Hans "Assi" Hahn
Hans "Assi" Hahn (14 April 1914 – 18 December 1982) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace in World War II. He flew 560 combat missions and was credited with 108 aerial victories. Of these, 66 were on the Western Front (including 53 Spitfires) and 42 were on the Eastern Front (which included several Il-2 ground-attack aircraft).
Early life and career
Hahn was born in Gotha. He was a talented athlete and was even selected for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, but illness prevented him from competing. He joined the army in 1934 and switched to the air force in 1935. After training, he served as a fighter pilot and later as a flight instructor. In 1939 he joined Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richthofen” and became squadron leader of 4. Staffel of JG 2 in December 1939.
World War II service
Hahn scored his first victory on 14 May 1940 during the Battle of France, and added four more victories there. He then fought in the Battle of Britain, earning the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 September 1940. He became Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of JG 2 on 29 October 1940. After more successes, he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross on 27 August 1941.
Eastern Front and later war years
In November 1942 Hahn was transferred to lead II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 on the Eastern Front. He reached his 100th victory on 26 January 1943 and was promoted to Major on 1 January 1943. On 21 February 1943, during a mission near Staraya Russa, his aircraft was hit and he was shot down; he was captured by Soviet troops and became a prisoner of war. He remained a POW until late 1950.
After the war
Hahn wrote a memoir about his captivity, I Speak the Truth, and later worked as a businessman. In 1977 he retired to the south of France. He had married Gisela von Vietinghoff in 1971, the daughter of a high-ranking German general. Hahn died of cancer in Munich in 1982 and was buried in Tirol, Austria.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 09:58 (CET).