 In 1942 , Nowotny increased his tally of victories and claimed his 30th and 31st kills on 11 July over the <unk> bridgehead , which earned him the Luftwaffe Honor Goblet on 14 July 1942 . Nowotny shot down a further five aircraft on a single day ( 32nd – 36th victories ) on 20 July and seven ( 48th – 54th victories ) on 2 August . After having downed three enemy aircraft on 11 August , Leutnant Nowotny carried out three victory passes over the airfield , despite having sustained combat damage to his own Bf 109 " Black 1 " . In the subsequent landing , his aircraft <unk> and he sustained moderate injuries . Walter Nowotny was awarded the Knight 's Cross of the Iron Cross ( Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes ) on 4 September , after 56 aerial victories . The Ritterkreuz earned him a home leave to Vienna . Here , the brothers Hubert and Walter met for the last time before Hubert was killed at Stalingrad . Leutnant Nowotny was made Staffelkapitän of 1 . / JG 54 on 25 October , replacing Oberleutnant Heinz Lange . 
