Major Walter "Nowi" Nowotny was an Austrian-born German fighter ace of World War II. He is credited with 258 aerial victories?that is, 258 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft?in 442 combat missions. Nowotny achieved 255 of these victories on the Eastern Front and three while flying one of the first jet fighters, the Messerschmitt Me 262, in the Defense of the Reich. He scored most of his victories in the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and approximately 50 in the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Nowotny joined the Luftwaffe in 1939 and completed his fighter pilot training in 1941, after which he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 54 "Gr�nherz" on the Eastern Front. Nowotny was the first pilot to achieve 250 victories ? 194 in 1943 alone ? earning him the coveted Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten on 19 October 1943. For propaganda reasons, he was ordered to cease operational flying. Reinstated to front-line service in September 1944, Nowotny tested and developed tactics for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. 

December 7th, 1920 in Gmünd, Lower Austria  /  Died:   Nov 8th, 1944