A LITTLE HISTORY
Hans-Ekkehard Bob was born on January 24, 1917, in Freiburg, in the Black Forest region of southwest Germany. He first flew in 1927, when famous stunt flier Erich Haal visited his hometown and agreed to take him and one of his sisters up for a ride. He took off that day in Haal’s Raab-Katzenstein biplane with three cushions stuffed under him to prevent him from falling out of the safety harness. It was a pivotal experience for the young Bob. From that moment, he could think only of becoming a pilot.
INTO THE LUFTWAFFE
He began his career with the Luftwaffe on December
1, 1936, and quickly distinguished himself by becoming the first in his year to fly solo after just 17 training flights. Not all his fellow cadets were so successful. One was the future Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel, who later destroyed more than 500 tanks and earned Germany’s highest wartime decoration, the Knight’s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. At the time, however, Bob recalls the trouble Rudel had simply completing his flight training:
“... He just couldn’t do it. They wanted to send him to a flak unit. They thought he wouldn’t be able to manage it. And, finally, after he had completed about 100 training flights, he was able to fly solo. In the end, he was probably the most famous flier in the world!”
After earning his military pilot’s license, Bob started his fighterpilot training in the middle of 1938 under the command of Hubertus von Bonin, who had recently returned from service with the Condor Legion in Spain and who went on to command the JG 54 Green Hearts squadron during the War. Flying Arado 68 biplanes, students mastered the skills required of a fighter pilot: formation flying and the art of curving without losing height. The latter was essential in combat, for he who lost height wouldn’t stand a chance. But for Bob, the most important lesson was what made a true combat flier: “The fighter pilot needed a special disposition, I mean, ‘fighting spirit.’ They are temperamental, fly tremendously fast and have really mastered their machine.”
This was the secret to his later success. He did not simply fly well.
During the years that followed, he totally mastered his aircraft and made it an extension of himself. And he is in no doubt as to its superiority over all rivals, including the Spitfire:
“I flew the 109 almost 2,000 times. For me, there’s nothing better, and of course, there’s always this rivalry between the 109 and the Spitfire. And I am often asked: which plane I think is better. I tell them I shot down 10 Spitfires, and that’s my answer.”