Served as a Luftwaffe (German Air Force) pilot during the Second World War. By the end of the conflict, he was the third highest scoring fighter pilot of all time, having shot down 275 enemy aircraft. Most of these victories were against Soviet aircraft on the Eastern Front. In 1956, he rejoined the Luftwaffe and was involved in the adoption of the U.S.-designed F-104 fighter for Germany's defense. He retired from military service in 1975.