Hans-Joachim Marseille (December 13, 1919 - September 30, 1942) was a Luftwaffe pilot, accepted to be one of the greatest aces of World War II. He was nicknamed the "star of Africa". Marseille scored all but seven of his 158 victories against the British Commonwealth's Desert Air Force over North Africa. Many, like Adolf Galland considered him to be the best ace of the war. Marseille was killed in an accident in 1942: following an engine failure in his Messerschmitt Bf-109 G-2 fighter, he attempted to parachute to the ground, but was struck by the tail of his plane.
