 In October he claimed 29 victories, including five bombers shot down on 8 October.He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords () on 11 October 1941 at which point he had accumulated 92 aerial victories since 1 September 1939.The presentation was made on 12 October 1941 by Hitler at the "Führer" Headquarter "Wolfsschanze" (Wolf's Lair) in Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn in Poland).