Emil Bitsch

Emil Bitsch
Nickname(s)	Birth
Born	(1916-06-14)14 June 1916 Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Died	15 March 1944(1944-03-15) (aged 27) near Schijndel, German-occupied Netherlands
Buried	Ysselsteyn German war cemetery, Netherlands
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Rank	Hauptmann (captain)
Unit	JG 3
Commands	8./JG 3
Battles / wars	See battles World War II Operation Barbarossa Eastern Front Battle of Stalingrad Defense of the Reich  † Second Raid on Schweinfurt
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Emil Bitsch (14 June 1916 – 15 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II. He was one of the most successful pilots on the Eastern Front; being credited with 108 aerial victories. He claimed 104 over the Eastern Front and four four-engine bombers over the Western Front.^[1] He may have been the pilot that shot down Soviet female ace Yekaterina Budanova. Bitsch was killed in action against United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters on 15 March 1944.