 On 8 April 1944 Specht was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for his 30 victories on the Western Front . On 15 April after his commander , Hermann Graf was injured , he gave up his command of II . / JG 11 , and moved to the Geschwaderstab ( Wing Command flight ) as Kommodore @-@ in @-@ training , under Herbert Ihlefeld . Promoted to Major on 1 May , he was given full command of JG 11 on 15 May , replacing Ihlefeld who was himself transferred to command JG 1 . But little could be done as the Allied bombing offensive stepped up a gear . His units were decimated over the skies of Normandy in June and July . He himself was injured in July , suffering head injuries in yet another crash @-@ landing . Despite severe pain from his injuries Specht remained on combat duty . His wing was retired to the Rhineland to be rebuilt , but they were crushed again in the latter half of 1944 . The Allies were now sending overwhelming numbers of bombers to destroy the German industrial and military factories and now protected by the advent of the P @-@ 51 Mustang , providing fighter cover right into the heart of the Reich and back . 
