Joachim Brendel

Who was Joachim Brendel?

Joachim Brendel was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Brendel was credited with 189 aerial victories—that is, 189 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in 950 all Eastern Front combat missions, among them 162 ground support missions. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.