A tale of four JG 77 Herz As (Ace of Hearts) Leutnants. L-R: future 60 victory ace, Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross) holder and 600+ missions veteran Horst Carganico, future 32 victory ace Rudi Glöckner, future 208 victory ace Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves) holder and 400+ missions veteran Heinrich Ehrler and future 18 victory ace Hanns-Diether Hartwein, 25 September 1941, Petsamo, Finland.
Horst Carganico was KIA on 27 May 1944. Now Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 5 Eismeer, Major Carganico was involved in the Defence of the Reich against USAAF heavy bombers. Following combat over France, his Messerschmitt Bf 109G-5 was severely damaged. While attempting an emergency forced landing near Chevry, France, his aircraft struck high-tension power lines, resulting in a fatal crash.
Rudi Glöckner was KIA on 19 September 1944. Now serving with JG 5 Eismeer, he was shot down in aerial combat against Soviet forces over the Polar Front near Petsamo.
Heinrich Ehrler was KIA on 4 April 1945. He had transitioned to flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter with Stab/JG 7 Nowotny and during a battle against a formation of USAAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers over Stendal, Germany, he ran out of ammunition. He radioed his wingman, famously stating, "See you in Valhalla," and deliberately rammed his jet into an American bomber, destroying both aircraft (his 208th and final kill) and killing himself in the explosion.
Hanns-Diether Hartwein was KIA on 21 August 1942. Serving as a Staffelkapitän in JG 5 Eismeer, Oberleutnant Hartwein scored his 16th and final victory on this day before his Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 took critical hits to the engine. He attempted a belly landing in Soviet-controlled territory near Lake Udero. His squadron members watched in horror as his aircraft hit a rock upon landing and burst into flames; Hartwein was unable to escape the cockpit and burned alive