The WWII Ace Who Shot Down 18 Fighters In One Day
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- Опубліковано 7 кві 2022
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This is the story of German Ace Emil Lang's 18 kill day in November of 1943 over the Eastern front in World War II. This would be the most for any Luftwaffe pilot and any ace in history. This was made using the World War II flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles series. Hope you enjoy! Please like, comment, and subscribe. #WW2 #WWIIHistory #WarThunder
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A delightful video. Glad to know this guy did what he did.
Trust me, when you will have subtitles in french, I shall do it.
Very well done TJ! Hauptmann Emil "Bully" Lang is credited for 173 victories in 403 missions. According to German Federal Archives there are aerial victory records for 1 MiG-3, 7 P-39, 6 P-40, 7 LaGG-3, 46 La-5 and 50 Jak-7/9 on the Eastern Front and 4 P-38, 6 P-47, 9 P-51 and 9 Spitfires on the Western Front. Other victories includes several Sturmoviks, one Lysander and one probably B-17. That's especially for all the guys, who think, Lang only fought against "slower" and "obsolete" enemy aircraft :)
He didn't last long once he got in the big leagues...just saying. He was dead less than 3 months once going to the Western front.
@@robertelmo7736 don't forget, he was shot with his gear down, mechanical issues and no air speed. The most skilled pilot would be in serious trouble, caught with their pants down while staring down a mustang with blood soaked teeth gritted!! Just saying. In this scenario I imagine the mustang was staring "Bully's" helpless booty down.
@@robertelmo7736 Please watch the video of TJ 'til the end, he declared the circumstances of Lang's death. The mechanical problems of Lang's Fw 190 A-8 after he took off had nothing to do with a "big league", my friend. Or do you think, the Mustangs, Thunderbolts, Lightnings and Spitfires he shot down in less than 3 months over the invasion front were only "lucky punches"? And by the way - airwar and dogfights have nothing to do with sports or games!
@@mongoose4117 Yeah, that's how the Americans did it. They would catch the Germans at their airfields taking off or landing. Especially the Me262's they would follow them back and shoot them down while they were out of fuel and trying to land lol...
@@robertelmo7736 sop
Erich Rudorffer only shot down 14 planes a day, but 13 in just one mission in 17 minutes. That's also a world record. He fought on all fronts and shot down roughly the same number of enemies in the east as in the west. He had 222 aerial victories.
Rudorffer is known for overclaiming. Most of his kills on the Me-262 can not be corroberated by allied files.
He did manage to live to 98 years of age though (he died in 2016)!
@@gerardusch I know Herr Rudorffer personally, he wasn't a boaster or braggart. He never boasted about his kills. He didn't have to. The German system of awarding kills was far more accurate and harsh than any Allied system. Some Allied pilots saved their lives by faking their downing. However, the German experts in particular had many kills that were never recognized due to a lack of witnesses. With the Me262 he only had 12 kills. With no experts or aircraft to match, the Allies were reluctant to shoot down the Me262 on approach. An exceptional pilot like Rudorffer had no real opponents in the air with the Me262. The 12 aerial victories are more than credible and attested.
On November 6, 1943, Erich Rudorffer claimed 13 victories over the Yak-7 in one battle. In reality, there were 12 Soviet aircraft from the 728 IAP, and they all returned to their airfield. All victories were fantasy...
@@vitaliacote3670 At first glance, one might think that the results of the German pilots were influenced by the demands of Dr. Goebbels was inflated, which was also claimed by several authors.
After a thorough review of the German kill reports, it is safe to say that for the bulk of them this was not the case. As is well known, the Germans are excellent bureaucrats, and before an individual pilot's claim to an aerial victory was confirmed, he had to go through a lengthy review by the firing commission.
No claim was accepted unless there was an independent witness to the shoot-down in the air or on the ground and unless wreckage was found that appeared to be related to the claim.
Sometimes this decision-making process took more than six months and was far more thorough than anything the RAF or the USAAF - and almost certainly the Red Air Force - did to achieve this.
Since the Luftwaffe was forced into the defensive on the various fronts, which began in the West in 1941 and spread to all fronts by the fall of 1943, the vast majority of air combat took place over German territory.
Under these conditions, a German pilot would have had considerable difficulty in confirming a victory if the dogfight had taken place over land and wreckage had not been found later.
The firing board was not perfect and mistakes were occasionally made. However, the organization was as effective as could be expected under wartime conditions - and it was certainly more thorough than any Allied counterpart.
The German system did not allow for shared victories to be taken into account. The pilot who was considered to have played the main role in destroying the enemy aircraft received kill recognition. There was also no recognition for probable victories.
By the way, I know a pilot who was flying in the 2nd group with Erich Rudorffer in the JG54 at the time in question. He can attest to Rudorffer's abilities and has confirmed several kills himself. He is still alive and his name is Hugo Broch. Unfortunately, most of the Russian planes exploded. If a plane was on fire and spinning downwards, it could actually be assumed that it had been shot down. But there may well have been pilots who were still able to land their plane. But that is negligible. Your problem is rather that you think the Stalinist propaganda is real. Soviet statements can only be believed if they are confirmed by other credible witnesses.
@@vitaliacote3670 At first glance, one might think that the results of the German pilots were influenced by the demands of Dr. Goebbels was inflated, which was also claimed by several authors.
After a thorough review of the German kill reports, it is safe to say that for the bulk of them this was not the case. As is well known, the Germans are excellent bureaucrats, and before an individual pilot's claim to an aerial victory was confirmed, he had to go through a lengthy review by the firing commission.
No claim was accepted unless there was an independent witness to the shoot-down in the air or on the ground and unless wreckage was found that appeared to be related to the claim.
Sometimes this decision-making process took more than six months and was far more thorough than anything the RAF or the USAAF - and almost certainly the Red Air Force - did to achieve this.
Since the Luftwaffe was forced into the defensive on the various fronts, which began in the West in 1941 and spread to all fronts by the fall of 1943, the vast majority of air combat took place over German territory.
Under these conditions, a German pilot would have had considerable difficulty in confirming a victory if the dogfight had taken place over land and wreckage had not been found later.
The firing board was not perfect and mistakes were occasionally made. However, the organization was as effective as could be expected under wartime conditions - and it was certainly more thorough than any Allied counterpart.
The German system did not allow for shared victories to be taken into account. The pilot who was considered to have played the main role in destroying the enemy aircraft received kill recognition. There was also no recognition for probable victories.
By the way, I know a pilot who was flying in the 2nd group with Erich Rudorffer in the JG54 at the time in question. He can attest to Rudorffer's abilities and has confirmed several kills himself. He is still alive and his name is Hugo Broch. Unfortunately, most of the Russian planes exploded. If a plane was on fire and spinning downwards, it could actually be assumed that it had been shot down. But there may well have been pilots who were still able to land their plane. But that is negligible. Your problem is rather that you think the Stalinist propaganda is real. Soviet statements can only be believed if they are confirmed by other credible witnesses.
German aces are basically LEGENDS! 💪💪
people appear to forget the humans killed
@@scottessery100 Amen.
Basically every ace.
Still Nazis though
@@scottessery100 I see your point but still Allied soldiers are heralded as heroes.
TJ, can you do a story on Adolf (Adi) Glunz of JG26? Never shot down, and his only injury occurred when he was caught on the toilet during an air raid. A highly skilled and thoughtful pilot who spent all of his time flying in the West. I really enjoy your work.
Have you read JG-26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe? It has many stories in it of Glunz and how he fought through the war as one of the best NCO pilots in the West eventually due to merit and attrition becoming an officer
@@mikebrase5161 Yes, if you mean Donald Caldwells’ book. A great read. I have a copy. There was also a story of him during Bodenplatte where there was an attack on an Allied airfield. Of the very disorganised attack, one aircraft was seen to be flown so masterfully the Aussie chap telling the story (a defender) said he stopped firing to watch. The pilot was later identified as Adi.
@@jamesroseby3823 I was an Infantryman for 20 years in the US Army. That book was in my cargo pocket for a lot of that time. As hurry up and wait is a real thing in the Army. Over my career I must have read that book 20 times. It did 3 Iraq deployments.
@@mikebrase5161 That book would also compliment your body armour. 😉 Glad you survived your tours and are able to talk about it. It’s also nice that someone else in the world can appreciate the skills of an individual no matter for which side that person was fighting….Some things are simply the luck of where and when you were born. A long and healthy life to you, sir.
Finnish ace ilmari juttilinen has a similar story.never shot downed.
the Bully flying the butcher bird as the FW 190 was known ( on his record breaking day ) , how appropriate !!
Unbelievable. Especially when you see that other pilots went through the entire conflict with less than that.
Growing up I knew an ex Spitfire pilot who had fallen on bad times and worked in a spares place. He got his wings some time around 1943 and never shot anything down.
Still he was an interesting man and told me great stories about the war.
An aunt of mine lived with a travelling salesman who had been a B24 bomber pilot and was based in north Africa and Italy during the war. He had some harrowing tales to tell.
Bruh I can’t believe this legend died to a spawn kill
His last words were
“Hey! That’s spawn killing! He’s spawn killing!”
Amazing video TJ you always manage to top yourself with each new video as they just keep getting better. Thank you for all your hard work, Can't wait to see your next video. Have a Great weekend.
Marseille downed 17 in a day in N. Africa. French name German Air Force. Crazy world. I think his full name is Hans Joachim Marseille. Look it up. Over one hundred kills in less than a year.
French name because he had French Huguenot ancestry.
Great job as always, thank you TJ,.
Had he not had a landing gear malfunction, he woulda tallied one more victory.
Many of the great german aces were simply KILLING MACHINES, The FW 190 was every bit the equal to the P51, Fast ,agile, heavily armed and the best roller of WW2. Many american. Pilots who flew captured FW190 said it was a absolute Cadillac to fly and a pilots dream.
An American pilot took one up and after a few minutes was barrel rolling 50 feet off the runway.
Great plane but impossible to keep up with minute improvements the British and Americans could deliver.
Also no fuel to properly train pilots.
It's actually a BMW to fly.
I always loved the FW 190. A great balance of everything, with a Radial engine, unusual for the Germans.
@@JimHabash Dr Kurt Tank really knew his stuff. Even to the end of WW2 it competed with the P51 and Latest versions of the Spitfire as best Bird of the war. Put a german ace like Hartmann or Marsaille in a 190 and Richard bong, americas greatest ace in his 38 and BONGS TOAST. THE 190 was s fantastic aircraft and best roller of the war.
For me were just best trained officials, due to his long permanence on duty but don't had to straffing her counterparts pilots on their parachutes, as many american pilots had that as a rule - and proudly stated this...
Outstanding video and presentation
Nice video, audio and voice. The audio effects have been tuned down, below the voice level. Great job!
Great video. One small correction; It’s “Deutsche”Lufthansa and not “Dutch” since the latter is a different country (the Netherlands) and the first means German.
yeh, his research is kinda loose, but still a good channel.
Maybe the "e" at the end of `Deutsche´ was silent :)
Great story but guys German pronunciation are comical! Lol
That confused me initially as to why he was flying a Dutch airline
Great story! Thanks for the video! But It would be great to add more information about his tactics and skills, that helped him to win and survive. For example, we all know how Hartmann was hunting for enemy planes, how he decided to attack or not, and all his rules in combat. But how did Emil Lang act? Did he hunt as Hartmann, or he fought in dogfights?
Great story🔥🔥🔥🛫
Exceptional but I still think Hans Joachim Marseille was the ultimate fighter pilot since he faced much better trained pilots.
erich hartmann
The 🌟 of Afrika
Man this guy had beaten Erich Hartmann easily. But it was a great vid
Hartmann shot down 15 in a day and 10 several times so easily ? no
Rudorffer Shot down 13 in 17 minutes.
I knew about him already but still it was a great video TJ.
What an absolute legend 👌🏻
But a stinking Nazi
As an American I have to give him so much respect for doing his job awesome.
Hey Tj can you please do some videos on the Japanese ace Saburo Sakai!?
18 kills in a single day I never thought that could happen!
Hans Joaquim Marsaille had 17 against the British.
@@twolak1972 seen the video that Tj did about him a few weeks ago. I don't even think Manfred von richthofen had claimed at least 10 kills in a single day.
@@twolak1972 Eric Hartman claimed many kills in a single day as well.
@@twolak1972 Marseille claimed 17 but it is likely he actually got 8
@@gswombat no. If he said he got 17 , he did. Hans never cheated on his kill tallies, he like Hartmann did nt go around pounding their chests like the american pilots did after be coming a ace after ONLY 5 KILLS, PATHETIC.
Excellent video! Thanks!
Can you do a a cinematic series plz
Walter Dahl would make a great story. We used to sit and listen to him talk and listen to records of YNW's speeches!
There were claims that Lang was shot down by Terry Spencer of 41 Sqn RAF flying a Spitfire Mk.XII that day, rather than by US P-51Ds.
How do make or have the graphics for your Videos?
Crazy he was able to make his ammo last long enough to knock down that many planes.
From the memoirs of Norbert Hannig, another vet of II/JG54; a 'schwarm' of FWs got to stay behind to support the German Army's battle to hang on to the city of Kiev. I think, Lang flew something like 4 or 5 separate sorties to score the vics. I don't know what the losses actually were, but the Soviet Airforce was flying in such huge numbers, a couple FWs would barely be noticed==regiments of IL2s flying from fields so close to the city they didn't even bother to retract their landing gear==they'd go back, land and rearm and off they went again. Covering them were more regiments of fighters==many of them were LA-5/7s
.....yeah.........., Too crazy!
No doubt the armament of the Fw-190 was a great asset in these actions
Please take this kind possible correction. I believe the name of the country mentioned often in this great video was Yugoslavia not Yugoslav. The official name of the state was changed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia on 3 October 1929.
I'm glad you can pack another commercial in the video because we can never get enough of that shit.
Dutch Lufthansa?
He Must be a Great Deflection Shooter
I think it was one of the best Armys ever .
Great job Bully .
like almost all military experts.
Triple & 1/2 a day. Wow. Shows the better plane in action with a lethal pilot.
It wasn't called the Focke Wulf scourge for nothing.
WOW NEVER HERD OF THIS STORY
I don't know who does the closed captioning, but I am guessing it's an automatic system, as I can't imagine a person would have written 'the vermont' instead of 'the Wehrmacht.' It's at the 5:41 mark. The boo-boo ads a humorous note to the reading. Anyway, good video. I too, as others mentioned, why only 1 fighter out by himself.
On November 2, 1943, pilots of II./JG 54 claimed 35 victories (16 Il-2, 15 Yak-7, 4 La-5). The true losses of Soviet aircraft amounted to 10 units (2 Il-2, 2 Yak-7 and 6 La-5). So there was no record.
How many were confirmed and validated by actual enemy losses that day?
All.
Dream on
101st, 102nd and 103rd claims
3.11.43/0931, 0932 and 0933
3 x IL-2 Sturmoviks
Lyutezh sector
5 ShAK (4 GShAD and 264 ShAD) of 2 VA. Details pending
104th and 105th claims
3.11.43/0935 and 0936
2 x Yak-7s
Kassorivichi - Glebovka
256 IAD. Overclaiming, only two Yak-7s damaged and forced to belly-land during the whole day
106th claim
3.11.43/0940
IL-2 Sturmovik
ENE of Glebovka
5 ShAK (4 GShAD and 264 ShAD) of 2 VA. Details pending
107th claim
3.11.43/0942
Yak-7
ENE of Glebovka
256 IAD. Overclaiming, only two Yak-7s damaged and forced to belly-land during the whole day
108th claim
3.11.43/1300
La-5
ENE of Blistawizd @ 2500m
Legitimate victory.This one known to be from 3 GIAP. Pilot KIA
112th and 113th claims
3.11.43/1420 and 1422
2 x La-5s
NW of Vyshgorod (N of Kiev) @ 3000m and N of Kiev @ 1000m
235 IAD, 256 IAD and 8 GIAD of 2 VA. Day's losses in the Kiev area include Vladimir Kuzmich Kuleshov HSU, OL, 2 x ORB and Red Star KIA
….I will hold off repeating the details of 256 IAD and 5 ShAK for the day
@@WALTERBROADDUS Source?
Flying a Ju-52 during the air assault on Crete was no easy task.
Real hero 💪
Imagine describing a fighter plane as “aggressive”. Isn’t it kind of the idea behind fighter planes?
Not all the great legends of the air survived the War. R.I.P.
Very nice, how about some stories of Japanese Aces?
Ahh Emil Lang, an eight time ace in a day. The even more incredible thing? He wasn't the only one. Three other German WW2 pilots were eight time aces in a day. The most incredible thing? Six more German pilots got more than eight ace in a days. The top was Walter Nowotny, who got 17 ace in a days, all but two of them in 1943, two years after the "turkey shoot" days of Barbarossa.
Near Sankt Petersburg? You mean, near Leningrad. The name of the city was Leningrad then.
I question just how many rounds dose this AC guns hold and it's rates of fire?
1,800 rounds of 20 mm and 12.7 mm machine gun ammo collectively. My uncle flew B-17G's from Kimbolton and faced Adolf Gall and Ergun Meyer. Meyer flew FW-190s and Gallant ME-109s
@@raymondvia3786 Thanks Raymond.
Luftwaffe aces were the best some called the ace of aces
Why do you have warthunder as the sim being used for the videos when it's actually Il-2
In your research did you come across any challenges to his claimed kills? I know some German units employed stricter confirmation than others and took pride in it.
Did he fly on his own? No wingman? It’s strange. Who confirmed his kills then?
Thought the same thing. Many kills have been 'adjusted' over the years. Would have to be at least a pair- foolish to send single fighter into combat.
Yes, with no flight cameras and often solo, kills were on the "honor" system, and there is no doubt many were highly exaggerated. There is a report of one high ranking German ace returning from a sortie and claiming five kills. When the armorer went to service his plane, he found no rounds had even been fired. Yet, the kill count was allowed to stand. The pilot's name was never mentioned, but it has been inferred that it was Marseilles.
Getting confirmation of kills was difficult a witness was needed the time place and date and aircraft type and the country or region it was downed in.
In the first mission he flew with Unteroffizier Paschke, second and third with Unteroffizier Gross, fourth with Unteroffizier Hoffmann. Info from book Luftwaffe fighter ace by Norbert Hannig, pages 99-101.
@@chuckvt5196 all kills are checked before given credit. They take films, reports, and do debrief of all in the unit.
That's one more than Marsailles in North Africa!
This guy (and Eric Hartmann) fought on the Eastern Front and shot down slower, low flying, and ubiquitous Sturmoviks.
Just as much as they shot down fighters.
So their record aren't impressive blah blah blah.
@@pouletbidule9831 Yea, dude seems like a hater
@@pouletbidule9831 I didn't say that.
air war historians have often commented, as Hartmann did so too. The Sturmaviks were easy targets. German pilots were taught to fly up from underneath to take them out easily.
After being a fighter ace, everything else in life must seem lack luster at best.
How could a guy possibly go back to regular life and be anything other than bored.
Being an astronaut or bankrobber would probably be exciting
American aces: Yeah, I got like 18 kills...
German aces: Uhh. In one day? Or the entire war? LOL
I enjoy stories with happy endings!! 😁
I would show more germans in movies etc.
Say you mentioned the 100-kill mark several times but how about you figure out who was the 1st German pilot to hit this mark and do an episode on him?
Was he on pervitin that day?
That day, the sky resounded with the common Russian curse of “Пиздец!”
Anyone know the details behind the Lysander he was credited with shooting down????? Thinking it was probably interesting.
the 1st 2:45 seconds is adverts and a plug for the video your about to watch, after watching 2 adverts already...
Hans Joachim Marseille on the 1st of september 1942 shot down 17 enemy fighters over North Africa.
Adolf Galland said that Marseille was the most skilfull pilot he ever seen.
Hartman was the most effective with the most simple approach to air combat, always attack with the sun benhind you,and dont waste time in dogfights. Its a waste of ammunition and fuel.
Lufthansa was German, not Dutch, KLM or Royal airline company is the Dutch one (oldest airline having the same name in the world).
my guess: erich hartmann! now to watch! ok, wrong. but if i remember correctly, hartmann downed over 300 kills.
352 kills, the highest scoring WW2 pilot.
lol. Lang didn't get "promoted" to fighter school. He was transferred; presumably at his own request. Fighter pilots aren't regarded as the 'best' pilots. Pilots with multi engine ratings are for obvious reasons.
Not to be picky but in the WWII Luftwaffe you were not given the title of "Ace" until you had shot down 10 enemy aircraft, the Allies however gave th title of "ace" at five aerial victories.
To be honest, the term ace didn't exist. In the Luftwaffe, you became an expert after 100 victories.
@@hans-1940 I did not know that, thank you for the information.
Bro really got spawn killed..
We'll never see such numbers again dropped by a single pilot...no nation could afford to lose so many and of course given the lethality of both air to air and ground to air missiles/guns, who could survive long enough to do so anyway?
👍 👍 👍!!!
rudorffer shot down 13 enemy aircraft in a single sortie, is this realistic?
Hard to tell if that is an accurate count, Or if Joseph gobo's got a hold of the numbers and change them. This was common during war.
Butcher 🔥
👍 👍 👍!
I’m calling it he used aimbot
Who shot down Lang? Kind of important, don't you think? Be sure and give yourself a thumb up!
Why? Darrell Kramer.
How many kills do you think he would get if he was in the year 2022 with modern a Jet?
HAHA!
Also still a AMAZING wizard!
They were not rotated back to Germany to train new pilots like American and British pilots. German pilots flew until dead, or too injured to fly. Furthermore, the high scoring pilots were flying against outdated Russian machines, with poorly trained pilots. This changed as the war progressed.
Dutch lufthansa? Really?
Good ole' P51s !! HA !!
Remember me?😁😁
Some bullshit in this vid. He was shot down by a Spitfire, Terry Spencer 41 Sqn. RAF
source? It would be interesting to get his story! How did Spencer know who he shot down! Did he sync his claim with German sources?
@@stevepodleski 2nd TAF War Diary. Here's a link to the first volume: www.stellabooks.com/books/christopher-shores/2nd-tactical-air-force-volume-one-spartan-to-normandy-june-1943-to-june-1944/2116088
Damn, his kill rate really dropped when he switched theaters.
His demise seems a tad unfair.
Were the Soviet planes/pilots simply "bad" or unskilled? It seems the Luftwaffe tore them apart on a daily basis. Of course, in the fullness of time, there were simply MORE of them -- it was a numbers game, not a skills game.
Many didn't have radios. No comms means bad situational awareness on the battlefield (or in the skies rather). Some also had little training, but the Soviets eventually caught up both in terms of pilot quality as well as aircraft quality. The Yak 3 and Yak 9s as well as the Lavochkin La5 & La7 aircraft were just as good as their allied counterparts as well as their German foes.
No disrespect to Lang, but most of Marseille's victories were against Spitfires and Hurricanes piloted by the British, which obviously better qualitatively in compare with Soviet pilots/planes.
True. however as long as we talk about The Number it is The Number that matters, because it is measurable.
Mostly P-40 and Hurricane. The La-5 and Yaks were probably at least equal to these two. The day he was credited with 17 planes, most of his victims were South African P-40s.
@@TTTT-oc4eb he was fighting Royal Airforce. In one day he shot down 6 Spitfires + 11 Hurricanes.
😁👍👌
Why are the swastikas on the tail of the aircraft bastardized? Honesty & authenticity should not be cancelled…
Agreed. This is a choice of the flight sim producers, not myself.
Bully Lang
The germans are better than other countrys. I will show the world how better the germans are! No one can stop me!
He was killed ( asesinated)when he jumped in parachute
No.
@@FerencPusztai-gh6kn yes
@@danielfmontero No. Check.
German pilots needed to be extraordinary. They we outgunned, outflanked, and outnumbered!
I don’t put a lot of stock in the German pilots expertise early in the war. They had been given many hours of experience and training before Hitler began getting aggressive. So when the Luftwaffe began attacking inexperienced pilots, they quickly tagged up many kills. When the enemy finally began catching up with better fighters and experienced pilots, those numbers quickly began taking much more effort.
Stories like these do not give true context for the time and place.
LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT.. You’re calling a Nazi a hero… Is that right?
Wait a minute! He started dogfighting at age 42 but shot down and died at 35???
started flying fighters in 1942 he was 33
Excellent pilot. But Hans Joachim Marseille has more merit with his 17 victories in one day and less time against English pilots who were better and had better planes than The Russians. The Star of Africa was the best pilot of the second war world during the time he flew.