While serving in Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew ... Why did Hartmann paint his aircraft with the image of a black tulip? I think it was actually someone else’s ...

Schmidt doesn’t exactly remember the teacher’s name now, but the flight and that passion have resulted in a book, "Black Tulip: The life and Myth of Erich Hartmann, the World’s Top Fighter Ace." ...

Major Erich Hartmann would fly 1,404 operational sorties during WW2, engaging the enemy over 850 times and scoring 352 victories while crashing 16 times (but not as a result of being shot down!).

Erich Alfred Hartmann was a German fighter pilot during World War II and the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. He flew 1,404 combat missions and was credited with ...