Luftwaffe fighter ace

Norbert Hannig himself modestly admits that he was a front-line airman or operational pilot who did nothing special during the Second World War. He was, as he says himself, just one of many rank-and-file pilots who fought for their country and not for the Führer. But his wartime career makes for a fascinating and highly informative read, especially about the campaign against the Soviet Union.

He belonged to the middle generation of Luftwaffe fighter pilots and in early 1943 began flying operationally in the 54th Fighter Wing on the Eastern Front (Leningrad). First with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and then retraining on the Focke-Wulf 190. He also served in the special operations unit JV 44, commanded by Adolf Galland.

After a year of combat deployment on the Eastern Front, he returned to Germany as a flight instructor. He was soon transferred back to Russia and in 1945 became a squadron leader. In the final phases of the war, he also flew the world's first jet aircraft, the Me-262. He ended the war with 42 victories from more than 200 missions. During the last chaotic months of the war, Norbert was captured by the Allies.