49 Facts About Hans Philipp

Hans Philipp was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II.

Hans Philipp is credited with 206 enemy aircraft shot down in over 500 combat missions.

Hans Philipp was raised under challenging financial circumstances, and volunteered for military service in the Wehrmacht in 1936.

Hans Philipp was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 22 October 1940 during the Battle of Britain.

Hans Philipp then fought in the aerial battles of the Balkans Campaign and Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Hans Philipp received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves after 62 aerial victories on 24 August 1941 and the Swords to his Knight's Cross on 12 March 1942, his score now at 86 aerial victories.

Hans Philipp claimed his 100th victory on 31 March 1942, the fourth fighter pilot to achieve this mark, and his 150th aerial victory on 14 January 1943.

Hans Philipp claimed four aircraft shot down on 17 March 1943 taking his total to 203 aerial victories.

Hans Philipp thus surpassed Hermann Graf as the leading German fighter pilot at the time, and six months after Graf, became the second pilot to claim more than 200 victories.

Hans Philipp was promoted to Major and given command as the Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 1 on 1 April 1943, conducting Defense of the Reich operations against the United States Army Air Forces.

Hans Philipp was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 October 1943 and was killed in action a week later on 8 October during an attack on Bremen.

Hans Philipp managed to bail out but his parachute failed to open.

Hans Philipp's father was Leopold Gushurst whom his mother had met while serving at the hospital at Meissen-Zaschendorf.

Hans Philipp's father made a living as a driver and as a laborer in the construction business.

Hans Philipp was baptized on 29 July 1917, taking the name Johannes Fritz, and was confirmed in 1931.

Hans Philipp's mother understood that education was essential to Philipp's future.

Hans Philipp worked very hard to raise the funds to pay for higher education in order to send Philipp to a Gymnasium.

Hans Philipp participated in various sporting events organized by the Christlicher Verein Junger Manner such as hiking, bicycling, skiing, paddling and rowing.

Hans Philipp was a member of the Hitlerjugend and received the HJ-Ehrenzeichen.

Hans Philipp learned to fly glider aircraft in the Hitler Youth and received his A and B glider license, leading the local HJ-Fliegerschar in Meissen.

Hans Philipp passed his physical examination to become a pilot, observer, aircraft mechanic and or radio operator on 6 September 1935 in Dresden.

The financial situation of the Hans Philipp family was always a cause for concern.

Hans Philipp wrote to the city council multiple times asking for the fees to be waived.

Hans Philipp was released early and started his military training as a Fahnenjunker on 6 April 1936 at the 2nd Air Warfare School at Gatow, on the south-western outskirts of Berlin.

Hans Philipp received the Pilot's Badge after completing these courses.

Hans Philipp was promoted to the officer rank of Leutnant on 24 February 1938, with the effective date was backdated to 1 January 1938.

Hans Philipp's unit was tasked with bomber escort and ground attack as well as combat air patrol missions.

Hans Philipp maneuvered himself into a favorable attack position and aimed carefully.

Hans Philipp lost his wingman during the Phoney War air skirmishes with the Armee de l'Air in late November 1939.

Hans Philipp claimed four victories in the early phase of the campaign which earned him the Iron Cross 1st Class on 31 May 1940.

Hans Philipp's opponents were from 32 Grupa which suffered eight Yugoslav-flown Bf 109s shot down.

Hans Philipp claimed his 62nd victory on 24 August 1941, an achievement which earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Hans Philipp was the 33rd member of the German armed forces to be so honored.

Hans Philipp returned to the Eastern Front at Krasnogwardejsk south of Leningrad and claimed his 101st to 103rd victories on 6 June 1942, which were mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 7 June.

Hans Philipp received the Croatian Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir 2nd Class with Swords on 15 September 1942 for his work with the Croatian Air Force Legion's fighter unit commanded by Franjo Dzal.

Hans Philipp's unit received the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in February 1943.

Hans Philipp quickly accumulated further victories, and on 17 March 1943, his 26th birthday, he claimed his 200th to 203rd enemy aircraft shot down, recognized by his fourth mention in the Wehrmachtbericht.

Hans Philipp was the second pilot after Hermann Graf to achieve this mark, and at the time was the most successful fighter pilot of the Luftwaffe.

The Stab Flight of the Geschwader heard Hans Philipp announce a victory over a Thunderbolt.

Hans Philipp last saw the Kommodore's aircraft disappear in a cloud.

The report filed by Reinhardt on 10 October 1943 stated that he and Hans Philipp had taken off at 14:11 on a mission against enemy bombers in the vicinity of Bremen.

Hans Philipp started his attack from the right, driving the attack to pointblank range, flaming one of the B-17s which crashed at 15:32.

Hans Philipp then flew under the formation to the left when he was hit from the defensive fire of a rear gunner on one of the B-17s which was lagging behind.

Reinhardt, who had seen that Hans Philipp had been hit, followed Hans Philipp down until he disappeared in a lower cloud layer.

Hans Philipp tried to return to his airfield, but was forced to bail out at low altitude at 15:45 between Hardenberg and Itterbeck, near Wielen.

Hans Philipp's parachute failed to open and the jump from an altitude of about 50 meters mortally wounded him.

Hans Philipp's body was recovered and examined in the field hospital in Rheine the next day.

From Rheine, on 10 October 1943 Hans Philipp's body was transported to Meissen by train where it arrived the next day.

Hans Philipp's mother died on 7 May 1973, her urn was buried next to her son.