Heinz Bär achieved his first aerial victory against a French air force Hawk 75 in 1939, and scored another two victories during the Battle of France. He made a name for himself during the Battle of Britain by destroying another 10 enemy aircraft. This was his Bf 109E-3 (WkNr 3714) in September 1940, while he was serving with 1./JG 51.
 
In early 1941, Bär had raised his score to 17 and would end the war with the extraordinary score of 220 or 221 aerial victories.