An arrow through the clouds, the trump card will last forever.
Gerhardt. Mikarski
Gerhardt. Gerhard Michalski was born on June 25, 1917 in Augsdorf in the Mansfeld region. In early 1940 Mikarski was assigned to the 6/JG53 Squadron. On 31 March 1940, he won his first air victory. At that time, a French MS406 fighter formation was unsuspecting when it was attacked by the II./JG53 Group and was shot down 6 in an instant, and Lieutenant Mikarski was one of the five pilots who won the battle.
MS406 fighter
Subsequently, Mikarski took part in the Battle of Britain. On 1 October 1940, he was appointed Adjutant of the II./JG53 Brigade Headquarters. This was an important transition for young officers before they made their careers, and the captains could gain insight into some of their abilities in addition to flying, such as sense of responsibility, leadership, and so on. By 30 November, Mikarski had won eight victories in the bitter battle of the Germans. In his results, in addition to the Spitfire is the Hurricane fighter, the performance is satisfactory.
Hurricane fighter twin formation
On 22 June 1941, the day of Operation Barbarossa, Mikarski fired one SB-2 bomber and won his first victory on the Eastern Front, his 10th personal victory. By the end of September, he had raised his number of shots to 21. On 1 October 1940, Lieutenant Mikarski used his abilities to conquer the trust of the Wing Commander and was appointed Squadron Leader 4/JG53. Ii./JG53 Group then withdrew to Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, for recuperation. In late November, the brigade was ordered to be stationed in Sicily to cover the AFR's sea lines of transport.
Soviet SB-2 light bomber
During the battle in Malta, Mikarski became the most successful German pilot in the region. From January to May 1942, he shot down five Hurricanes, three Spitfires, and one P-40 with 31 victories. On 1 June 1942, he was appointed Captain of the II./JG53 Brigade. By the end of August he had won 15 more victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross on 4 September. On 15 October, during Mikarski's 500th Combat Mission, he was shot down by RaFA Spitfires at Marsaxxlokk Bay. He was fortunate enough to be rescued by the German Maritime Rescue Team's DO24 three-engine seaplane after parachuting into the sea.
Dornier DO-24 seaplane
In October 1942, the II./JG53 Brigade entered Tunisia. On January 1, 1943, Mikarski shot down a Spitfire over Bone, winning his 50th aerial victory. After the fall of Tunisia, the II./JG53 Brigade withdrew to Sicily to continue fighting. On June 18, Mikarski, who had already won 58 victories, was once again shot down by Spitfires near Donnafucata in Sicily, where he once again successfully parachuted and was once again rescued by German naval and air rescue teams, the only difference being that he was injured and treated at a hospital in Ragusa.
Spitfire and BF109 fight paintings
In late August 1943, Mikarski returned to JG53 United after returning from injury. On 1 September, Wing Commander Gunther. Colonel Günther Maltzahn (record 68) was forced to be hospitalized for severe malaria, and Mikarski, who had been promoted to major, temporarily took over the command of the wing. On 28 September, after recovering, the colonel returned to the unit to take over the power of wing commander, and Major Mi returned to his old unit II./JG53 as the captain of the brigade. In November 1943, II./JG53 was transferred to Austria to participate in the defense of the Empire.
Gunther. Martezza
On November 2, 1943, Mikalkalski fired a B-17 over Kaisdorf, his first four-engine heavy bomber and his 60th victory. From then until late April, Mikarski worked hard to defend Imperial airspace, killing four B-17s, three B-24s, and one P-38. On 24 April 1944, he was appointed Commander of the JG zbV Wing based in Kassel, commanding the battered and undermanned brigades III./JG3, I./JG5, II./JG27, III./JG54 and II./JG53.
P-38 twin-engine fighter
On May 1, 1944, before he could set fire to the ambitious new officer, Major Mikarski, he piloted the BF109G fighter and was shot down and slightly wounded in battle. After recovering, he was transferred to the Fighter Flight Training School on 20 May (Verbandsführerschule of the General de Jagdflieger, I don't know if the translation is correct) as an instructor. On 21 July, the Luftwaffe, who was desperate on the front lines, was in desperate need of outstanding commanders and pilots, and Mikarski was appointed I./JG11 Brigade Leader. On 18 August, he was promoted to JG4 Wing Captain. By early November, Mikarski had won four victories, capturing one Lancastrian, two B-17s and one Typhoon.
Lancaster heavy bomber
On November 25, 1944, Mikals Gene was awarded oak leaf ornaments for 72 victories. In early 1945, the Luftwaffe launched the last large-scale offensive of World War II (Operation Bottom plate) to cooperate with the Ardennes Campaign, which resulted in heavy casualties. Take Johannes. The middle and senior commanders of the fighter forces led by Johannes Steinhoff (Record 176) blamed the failure on the incompetence and incompetence of the upper echelons of the Air Force, the so-called "fighter pilot uprising." The end result was that his arms were barely thighs, some of the initiators were dismissed from command duties, and Mikarski was implicated.
Johannes. Steinhof
On March 8, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Mikarski piloted the final victory of the war on the Eastern Front. The battle was not so much about seeking results as it was his closing performance in the war. Unlike many ace pilots of his contemporaries, Gerhard. Mikarski survived the tragic Second World War II, winning 73 of his 652 combat missions, 59 of which were on the Western Front, including 13 heavy bombers and 29 Spitfire fighters. On 22 February 1946, he died in a car accident in a hospital in Kaltenkirchen.