two aerial victories flying the Ta 152 on 24 April when he downed two Soviet Yakovlev Yak-9 fighters near Berlin. On 30 April, he claimed his last aerial victory when he again shot down a Yak-9 fighter. Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to Obermaier, Loos flew 66 missions during his combat career in which he claimed 38 aerial victories. He claimed seven victories in the Eastern Front and 31 over the Western Front, including 21 four-engine bombers. Nine claims were made flying the Ta 152 and he was shot down nine times. Forsyth lists him with 22 four-engined bombers shot down. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that he was credited with more than 14 aerial victory claims, plus six further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes at least three aerial victories on the Eastern Front and at least eleven on the Western Front, including at least ten four-engine bombers. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ DF-DG". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size. Awards German Cross in Gold on 29 September 1944 as Feldwebel in Stab/Jagdgeschwader 300 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 April 1945 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the Stab/Jagdgeschwader 300 Notes References Citations Bibliography 1923 births 2004 deaths Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German World War II flying aces German Air Force pilots Military personnel from Rhineland-Palatinate People from Mainz-Bingen