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Kurt Buhligen was born in 1917, having a born desire to fly he joined the Luftwaffe on its inception. Buhligen joined initially as a mechanic but his forceful character soon qualified him as Fighter pilot material. The Luftwaffe accepted his request for a transfer, and he underwent pilot training throughout 1938 - 1939. By July 1940 he was assigned to JG 2 Richthofen. Buhligen scored his first victory on the 4th of September 1940 during the Battle of Britain, one year later his score had risen to 21. In December 1942 Buhligen was transferred to Tunisia, here Buhligen showed what a true fighter pilot he was shooting down no less than forty aircraft. Transferred back to the West in defence of his Homeland in early 1943 his score had reached 96. By 1944 he had shot down his 100th victim. While flying over Soviet held territory Buhligen's engine malfunctioned and he was forced to land. He was captured by the Russians and held as a POW until 1950. Buhligen scored a total of 112 victories. |