Hauptmann (captain) Walter Krupinski and Major Erich Hartmann: Altogether 549 confirmed aerial victories. Krupinski shot down 197 enemy planes on 1100 missions. Hartmann, the most succesful fighter ace of all times shot down 352 enemy planes on 1425 missions. Both survived the war and served in the new-founded german Bundeswehr (Krupinski as lieutenant general and Hartmann as colonel).

Walter Krupinski &amp; Erich Hartmann

Greece, 1941, Junkers Ju 88A of II. Gruppe/LG 1 (Lehrgeschwader 1), Luftflotte 2, X Fliegerkorps starting for take-off. The cadence of the take-off’s sequence is given by the man on the right provided with a flag. The bomber (L1+BK) in foreground, holding position on the runway threshold, engines take-off power, is ready for take-off and waiting only for the signal to leave, in practice the instruction “cleared for take-off”, given by the flag, normal practice in absence at this time  of control tower and radio communications on many airfield. A practice today simply unconceivable. Victor Sierra

Walter Krupinski &amp; Erich Hartmann

Walter Krupinski & Erich Hartmann