Lt. Heinrich "Heinz" Hackler (14 December 1918 – 1 January 1945) was a Bf 109 ace who flew with III./ JG 77 in all the theatres where this Gruppe operated from 1941. From November 1943 he flew over Romania in defence of the Ploesti oil fields with III./JG 77. He was awarded the RK on 19 August 1944, the date of the last American raid on Ploesti. According to one list of JG 77 claims his 67th and last was a P-51 over Bucharest on July 3, 1944. (cf. Prien, page 2099). In the period April-July 1944 he may have downed seven B-24s, two B-17s and two P-51s. Kapitän of 11./JG 77 and leading III. Gruppe in its entirety on the January 1st Bodenplatte operation in his Bf 109 K-4 "Gelbe 10", Hackler was hit by anti-aircraft fire while attacking Deurne airfield near Antwerp and failed to return.
pic via Jean-Louis Roba
Profile artists and kit manufacturers have put their imaginations to work on Hackler's aircraft...
