Hartmann wasn’t a philosopher-he and the other German kids were trained not to be. It’s hard to give a black-and-white answer to this, actually. Hardcore? No, you’re not going to see that. Is there substantive evidence (letters, diaries, oral histories) that proves Hartmann was a hardcore believer in Third Reich ideology? He always seemed a little like a boy who was out of place-he definitely wasn’t the super-masculine archetype we see from Robin Olds in Vietnam, for example. In this way, he lacked a traditionally military bearing, though in uniform he looked the part just fine. He was lanky, with thick blond hair that never seemed to cooperate. What do photographs tell you about Hartmann? Do you think he looked the part of a fighter pilot? Like most fighter pilots, he also had a confidence and a stick-to-it mindset that served him well.īlack Tulip: The Life and Myth of Erich Hartmann, the World's Top Fighter AceĪ: Black Tulip: The Life and Myth of Erich Hartmann, the World's Top Fighter Ace (9781612008240): Schmidt, Erik: Books Buy I don’t know what exactly went through his head before those early-morning sorties, but it probably wasn’t desperation or doubt. really was as frigid, unforgiving, and demanding as they say.

Hartmann survived more than 1,400 missions, which amazes me almost as much as his kill tally. Then, in an anonymous 109, Hartmann could resume downing more planes.Īside from good airmanship, was there something in Hartmann’s psychological makeup that enabled him to excel in such a harsh environment as the Eastern Front?Įndurance. This reduced his kill rate for a while, so he loaned his tulip-painted plane to younger, inexperienced recruits so they could have a little space to figure things out. The Soviets started recognizing the black tulip in the air, so much so that they would just head for home whenever Hartmann showed up. I think it was actually someone else’s idea, but it caught on quickly and he really owned it. Why did Hartmann paint his aircraft with the image of a black tulip? Hartmann essentially shot himself down a few times by running into his enemy’s shrapnel-that’s how close he liked to get. A lot of his victims never knew anyone was there until one of their wings ripped off or their engine blew up. This made his gunfire lethal, saved ammo for more enemies, and didn’t alert his targets before absolutely necessary. This is exactly as it should have been, since he usually had free-hunt missions, a choice of targets, and the luxury of deciding when, and if, to engage.įinally, Hartmann is well known for striking at very close range. Hartmann always sought quick, surprise attacks and avoided twisting-and-turning engagements that would have made him more vulnerable. It was more of an anti-dogfighting strategy, really. He also had a dogfighting strategy that was a great match for his situation on the Eastern Front. Pilot training is almost always the dominant factor in an air battle. He knew his plane, mission, and tactics extremely well. The Germans couldn’t sustain this through the war, but it was crucial early on. Hartmann was in the early cohort of German pilots who got exhaustive training before they were sent to the Front.

What made Hartmann such a great fighter pilot? So in part I saw the project as a chance to go into the history and see what I ought to believe, as opposed to going into the history with an existing belief you’re trying to validate. At the start, I didn’t really have an opinion about him. Schmidt: “I’m drawn to aviation and history naturally, but I really committed to the project when I saw how simplified and celebratory Hartmann’s life has been over the years. Schmidt spoke with Air & Space senior associate editor Diane Tedeschi in August.Īir & Space: Why did you decide to write this book? How did Hartmann get so good at dominating the skies over the Eastern Front? What were his beliefs? In Black Tulip, author Erik Schmidt seeks to illuminate the complexities of Hartmann’s personality. While serving in Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions in the Messerschmitt Bf 109, enabling him to score an astonishing 352 kills.

Ww ii fighter pilot