forbidden any more flights of this kind. After the war, Marseille's JG 27 comrade Werner Schröer stated that Marseille attempted these gestures as "penance" for a group that "loved shooting down aircraft" but not killing a man; "we tried to separate the two. Marseille allowed us that escape, our penance I suppose." Finally on 24 September 1941, his self-training came to fruition, with his first multiple victory sortie, claiming four Hurricanes of No. 1 Squadron, South African Air Force (SAAF). By mid December, he had reached 25 victories and was awarded the German Cross in Gold. His Staffel was rotated to Germany in November/December 1941 to convert to the Bf 109 F-4/trop, the variant that was described as the Experten (experts) "mount." These victories represented his 19th through 23rd victory. Marseille became known amongst his peers for downing or damaging multiple enemy aircraft in a sortie. The "Star of Africa" Marseille always strove to improve his abilities. He worked to strengthen his legs and abdominal muscles to help him tolerate the extreme g forces of air combat. Marseille also drank an abnormal amount of milk and shunned sunglasses, in the belief that doing so would improve his eyesight. To counter German fighter attacks, the Allied pilots flew "Lufbery circles", in which each aircraft's tail was covered by the friendly aircraft behind. The tactic was effective, as an enemy pilot attacking this formation could find himself constantly in the sights of opposing pilots. Marseille nonetheless often dived at high speed into the middle of these defensive formations from either above or below, executing a tight turn and firing a two-second deflection shot to destroy an enemy aircraft. Marseille's successes had begun to become readily apparent by early 1942. He claimed his 37th through 40th victories on 8 February 1942 and 41st through 44th victories four days later, which earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () that same month for 46 victories. Marseille attacked under conditions many considered unfavourable, but his marksmanship allowed him to make an approach fast enough to escape the return fire of the two aircraft flying on either flank of the target. Marseille's excellent eyesight made it possible for him to spot the opponent before he was spotted, allowing him to take the appropriate action and manoeuvre into position for an attack. He was also credited with outstanding situational awareness. In combat, Marseille's unorthodox methods