This is the adorable Lieutenant-General Gerhard “Gerd” Barkhorn (1919–1983), who wasn’t so adorable if you were flying for the Allies in World War II. Gerd was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann, another history crush. Gerd flew 1,104 combat sorties, was credited with 301 victories on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Red Air Force, and survived the war after a brief stint as an Allied prisoner of war in 1945. He then served in the West German air force until 1976. (And he looked damn good while doing it.)

This is the adorable Lieutenant-General Gerhard “Gerd” Barkhorn (1919–1983), who wasn’t so adorable if you were flying for the Allies in World War II. Gerd was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann, another history crush. Gerd flew 1,104 combat sorties, was credited with 301 victories on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Red Air Force, and survived the war after a brief stint as an Allied prisoner of war in 1945. He then served in the West German air force until 1976. (And he looked damn good while doing it.)

  1. english-bavarian reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  2. bruiseboy reblogged this from potemkinsvillage
  3. potemkinsvillage reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  4. princessyao reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  5. ootnaboot reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes and added:
    Let me just go change my panties then. Why aren’t
  6. fly-boys reblogged this from historicalawesomeness
  7. doitbordelaise reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  8. distinguishedcompany reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  9. lonesome-era reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  10. thewidowflannigan reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  11. smilingpeople reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  12. idrawreallywell reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  13. a-failure-to-communicate reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  14. sinners-requiem reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  15. sherlocked-on-being-a-whovain reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  16. awesomian reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  17. hotcocoandconformity reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  18. swottysesquipedalian reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes
  19. uncommonly-content reblogged this from fuckyeahhistorycrushes