the tail fin of a german plan that was flown during the second world war by the world's deadliest ever fighter pilot is to go up for auction the bullet ridden section of the messerschmitt is covered with stencil paintings of the 121 british and commonwealth aircraft shot down by luftwaffe pilot heinz wolfgang schnaufer it was discovered by a military air historian in the 1960s, who spotted the unique artifact being used to patch up a roof in the village of hillegossen, germany scroll down for video  deadly aim: the bullet ridden section of the messerschmitt (right) is covered with stencil paintings of the 121 british and commonwealth aircraft shot down by luftwaffe pilot heinz wolfgang schnaufer (left) targets: night pilot schnaufer shot down the allied aircraft   costing some 500 lives   on 164 operations between 1 june 1942 and 7 march 1945 above, a messerschmitt similar to the one flown by schnaufer  wolfgang lohmann, an expert on luftwaffe aircraft, bought the fin from its  owner   who had picked it out of wreckage after the war   and has had it on display at his home in germany ever since the fin, which also features a large swastika, could fetch up to £20,000 when it goes up for sale in may night pilot schnaufer shot down the allied planes   costing some 500 lives   on 164 operations between 1 june 1942 and 7 march 1945 he marked each 'kill' by printing an icon of his target on the  tail fin of his plane, each accompanied with the date it was destroyed nicknamed 'the spook of st trond', after the city where he was based in occupied belgium, he is one of only 27 men awarded the knights cross with oak leaves, swords and diamonds his plane was finally shot down on march 30, 1945, but schnaufer was not on board the pilot died in 1950 following a road accident record: schnaufer marked each 'kill' by printing an icon of his target on the tail fin of his plane, each accompanied with the date it was destroyed, pictured above they were stenciled over a large swastika  honoured: luftwaffe ace schnaufer (second left) recieves the oak leaves with swords, germany's highest military decoration at the time, from from adolf hitler he is one of only 27 men who received the award  chris albury, a senior auctioneer at dominic winter auctioneers in cirencester, gloucester, where the fin will be auctioned on may 15, said: 'we have not had a messerschmitt tail fin like this before 'obviously this one is more than any other   it is unique it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up it makes you feel very close to the second world war 'we have put it up in the foyer in a low key fashion it's caused quite a few comments so many people have relatives or ancestors with a connection in the second world war 'i don't think this is as controversial a piece as some nazi memorabilia can be if it was the other way around there wouldn't be any controversy 'it just happens to be a german aircraft this is history   this is real the fact that he had to shoot down 120 planes is just part of the story' decorated: heinz wolfgang schnaufer  heinz wolfgang schnaufer is considered the deadliest ever fighter pilot   claiming more victories than the red baron he shot down 121 aircraft during the second world war most of them were four engined british bombers, such as the lancaster the night pilot was nicknamed 'the spook of st trond', after the location of his unit's base in occupied belgium, from where he would fly out to intercept bombing attacks born in calw, schnaufer achieved his 100th aerial victory on 9 october 1944 and was awarded the diamonds to his knight's cross of the iron cross with oak leaves and swords on 16 october he is one of only 27 men to have received the award, at the time germany's highest military decoration by the end of the war, schnaufer's night fighter crew held the unique distinction that every member was decorated with the knight's cross of the iron cross schnaufer was taken prisoner of war by british forces in may 1945 after his release a year later, he returned to his home town and took over the family wine business the pilot died in 1950 following a road accident
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