B-17 bomber shot down. Group commander and death On 20 February 1944, the first day of Big Week, Hupertz claimed the destruction of a B-17 bomber of the 91st Bombardment Group near Mons. Two days later, he shot down a B-24 bomber but was himself shot down in his Fw 190 A-7 (Werknummer 340275) and injured. A B-17 bomber shot down near Ulm on 18 March was his last four-engined heavy bomber claimed. In February 1944, Huppertz was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of JG 2, succeeding Stolle who was transferred. Command of 11. Staffel was handed to Oberleutnant Jakob Schmitt. On 25 May, III. Gruppe moved to Fontenay-le-Comte. According to Bowman, Huppertz shot down five P-51 fighters on 6 June, making him an "ace-in-a-day" on D-Day. In contrast, authors Mathews and Foreman list him with five claims over three Typhoon, a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and a P-51 fighter that day. Author Page states that 29 fighters from JG 2 attacked more than 24 P-47 fighters from USAAF 365th Fighter Group and Typhoon fighters from the RAF No. 183 Squadron. In this combat, German pilots claimed six aerial victories, including two Typhoon fighters by Huppertz, for the loss of one German aircraft. Allied records indicate that two P-47 and three Typhoon fighters were lost. On another mission, Huppertz encountered eight Typhoon fighters from RAF No. 164 Squadron, claiming his third Typhoon of the day shot down. That evening, he claimed two further aerial victories, a P-51 and a P-47 fighter shot down. Two days later, during Battle for Caen, Huppertz was shot down and killed in action in his Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 730440—factory number) by P-47 fighters near Cintheaux, in the combat area of Caen. He was replaced by Hauptmann Josef Wurmheller as commander of III. Gruppe. He was posthumously promoted to Major (major) and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () on 24 June, the 512th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht so honored. Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Huppertz was credited with 68 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 68 aerial victories claimed in approximately 380 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 73 aerial victory claims, all of which confirmed. This number includes 28