Gordon M. Gollob

Gordon M Gollob succeeded Adolf Galland as General der Jagdflieger. Born in Vienna on the 16th of June 1912, Gollob was a fighter pilot by 1936, and later a fighter instructor in the Austrian air arm with the rank of Leutnant. Gollob flew mainly in the Polish campaign where he scored the first of his many victories. By the summer of 1941 he was involved in operation Barbarossa. On the 1st of July 141 Gollob was promoted to Grupenkommandeur, and by September 1941 he had scored 41 victories and was awarded the Ritterkreuz. On the 18th of October 1941 he shot down 9 fighters in one day, Gollob was becoming an outstanding fighter pilot. On the 26th of  October he received the Eichenlaub to his ritterkreuz for his 85th victory. In December Gollob was recalled from the front and was assigned to the aircraft test center at Rechlin where he would remain until May 1942.

He returned to the front as Kommodore of JG 77 Herzas (Ace Of Hearts), he became the tenth Jagdwaffe pilot to reach the 100 victory mark and was awarded the Schwerten to his Ritterkreuz on the 24th of June 1942. Under his leadership JG 77 performed with great success on the southern |Russian front, and on the 29th of August 1942 Gollob became the Luftwaffes leading ace with 150 victories, on the following day he became the third Luftwaffe officer to receive the Brillanten to his Ritterkreuz. From October 1942 until April 1944 he became involved in new fighter projects, such as jet and rocket propelled aircraft. In December 1944 he headed a special fighter unit at the Battle Of The Bulge, and became General der Jagdfleger on the 31st of January 1945. In all Gollob flew 350 missions and scored 150 victories an incredible record.