Wilhelm Batz (21 May 1916 – 11 September 1988) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. Batz flew 445 combat missions and claimed 237 enemy aircraft shot down. 234 of these victories were achieved over the Eastern Front, including at least 46 Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, but he did claim three victories, including one four-engine bomber against the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) over the Ploieşti oil fields. Batz was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Early life and career Batz was born on 21 May 1916 in Bamberg, at the time in the Kingdom of Bavaria. He was the son of a Beamter, a civil servant. After Batz graduated with his Abitur (university-preparatory high school diploma), for four years, he volunteered military service in the Luftwaffe on 1 November 1935. Batz grew up between the World Wars, with the Red Baron as his ideal of a fighter pilot. World War II Batz joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and trained as a fighter pilot, becoming an instructor in 1937 at the flying school at Kaufbeuren and the fighter pilot school at Bad Aibling. Promoted Leutnant in November 1940, his applications for combat assignment were continually rejected. With some 5,000 flying hours, Batz was finally transferred to 2./Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost in December 1942. Batz was then transferred to II./Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52). On 11 March 1943, Batz claimed his first victory, an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, while flying a mission over the Strait of Kerch. He was appointed Staffelkapitän (Squadron Leader) of 5./JG 52 on 9 May 1943. He succeeded Leutnant Josef Zwernemann who temporarily led the Staffel after its former commander, Leutnant Helmut Haberda had been killed in action. By September, he had claimed 20 victories. Batz claimed his 75th aerial victory on 7 December, after shooting down 25 the previous week, for which he received leave until February 1944. He scored number 76 on 10 February, then went on a spree adding 131 victories in the next 6 and a half months. He got the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () in March, followed by his 100th victory two days later. He was the 67th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. Group commander