On 23 June 1941, Hans Ekkehard Bob recorded his first victory in Russian airspace – a Tupolev SB twin-engined bomber. During this combat, his Bf 109 F-2 was hit by return fire, resulting in a forced landing behind enemy lines. He evaded capture and returned to his unit two days later. Between 13 July and 30 October 1941, Bob made three more emergency landings due to aircraft combat damage behind enemy lines, but in each case returned to his unit.
