Erich Hartmann

Erich Alfred Hartmann was a German fighter pilot during World War II and the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in aerial combat on 825 separate occasions. He was credited with shooting down a total of 352 Allied aircraft: 345 Soviet and 7 American while serving with the Luftwaffe. During his career, Hartmann was forced to crash-land his fighter 16 times after either mechanical failure or damage received from parts of enemy aircraft he had shot down; he was never shot down by direct enemy action.

19 April 1922

Born on the same birth day (19 April): Eliot Ness • Ernst Rüdin • Fernando Botero • Frederick of Naples • Iracema de Alencar • James Heckman • Jiroemon Kimura • Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine • Justin Rigali • Kelly Holmes • Kelly Olynyk • Ole Evinrude • Rivaldo • Roberto Tucci • Samuel C. Morrison Jr. • Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet • Suge Knight • Troy Polamalu • Veniamin Kaverin • Walter Stewart (journalist) • William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk

Born in the same month (April 1922): Alistair MacLean • Allan Watkins • Anton Murray • Gale Storm • James Holt (historian) • Kingsley Amis • Mongo Santamaría • Sheila Scott • Simon Kapwepwe