammunition load... and immediately fly off again, often while eating a quick meal after takeoff. His wingmen could not keep up with this hectic pace and would switch out with each other when necessary.

[@JUNKERS488]

Awesome Video and story well worth the wait. I heard his last kill was a Soviet aircraft he shot down while he was flying to another airfield to surrender to the Americans the day the war ended. He did not want to fall into the Soviets hands but we turned him over to them. I'm sure they were more than happy to have him.

[@EK-gr9gd]

He and his group commander, a German "Geschwader" equaled over 120 planes, had been ordered to fly to Germany and surrender to the British. They disobeyed the order.

[@rsacchi100]

He and the rest of the members of his unit, including dependents, were on foot when they surrendered to the Americans. After his May 8 kill he was closing in on another Soviet fighter when Mustangs showed up. He and his wingman broke off the attack. While they were fleeing Hartmann observed the Soviet and American fighters were fighting each other. Source: "The Blond Knight of Germany".

[@Wookie120]

Actually, according to his book The Blonde Knight of Germany, in his last combat he caused a ruckus between American and Russian fighters when he dove down through the American formation and shot down a Soviet pilot who was doing a victory roll! I could be wrong and will recheck it when I get home. If memory serves as he left the scene they were dogfighting but no aircraft were shot down. Really enjoy your videos brother, keep em coming. I highly recommend reading his book though, it is excellent.

[@gaborhorvath4873]

Yes, this is a well known story, - too bad it is fake.

[@Wookie120]

@@gaborhorvath4873 I read his book, you are not worth the time arguing with.

[@gaborhorvath4873]

@@Wookie120 Ohhhh really??? Let me tell you that 'your' Blonde Knight of Germany book is just an old propaganda book which was written to improve the German-American relations after the war and it is full of BS that no military historians can take seriously! Or you also spent about 20 yrs on hardcore military research on Hartmann's REAL military career like I did going through thousands of Russian-American loss records comparing them to his claims? So you are also an aviation historian digging out lost aircrafts like I do? So you also wrote more aviation historical books, incl. on the JG 52 aces (incl. Hartmann) like I did? Let me tell you one thing: if there is anyone here who should not waste any time on the other one is me, not you! You are just another Hartmann fan living in wonderland, eating old legends without checking any historical FACTS! You know NOthing about the real Erich Hartmann, only the old propaganda stuff about him! If you do not believe this, just go ahead and read my recent book: 'Verified Victories: Top JG 52 Aces Over Hungary 1944-45' (Helion & Company, 2022, England - you can buy it from the publisher, on Amazon, etc.), especially pp.: 148-153. Yes, this is exactly on Hartmann's story over Brünn on May 8, 1945! Prominent researchers who had their input in my book were eg.: JG 52 expert, Bernd Barbas, Andrew Johannes Matthews, Christer Bergström, Carl-Fredrik Geust, Matti Salonen and many others. So little boy, you still have a lot to learn. I mean real historical stuff, not just children's fairy-tale books. Those are for little kids. But you know what? I do not really care what you do, you can keep dreaming if it's better for you.

[@HOPE_-lo8mz]

Allies wrote the history and erased their war crimes, so we never knew this legend.

[@Pgb633]

Your saying Erich Hartmann is a war criminal?

[@gbro8822]

TJ, your work is simply outstanding. Come on people let's push TJ over 100k. Thank you

[@rjwohlman]

Boom and zoom. Hit then get the hell outta here.

[@terryturner5360]

Why take a chance in combat when you can get your enemies to shoot each other down. Great job.🤣🤣

[@davidanderson3684]

Pure genius Hartman start the fight! Hit hard and quick and these allies fought each other Unreal!

[@xenonhexafluoride9951]

This proves that friendly aircrafts is just an enemy in blue.

[@robertsmith2227]

All that in under 6 minutes. Great episode TJ one of your best

[@Nativeat1YT]

That must have been a sight to see.

[@conroypawgmail]

0:50 - Erich Hartmann didn't "earn" the nickname "the Black Tulip". A black tulip was painted over the nose of his Bf-109 an easy means of identifying who the pilot was. Also, while Hartmann was a good marksmen, his technique in air combat was to shoot "only when your windscreen was full of airplane". In that way, misses were very few and ammunition was conserved, which is fairly important in a Bf-109, especially regarding the nose cannon.

[@antartis73]

This channel is amazing in creating history that never actually existed. Like you said Hartmann was never known as the ‘black tulip’, amongst other fallacies of Hartmann being the highest decorated Luftwaffe pilot. 🤦‍♂️

[@jojoanggono3229]

His took an impeccable angle of engagement which allowed him to shoot several aircraft in succession. 👌

[@patm111]

This very fascinating story is also well recounted in his excellent biography "The Blond Knight of Germany" by Toliver and Constable.

[@peteruk8925]

Well done Eric, using amazing strategy and piloting skills you managed to shoot down extra allied aircraft without using extra ammunition yourself. Very clever indeed 👏!

[@softailfun]

I know nothing of this subject, but I must say I am impressed with the knowledge and agreement shown in the comments.

[@yungcaco1443]

Great video 👌🏻Hartman was an absolute legend

[@joehinojosa24]

I seen a real ME109G at an airmuseum in 1974. It was LOW to the ground, all engine, cramped looking, like flying a turbo missile

[@andrewb4470]

You were very lucky to see one! I believe German pilots liked the 109, though most preferred the Focke-Wulf 190.

[@TheEarl777]

And the FW190s were yet another brilliant design they kept them well ahead in the engineering field. I heard that Me262s were on the drawing board in 1938, but because tge Blitzkreig was so successful, the funding for the 262s was re allocated. If it hadn’t been, things could be a lot different now.

[@andrewb4470]

@@TheEarl777 'If it hadn’t been, things could be a lot different now.' True, and considering the state of the world today, if the Germans had won, probably a lot better too.

[@reinbeers5322]

@@andrewb4470 Easy to see why. The 190 has a mechanical computer that can take care of all the engine-related controls, more space, and a less obstructed canopy.

[@joehinojosa24]

Hey Guys! I saw a HEINKEL 100 AT CHINO AIR MUSEUM. It lost out to the 109 but looked kin da like NIPPON Tony fighter, intimidating.

[@jokodihaynes419]

Awesome video mate

[@thomashawkins9380]

Hans Rudel was the most highly decorated German pilot.

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

And he was perhaps the one with most "fake kills" considering tank kills.

[@rodneypayne4827]

@@ottovonbismarck2443 His aerial kills weren't counted. Fake? Allied pilots could include parked aircraft as aerial kills to their tally. It's harder to kill a tank back then than a soft target like an aircraft, also he predominantly used the 37mm cannon armed Stuka at low level.

[@TheIndianalain]

And also a hardcore nazi that had to flee to Argentina at the end of the war. Hartmann served in the new Luftwaffe after the war and retired with the rank of Colonel.

[@spakloppeii5912]

@@TheIndianalain Not worse as hardcore commis and hardcore capitalists...but that doesn't change the fact that he was the best till today.

[@thomashawkins9380]

Yes. He was a fanatic NAZI. He was an incredibly brave, dedicated and skilled pilot and the only German in any branch of service to win the golden oak leaves, swords and diamonds. Amazing I guess that someone could be all those things. Not defending him, just stating fact. Hartman was absolutely amazing and deserved the same award imho and, yes, an honorable man far more worthy than Rudel as a human being.

[@winglessviper]

What an incredible story. i am always learning more about WW II.

[@americanpatriot2422]

Outstanding video and presentation.

[@kevinu.k.7042]

Great story - Very well done too. Thanks

[@rickyhenry4958]

Such a cool story! It’s crazy I’d never heard of this.

[@marchansel7296]

Awesome..I really think the german pilots..Especially those with over 300 missions etc must have been the most experienced pilots of WW2,,Experience makes the master,,Hartmann did around 1200 missions,,that says it all.

[@motionsic]

Great story! Never head about it before. Thanks for sharing. Makes me want to get in my RC Bf-109 and do a hit and run on my RC buddies😉

[@johnforrester9120]

What a brilliant pilot

[@clarkdewar7122]

Truly astonishing human behind the stick of the BF109... don't come second cause you'll the first loser... Godspeed Heer Hartman...job well done ✅ RIP,and truly a patriot to your country...no politics in this post... salute.

[@HiTechOilCo]

Astonishing *person*.

[@clarkdewar7122]

@@HiTechOilCo I stand corrected...later.

[@panzer_de_faust]

Wow that took some big balls to eventually make that kind of scene. But it's was a amazing episode. 👏

[@Slagenthor35]

That's incredible... I can't imagine the feeling of victory.

[@lifeofjoyandcreation]

What an awesome and adorable story!!

[@jpmtlhead39]

The simple, the Best. And this guy was the Master, of the concept.

[@FabioQuadrana]

What an amazing history !!

[@kommandantgalileo]

It's Erich Hartman, I expect nothing less from him.

[@danielfmontero]

Thank you I didnt know that story The most condecorated pilot was Rudel

[@hairydogstail]

Yup, the best combat pilot of any war and any nation...

[@worldtopgun-3525]

Put a Swastika on the rudder. The way you put on Red Stars on Yaks and Lavockins.

[@naherf385]

Very interesting story.

[@twolak1972]

Hartmann and Marsaille were a lot alike, both had excellent eyesight and both liked seeing the enemy first ,getting into position and getting so close they couldn't miss. It's a damn shame Marsaille had to die from a faulty engine cuz the pace he was on of he,d lived longer he possibly could have overtaken Hartmann,s 352 victories. Marsaille was the greatest deflection shooter of the war, he would often down a enemy fighter with half a dozen 20mm rounds.

[@Citadin]

"Deflection shooting" implies shooting from a long distance ahead of your opponent. Marseille would use this often, therefore, he didn't heavily favor Hartmann's method of getting very close to his target before shooting. Marseille shot ahead from long distances with great accuracy.

[@twolak1972]

@@Citadin Not always, he was so GOOD he,d bail into a LUFTBERRY circle and shoot a plane down, chop the throttle, let one overshoot and shoot that one down at very close range. If Marsaille had survived the war he would easily have overtaken Hartmann, No disrespect to Hartmann in any way but MARSAILLE was just such a phenomenal pilot.HE HAD NO PEERS.

[@gregmenego2200]

Dont think there wld have been enough plane for the two of them to shoot down!

[@justarandomguylol6481]

Woah! I have heard about it before I think.

[@loboheeler]

An episode of the incredible Hans-Joachim Marseille would be nice. He was a legend in the Luftwaffe long after his tragic accidental 1942 death in North Africa.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

The war made many, extremely skilled German fighter pilots become Super Aces, as they had to fight on to the end. Several, besides Hartmann, passed 300 planes shot down.

[@thomashawkins9380]

@@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188 Officially… Gerhard Barkhorn was the only other pilot to break 300.

[@falcondmp]

If you assume that all claimed kills are real…

[@fjp3305]

@@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188 And many of them had "trained" at the Spanish Civil War.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

@@fjp3305 Hartman didn't, as well as I remember. But of course the fighting in Spain, before the "Real War" made the German Officers more trained in handling formations during wartime conditions, than most other countries had any ability to do.

[@gs637]

Cool story, thanks.

[@ThePlasticGeneral]

GREAT STORY!

[@williamvbone5734]

"The greatest people, thet where at the right place, at the rong time, where tricked, to me, that does not degrade their greatness"

[@ohanailo6681]

This was an interesting bit of history that I never heard of until now. Thank you for making the broadcast. Please include your resouces to confirm your claims of history. I would like to see the video interview of, Hartmens interview and who interviewd him. Or at least read the after action report of the attack. Also any interview of the American pilots involved in that attack would be helpful to validate the claims in this broadcast. Wonder what those after action report archives say about that incident?

[@capt.torres3605]

i was looking forward to this when it was mentioned in the comments its even better when animated

[@Tam0de]

Erich Hartmann is the highest scoring fighter ace in history, not just in WW2.

[@kennethbarnard7667]

And that will never be passed ever

[@gaborhorvath4873]

@@kennethbarnard7667 It has already been passed long time ago during WWII by many German aces. Hartmann had cca. 80-120 real victories, where the enemy plane was destroyed, the rest was just 'paperwork'. (Max. damaged planes which ultimately escaped.) Lipfert, Barkhorn eg. both destroyed many more enemy planes with less official victories. Papers and reality were (are) different. A big part of Hartmann's achievement was just propaganda.

[@1joshjosh1]

Nice!!! 👍👍👍👍

[@bennygarr5468]

Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver🤣

[@damienmaynard8892]

Hartmann - "don't get seen - be fast - get close - don't miss - hide again"...... and "West Germany's pilots are not ready for the F-104"!

[@boldestofbees774]

Classic boom n zoom

[@mariogastelum1463]

l want to add my admiration to the pilot and the videographer. both excellent at their work.

[@petervollheim5703]

What a great story....

[@ricardofreirebrito7662]

A great pilot with a great fighter means the best results ever....

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

That’s what an ace does! He tricks you!

[@samkangal8428]

Scary to think that maybe this was not the last US vs Russia fight .

[@secretagent86]

war between nato and russia is looking almost inevitable now... russian planes are flying over the black sea and the baltic in aggressive manners.... just one mistake by either side...and the big oopsie

[@thomashawkins9380]

Ever heard of the Korean War? Lots of fair haired North Korean pilots…North Vietnam had some of those too. Maybe albino Asians make good fighter pilots….🤔

[@samkangal8428]

@Thomas Hawkins Albino Asians? No ,i never heared that before .

[@thomashawkins9380]

@@samkangal8428 it’s a joke.. American pilots noticed that some of their enemy “North Korean” and “North Vietnamese” pilots had blonde hair. I was referring to your comment about the last US vs Russian dogfight. It was a poorly kept secret that Americans fought a number of Russian “volunteers” in those wars. Just a bad joke. Don’t ruminate on it

[@samkangal8428]

@Thomas Hawkins O.k😆 , and now americsns join the Ukrainian Army .

[@jeffelmore5614]

You and other channels like it, play an important role. Teaching and guiding the masses about REAL history,perhaps even motivating them to become better.

[@hermelnderhans]

Yeah Good Man with a nice Smile. He was Born just 2 Miles of my Home village.

[@mukhumor]

20 years old in '42, he looks like a 'Skate Boarder' in uniform.

[@Brian-nw2bn]

The boom and zoom king!

[@maxrpm2215]

That battle is in the book the blond knight of Germany. Hartmann wasn't the highest decorated WW2 pilot it is Hans-Ulrich Rudel Ju87 pilot.

[@luisgonzagaosollo7970]

Actually, Hans Ulrich Rudel was the highest decorated soldier of the war whether in the army, navy or airforce.

[@hansclaw]

excellent. thanks, check Mcguire kills and the way he used his P-38, for me a better pilot than bong

[@Overlord24]

Well this proves that they did not trust each other. Just a common ennemi to fight.

[@jeffblacky]

Met the number 2 of the “ 300” club Gerd Barkhorn At a ace convention in 1977 and 1978

[@LuqmanHM]

Please do a video on the late Major Stepan Tarabalka aka The Ghost of Kyiv

[@noteimportax6477]

Fake

[@LudwigAmadeusVanDerMaas]

Chuck Yeager should thank god, that they never met.

[@billyost1479]

There's an old saying in war, "If you're not cheating... You're not winning"! So true.

[@petermartin9494]

Erich Hartman was not interested in "dogfights". Q: What was your favourite method of attack? A: Coming out of the sun and getting close; dog-fighting was a waste of time.

[@salinator5966]

Not entirely true. Erich Hartmann crash landed 16 times, many of then due to having closed in so much that debris from the enemy planes he shot at caused damage to his own plane. 352 aerial victories were mainly due to the huge number of sorties that he flew on the target-rich Eastern Front where Soviet pilots generally flew at low attitude where their planes performed the best. Same reason why the FW-190's reigned supreme on the Eastern Front until the very end unlike the West Front.

[@petermartin9494]

@@salinator5966 Yes, entirely true, as long as you understand what a dogfight is. Sneaking up behind enemy aircraft and then blowing it to pieces is not dogfighting, no matter how close you get.

[@christopherhanton6611]

very good video i have herd of story how Hartmann trick both USA and Russia to attack each other. You know in his mind Hartmann was laughing because he just did neatest trick Ever LOL😂

[@thkempe]

In the end the Americans tricked Hartmann, handing him over to the Soviets where he spent the next 10 years of his life.

[@Iosif127idita]

One correction: In march 1945 they were well inside Germany,not over Romania

[@timf6916]

Cool

[@slomo1562]

Savage.

[@gordon295]

Nice one !!!!!!! LOL.........

[@tommystone4563]

I know all about this story, I read the book about him...

[@tristanlassche3560]

Love how its all recorded in war thunder

[@aboya7ia56]

I’m just imagining the Soviet and American faces after they realise it was the Germans that fired at them 🤣😂😝

[@cooper5092]

Nice video. Which game is it that you use for this video? I am looking for a ww2 airplane game.

[@Litauen-yg9ut]

Somehow, I can see it happening without a doubt.. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

[@davidwheatcroft2797]

He used the same tactic as Billy Bishop in WW1. Dive from above; go underneath; shoot; rapidly climb out of harms way. Works well....Hartmann once shot down a plane with just 4 bullets.

[@ottokiehl5413]

True, but remember he used a 20mm cannon, which caused substantially more damage than a 50 BMG. He was also known to get super close to his victim prior to firing.

[@davidwheatcroft2797]

@@ottokiehl5413 He did. Many other good fighter pilots the same.......on the last morning of the War, he shot down a Russian plane killing 3. Why? For that alone, he deserves the years he spent in Russian prison camps. CAVU skies!

[@destroyerarmor2846]

Minengeßoss

[@filone1970]

Also called Schummel Schumi Effekt!

[@black4277]

There was a honor among air men regardless if they were enemies or not. Wasn't really about being shot and killing more about who could out fly and out smart

[@dukecraig2402]

Nonsense, everyone wants to take the rare example of something like the Luftwaffe pilot who escorted the damaged B17 to the coast of France and throw it up as some sort of proof that pilots were "Knights of the sky", that's only true in people's imaginations, the cold hard reality is for every example like that there's many more of fighter pilots machine gunning bailed out pilots or bomber crews in their parachutes. I can't remember his name but one of the men of the AVG, the Flying Tigers, who coincidentally was the first one of them to shoot down a Japanese plane said very clearly in an interview "The narrative that fighter pilots are honorable and chivalrous is total nonsense, aerial warfare is no different than land warfare and what we did was no different than Infantry killing each other, it was kill him before he kills me, I don't care that he has a mother and family back home I'm going to kill that man as soon as he's in my sights, it's bloody and cruel and there's nothing honorable or chivalrous about it". And from a personal experience I can tell you this, I'm in no way shape or form some antifa kook but after having gone on a tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp I just can't get behind labeling anyone who fought on that side as a "hero", I went through the place 40 years after it was shut down and when you got 20 feet away from those ovens you could still smell it, burned humans, and that included women and little kids, the next time I smelled that was after I became a steel fitter and had a leather glove burn, it smells the same. And the narrative that the Luftwaffe pilots were not complicit in it is total bull, everyone over there in that country knew what was going on, military and civilian all knew, just because someone was on the Eastern or Western front doesn't mean anything, don't fool yourself people talk, you didn't have to live right next to a camp to know what was going on, they all knew. Hartmann's flying record is one thing, which if you ask me is overhyped considering that he got his early experience, which is when most pilots either got killed or gained enough experience to have a chance at making it, flying against Russian pilots in horribly matched aircraft that had their gun sights drawn on the inside of their windshields with a grease pencil. US and British pilots got their baptism of fire flying against experienced Luftwaffe pilots yet still held their own against them, some of them were right out of training and flew against German pilots who'd been on the Eastern front and had those ridiculously high scores and then were transferred to the Western front, USAAF pilot Robert S Johnson of the 56th Fighter Group became an ace when his fifth kill was a German pilot who had over 200 victories, the fact is when those German pilots had to go against an enemy that had comparable aircraft with real gun sights in them they didn't do so well, when the 56th Fighter Group arrived in England they only had one or two men who had any combat experience but they were aggressive and went to work on the Luftwaffe and tore a path through them they never recovered from. Erich Hartmann didn't get the number of victories he did flying against the same class of aircraft and pilots that the men of the 56th did, and I'd venture to say that if he'd have flown on the Western front he'd have gotten blasted out of the sky like Egon Mayer and most of the other high scoring German aces did who were transferred to the west.

[@tombrunila2695]

No there was not, it was about killing your enemy with all as little risk to oneself as possible. The preferred way was a surprise attack, much like stabbing some unsuspecting in the back! The "honor" is a myth stemming from WWI propaganda about the "knights of the air"!

[@RemusKingOfRome]

My enemy's enemy is my enemy .. I hope, give me an opportunity

[@tominva4121]

Any documentation on this? The units and loses?

[@TJ3]

The primary documentation I used was Hartmann's final interview transcript. It is quite a lengthy interview but this story is about two thirds of the way through.

[@AR-ly7yt]

GOAT

[@cranktaylor6866]

Hehe…”Confuse thy enemies.” -Confucius

[@simonvirus6417]

Awesome, talk about Karma.