According to Stockert, Kirschner also claimed 188 aerial victories plus further 22 ground victories achieved in 635 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 181 aerial victory claims, plus five further unconfirmed claims. This figure includes 162 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 19 over the Western Allies. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 39362". 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 (27 January 1942) 1st Class (12 April 1942) Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Fighter Pilots in Gold (2 June 1942) Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 21 December 1942 as Leutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 3 December 1942 as Leutnant in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 23 December 1942 as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" 267th Oak Leaves on 2 August 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" Notes References Citations Bibliography 1920 births 1943 deaths People from Erzgebirgskreis Luftwaffe pilots German World War II flying aces Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Military personnel from Saxony