24 September for 101 victories. In November 1942, Tonne led 3./JG 53 to North Africa. He gained his first victory in this theatre on 26 December 1942 shooting down a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) P-38 Lightning twin-engine fighter. He specialised in shooting down Supermarine Spitfire fighters claiming ten of the type in a short time. Tonne flew 82 combat missions and claimed 21 victories over Tunisia. Tonne was killed in a flying accident over the airfield at Protville, Tunisia on 20 April 1943 in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 /R1 (Werknummer 16523—factory number). He was promoted to Major (major) posthumously. Tonne was credited with 122 victories claimed in 641 missions. He scored 26 victories over the Western Front, including 16 Supermarine Spitfire. 10 of his 96 victories claimed over the Eastern Front were Il-2 Sturmoviks. Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Waldmann was credited with 122 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 120 aerial victory claims, plus six further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes 118 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and two on the Western Front, including one four-engined bomber. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 49293". 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 Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (18 April 1940) 1st Class (23 May 1940) Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for fighter pilots in Gold (5 May 1941) Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (6 August 1941) German Cross in Gold on 21 August 1942 as Oberleutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 6 September 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 53 128th Oak Leaves on 24 September 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 53 Notes References Citations Bibliography 1918 births 1943 deaths German World War II flying aces Luftwaffe pilots Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves