Hans Henrik "Hasse" Wind (July 30, 1919, Ekenäs - July 24, 1995, Tampere) was a Finnish fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II with 75 confirmed air combat victories.

Wind started his pilot career in 1938 by volunteering to a pilot course. He was a reserve officer in the Winter War 1939-1940 but didn't fly because of lack of available planes. He finished his officer examination in the summer of 1941 and after that he participated in the Continuation War in fighter squadron 24.

He flew a Brewster B239 (the export version of the Brewster Buffalo}, which is thought to be one of the world's most failed airplanes, in 1941-1943. In 1943-1944 he flew a German Messerschmitt Bf 109. Hans Wind is considered as one of the most skillful aerial tacticians in the Finnish Air Force, and he wrote the combat manual for the Brewster after analyzing the disaster of the Battle of Midway in 1942.

Wind was awarded with his first Mannerheim Cross on 31 July 1943 and the second one on 28 June 1944. He was promoted to captain in 19 October 1943 when he was only 24 years old.

In the summer of 1944 Wind shot down 30 enemy airplanes in 12 days. He was wounded seriously in a battle against a much bigger squadron on 28 July 1944. He still managed to fly and land at the airfield even though the plane didn't have all its instruments after being damaged by the enemy. Wind recovered from his wounds but never flew against the enemy again. He left the Finnish Air Force in 1945 and worked in business until his retirement.

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Barkhorn flew his first combat sorties over Belgium and France during the Battle of France, and later over England during the Battle of Britain, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109E. He did not have any success at shooting down the enemy, although he flew many combat sorties and was shot down into the English Channel twice. On 1 August 1940, Barkhorn was transferred to 6./JG 52. Shortly thereafter he was rewarded with the Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse. In Staffel, he flew alongside another promising pilot, Hans-Joachim Marseille.

In 1941, JG 52 was transferred to the east and participated in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union on 21 June 1941. Not long after, Gerhard Barkhorn made his first victory, shooting down a Red Air Force aircraft on 2 July 1941, while flying his 120th combat sortie. This victory seemed to have a reassuring effect on Barkhorn, who finally had found his 'shooting eye'. By November, his tally had reached 10 victories, and he was promoted to Oberleutnant on 11 November 1941.

On 21 May 1942, Barkhorn was appointed Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 52. He continued to score victories over the next year, until on 19 July 1942, he became "ace in one day" by shooting down 6 aircraft in his Bf 109F. However he was wounded on 25 July and was put out of action for two months, returning to combat in October. On 23 August 1942, Barkhorn received the Ritterkreuz for having shot down a total of 64 aircraft. On 19 December 1942, Barkhorn reached 100 victories, a feat for which he was awarded Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz on 11 January 1943. During this period, JG 52 switched to the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 aircraft.

Gerhard Barkhorn, now a Hauptmann, was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 52 on 1 September 1943. By this time he had over 150 victories under his belt, and he reached his 200th victory on 30 November 1943. By 13 February 1944, he reached 250 victories, and a price was put on his head by the Red Air Force. Shortly thereafter, on 2 March, he was given the Schwerter to his Ritterkreuz. He attended the wedding of fellow ace Erich Hartmann as the best man. Barkhorn was promoted to Major on 1 May 1944.

On 31 May 1944, Barkhorn was shot down by a Russian P-39 Airacobra. He managed to crash-land behind his own lines but was severely wounded and was hospitalized for four months. Returning to the fray in October, he claimed his 275th victory on 14 November. Barkhorn scored his 301st and final victory on 5 January 1945.

On 16 January 1945, Barkhorn was assigned as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 6, a unit assigned to defence of the Reich equipped with the Focke-Wulf Fw-190D (although Barkhorn preferred to keep his Bf 109G-6 fighter as well). JG 6 was a unit mostly consisting of new recruits and former Bf-110 pilots and suffered heavy losses against the American air fleets. Barkhorn did not last long in this position and was forced to take a medical absence because of severe physical and mental strain.

After his hospitalization, Barkhorn was invited by Adolf Galland to join the elite Jagdverband 44 flying the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet-fighter. He found flying the Me 262 over the western front difficult, and he did not score any victories in it. On 21 April 1945, he flew his 1104th and last mission. The engine of his aircraft flamed out as he was approaching an enemy bomber formation, and he was forced to make an emergency landing. As he approached the airfield his plane was attacked by several prowling P-51 fighters, but Barkhorn managed to land his burning plane. He received a slight wound as a result of this action. Taken prisoner, he was released from Allied captivity in September 1945. Barkhorn claimed 301 victories in 1,104 operational sorties. His total included 110 Yak fighters, 87 LaGG fighters, 21 Il-2's and 12 twin-engined medium bombers. He was shot down 9 times, bailed out once and was wounded 3 times.

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Posted to 234 Squadron in November 1939, and 238 Squadron in September 1940, Bob Doe achieved great success during the Battle of Britain, scoring 14 and 3 shared victories. He was one of the few pilots to fly both the Hurricane and the Spitfire. In October he was shot down, but rejoined the squadron soon after, however in January 1941 he suffered engine failure and was forced to crash land, suffering severe injuries resulting in plastic surgery.
Able to resume operational flying in May 1941, he joined 66 Squadron, moving to 130 Squadron in August. In July 1943 he joined 118 Squadron, then 613 Squadron flying Mustangs. In October he was posted to the Far East to form 10 Squadron Indian Air Force on Hurricanes, which he led in Burma.

Erich Alfred "Bubi" Hartmann (April 19, 1922 - September 20, 1993), also nicknamed "The Blond Knight Of Germany" by friends and "The Black Devil" by his enemies, is the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial combat. He scored 352 aerial victories (of which 345 were flown by the Soviet Air Force, and 260 of which were fighters) in 1,404 combat missions and engaging in aerial combat 825 times while serving with the Luftwaffe in World War II. Hartmann was forced to crash land his damaged fighter 14 times. This was due to damage received from parts of enemy aircraft he had just shot down, or mechanical failure. Hartmann was never shot down or forced to land due to enemy fire.

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Following service aboard a cruiser, 1935-37, McCampbell applied for flight training and was accepted. He received his "wings of gold" in 1938 and was assigned to Fighting Squadron Four on the East Coast. Subsequently he became a landing signal officer and survived the sinking of USS Wasp (CV-7) off Guadalcanal in September 1942.

McCampbell formed VF-15 on 1 September 1943 and led the squadron before being assigned as Commander of Air Group Fifteen in February 1944 to September 1944. As Commander Air Group (CAG) 15, he was in charge of fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex. From April to November 1944, his group saw six months of continuous combat and participated in two major air-sea battles, the First and Second Battles of the Philippine Sea. During the more than 20,000 hours of air combat operations before it returned to the United States for a rest period, Air Group 15 destroyed more enemy planes (315 airborne and 348 on the ground) and sank more enemy shipping than any other Air Group in the Pacific War. Air Group 15’s attacks on the Japanese in the Marianas and at Iwo Jima, Taiwan, and Okinawa were key to the success of the “island hopping” campaign.

In addition to his duties as commander of the “Fabled Fifteen,” then Commander McCampbell became the Navy’s “Ace of Aces” during the missions he flew in 1944. McCampbell flew three F6F Hellcats while aboard the Essex: an F6F-3 named The Minsi, an F6F-5 named Minsi II, and an F6F-5N named Minsi III (Bureau Number 70143), in which he scored the last 20 of his 34 kills.

On June 19, 1944, during the "Marianas Turkey Shoot," Cdr. McCampbell shot down seven Japanese aircraft, to become an "Ace in a day." On October 24, 1944, he repeated the feat, the only American airman to do so. McCampbell and his wingman attacked a Japanese force of 60 aircraft. McCampbell shot down nine, setting a single mission aerial combat record. When he landed his Grumman F6F Hellcat, his six machine guns had two rounds remaining and the plane had only enough fuel to keep it aloft for 10 more minutes. Cdr. McCampbell received the Medal of Honor for both actions, becoming the only fast carrier task force pilot to be so honored.

For his brilliant record in command of Air Group 15, McCampbell was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, Legion of Merit with Combat “V”, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Gold Stars in lieu of the second and third awards, and the Air Medal.

Following World War II, McCampbell had several postings, including command of the carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) during the Korean War. He also served as the plans division chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Captain McCampbell retired from active duty in 1964. He died in 1996 and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Hans Ekkehard Bob (24 January 1917) was a German Fighter pilot, serving with the Luftwaffe. During World War II, Bob flew approximately seven hundred combat missions, and claimed 60 victories, 37 of which were on the eastern front.

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Heinz (Oskar-Heinrich) "Pritzl" Bär (21 March 1913 - 28 April 1957) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace who served through the whole of World War II. He had a total of 221 victories, fighting in all the major German theaters of war, including the Western, Mediterranean and Eastern front. He was shot down 18 times during the course of flying about 1000 combat missions.
During the war Bär had shot down a total of 124 Western Allied aircraft, second only to Hpt. Hans-Joachim Marseille with 158 claims.

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Anderson was born in Oakland, California, and raised on a farm near Newcastle, California. In January 1942 he enlisted in the United States Army as an aviation cadet and received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant in September 1942.

Anderson flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in Europe while with the 363rd Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group, based at RAF Leiston, England, and was the group's 3rd leading ace with 16 1/4 aerial victories. His P-51, nicknamed Old Crow, carried him safely through 116 missions without being hit by fire from enemy aircraft and without Anderson ever having to turn back for any reason. He returned to the United States in February 1945 in the rank of captain.

Helmut Ruffler joined 9./JG3 in february 1941 and soon proved himself a masterful fighter pilot. His scores mounted quickly and by the end of 1942 his tally stood at 50 victories. Surviving being shot down in June 1943, he was posted as a flight instructor but was sent back into battle, joining 4./JG3 in defense of the Reich. In March, 1945, he was promoted to leader of 9./JG51. Shot down 5 times during the war, Ruffler flew over 690 missions and scored 98 victories.

# 5. matsissaan eka skilli.

Among the many outstanding pilots who received their combat wings via the 49th FG was George E. Preddy, Jr. He was assigned to the 49th FG on March 5 1942 and served until he was transferred out on October 10, 1942 following a mid-air collision on July 12, 1942. Although he is not credited with any victories during his tour, he gained immeasurable experience flying with likes of Joe Kruzel and ace I B “Jack” Donaldson.

His star would shine when he was assigned to the famous “Bluenose Bastards of Bodney”, the 352nd FG who served in the European Theater of Operations. Preddy’s career would tragically end when he was KIA by friendly fire on Christmas Day 1944. During his tour with the 352nd FG, he set an ETO record by destroying 6 German fighter aircraft on August 6th, 1944 on a single mission for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. On October 28, 1944 he was made CO of the 328th FS. Leading by example, his squadron on November 2, 1944 destroyed 24 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, an ETO record. Preddy was the highest scoring ace flying the P-51 Mustang and the 3rd ranking ace in the ETO with 26.83 aerial victories. He is ranked 8th overall among all US Aces serving the US during WWII."

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When World War I started, Immelmann was recalled to active service, transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte and was sent for pilot training in November 1914. He was initially stationed in northern France as a reconnaissance aviator. On June 3, 1915 he was shot down by a French pilot but managed to land safely behind German lines. He was decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class for preserving his aircraft. Later in 1915, he became a fighter pilot. He became known as Eagle of Lille (Der Adler von Lille).

Immelmann was the first pilot to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour. The medal became colloquially known as the "Blue Max" in the German Air Service in honor of Immelmann. His medal was presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II in January 1916. Oswald Boelcke received his medal at the same ceremony.

Immelmann was killed in combat over Sallaumines in northern France on June 18, 1916. Some sources, including the German Air Service at the time, claimed the loss was due to (friendly) anti-aircraft artillery. Others, including his brother, believed his aircraft's interrupter mechanism (which was designed to prevent his through-the-propeller machinegun from damaging the propeller blades) had catastrophically malfunctioned. According to the official British account he was shot down by an F.E.2b aircraft of 25 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, flown by Second Lieutenant G.R. McCubbin with Corporal J. H. Waller as gunner/observer. Corporal Waller was credited with the victory by the Royal Flying Corps. However, the official German account today lists the loss as due to artillery fire.

Immelmann was credited with 15 victories. His final victory was on 30 March 1916.

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In October 1943, Gabreski reported to the Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command in England, at that time a rudimentary new headquarters. After a lengthy period of inactivity, he tried to arrange duty with the 303 Squadron, but that unit had been taken out of action for a period of rest. Instead he was attached to the 315th Polish "Deblinski" Fighter Squadron at RAF Northolt in January 1943.

Gabreski flew the new Spitfire Mark IX. He and his fellow pilots flew patrol sweeps over the Channel. He first encountered Luftwaffe opposition on February 3, when a group of Fw 190s jumped his squadron. Too excited to make a kill, Gabreski learned that he had to keep calm during a mission, a lesson that served him well later in the war. He later spoke with great esteem about the Polish pilots and lessons he learned from them. In all Gabreski flew 20 missions with the Poles.

On February 27, 1943, Gabreski became part of the 56th Fighter Group, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt, assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron, and quickly became a flight leader. He was immediately resented by many of his fellow pilots, and his opinionated, verbose personality did little to ameliorate the situation. In May, shortly after the group moved to RAF Halesworth and entered combat, Gabreski was promoted to major.

On November 26, 1943, the 56th FG was assigned to cover the withdrawal of B-17s that had bombed Bremen, Germany. The P-47s arrived to find the bombers under heavy attack near Oldenburg and dove into the fray. Gabreski recorded his fourth and fifth kills to become an ace, but had a close brush with death when a 20 millimeter cannon shell lodged in his engine without exploding.

On 20 July 1944, Gabreski had reached the 300-hour combat time limit for Eighth Air Force fighter pilots and was awaiting a plane to fly him back to the United States on leave and reassignment. He had already advised Kay Cochran to proceed with wedding plans, and his home town of Oil City, Pennsylvania, had raised $2,000 for a wedding present in anticipation of his return.

However, Gabreski found that an escort mission was scheduled for that morning, and instead of boarding the transport he requested to "fly just one more." During a strafing pass of He 111s parked on the airfield at Bassenheim, Germany, his Thunderbolt's propeller clipped the runway, bending the tips. The damage caused his engine to vibrate violently and he was forced to crash land. Gabreski ran into nearby woods and eluded capture for five days, but was captured. After being interrogated by Hanns Scharff, Gabreski was sent to Stalag Luft I. He was liberated when Russian forces seized the camp in April 1945.

Gabreski was officially credited by the USAF with 28 aircraft destroyed in air combat and 3 on the ground, flying 166 combat sorties. He was assigned five P-47s during his time with the 56th FG, none of which was ever named, but all of which bore the fuselage identification codes HV: A.

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Vuonna 1939 Luukkanen oli yksi suhteellisen harvoista hävittäjälentäjistä, jotka harjoittelivat tulevaa sotaa varten konekiväärikameralla varustetuila Fokker -hävittäjillä. Harjoitteella löydettiin oikea tekniikka venäläisten pommikoneiden alasampumiseen.
Luukkanen sai ensimmäisen ilmavoiton sodan toisena päivänä. Hän sai vihollisen pommikoneeseen 187 osumaa ammuttuaan kaikki Fokkerin panokset. Vain siipi oli huonosti panssaroitu ja sytytti polttoainetankit – tämä tieto levitettiin kaikille. FR-104 tuhoutui oman it:n tulessa 18. joulukuuta.

Luukkanen nimitettiin Mannerheim-ristin ritariksi numero 127 18. kesäkuuta 1943. Tuohon aikaan hänet äkillisesti siirrettiin tiedustelulaivueen komentajaksi, jossa tehtävässä hän lensi Polikarpov I-153 Tsaikka -koneilla.
Kun hävittäjälentolaivue 34:n komentaja majuri Erkki Olavi Ehrnrooth kuoli lento-onnettomuudessa, Luukkanen nimitettiin Messerschmitt Bf 109 -koneilla lentävän laivueen komentajaksi.

Hänet ammuttiin alas tähystyspallon pudotuskeikalla 19. kesäkuuta 1944 ja hän teki onnekkaan pakkolaskun suurella nopeudella umpimetsään. Hän lensi sodassa eniten taistelulentoja, yhteensä 441. Hän ampui myös jatkosodan viimeisen viholliskoneen alas. Kaikkiaan hän saavutti 56 ilmavoittoa.

Toisin kuin muut lentäjät, jotka maalasivat koneisiinsa viivoja tai tähtiä ilmavoittojen merkeiksi, Luukkanen merkitsi jokaisen ilmavoittonsa koneensa peräsimeen kiinnittämällään pilsneripullon etiketillä. Joppe Karhusen kirjassa Magnussonin laivue - suurten ilmavoittojen salaisuus on kuva, jossa Luukkanen seisoo lentäjänpuvussaan näin koristellun nimikko-Brewsterinsä pyrstön vieressä saatuaan komennuksen toisiin tehtäviin.

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Sarvanto palveli talvisodan syttyessä Lentolaivue 24:n neljännessä lentueessa. Hän saavutti ensimmäiset ilmavoittonsa 23. joulukuuta ampumalla alas kaksi SB-2 -pommikonetta. Talvisodan taisteluita seuranneen maailman tietoisuuteen Sarvanto nousi loppiaisena 1940. Hänet hälytettiin torjuntalennolle tavoittamaan Kuopiota pommittanutta 7-koneista DB-3 -muodostelmaa, josta hän ampui neljän minuutin kuluessa kuusi konetta alas käyttäen kaikki 2 000 konekivääripatruunaansa. Myös Sarvannon omaan koneeseen tuli 23 venäläisten konekiväärien tekemää luodinreikää. Sarvanto saavutti talvisodan loppuun mennessä 12 5/6 ilmavoittoa. Sarvannon talvisodan aikaisten ansioiden perusteella hänelle myönnettiin Suomen Vapaudenristi. Hänelle ehdotettiin takautuvasti Mannerheim-ristiä, mutta talvisodan ansioista ehdotettuja nimityksiä ei lopulta jaettu kenellekään.

Jatkosodan alkaessa Sarvanto palveli edelleen LLv 24:ssä, jonka kalustona oli nyt Brewster -hävittäjät. 2. lentueen varapäällikkönä hän saavutti sodan alussa kaksi ilmavoittoa, kunnes hänet siirrettiin kapteeniksi ylennettynä Ilmavoimien esikuntaan. Tämän jälkeen hän toimi vuoden 1942 toukokuusta elokuuhun Koelaivueen päällikkönä, jonka jälkeen seurasi komennus yhteysupseeriksi saksalaiseen Luftflottenkommando 1:een. 16. tammikuuta 1943 hänet siirrettiin takaisin LeLv 24:n lentävään henkilökuntaan, ensimmäisen lentueen päälliköksi. Sarvanto saavutti vielä 2 ilmavoittoa, jotka nostivat hänen ilmavoittojensa määrän 16 5/6:een. 9. heinäkuuta 1943 tullut uusi komennus vei Sarvannon ensin Kadettikoulun ilmasotaosaston johtoon ja sen jälkeen Täydennyslentolaivue 35:n lentueen päälliköksi kesäkuussa 1944.

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