9 April 1920| |Died||13 December 2004 |Years of
service||1938–1945| World War II |Awards||Knight's Cross of the
Iron Cross with Oak Leaves| Franz-Josef Beerenbrock (9 April
1920 – 13 December 2004) was one of the most successful German
fighter aces of World War II. He was also a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German:
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's
Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was
awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful
military leadership. Beerenbrock claimed 117 aerial victories in
approximately 400 combat missions, all on the Eastern Front. In
November 1942 he became a Prisoner of War for the rest of the
war in Russia.  In the Luftwaffe Beerenbock joined a flak
artillery unit on 1 October 1938 and in 1939 was trained as a
pilot. In March 1941, Beerenbrock was transferred to
12./Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51). Unteroffizier Beerenbrock was
soon promoted to Oberfeldwebel. He achieved his first aeri