Walter Ehle

Walter Ehle (28 April 1913 – 18 November 1943) was a Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Walter Ehle claimed 39 aerial victories, 35 of them at night.[Note 1]

Walter Ehle
Grave 21-42
Born28 April 1913
Windhuk, German South West Africa
Died18 November 1943(1943-11-18) (aged 30)
St. Trond, German-occupied Belgium
Buried
Lommel, Belgium
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Years of service1935–43
RankMajor (major)
UnitCondor Legion
ZG 1
NJG 1
Commands heldII./ NJG 1
Battles/wars
See battles

Spanish Civil War World War II
Land campaigns:

Air campaigns:

Early life and career

Ehle was born on 28 April 1913 in Windhuk in German South West Africa, present-day Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia.[1]

World War II

At the start of the war Ehle flew with 3./ZG 1 and was credited with three daylight kills before the unit was redesignated 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1) and he became a night fighter.

Night fighter career
A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, RAF attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.[2] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.[3]

Ehle was one of the longest serving Gruppenkommandeur in the Luftwaffe, leading II./NJG 1 from October 1940 until his death in November 1943. His sixth night victory was a Bristol Blenheim shot down on 2 June 1942, and he had 16 victories in total by the end of 1942.

On 18 November 1943 Walter Ehle's Bf-110 crashed near St. Trond, Belgium. As he was landing his airfield lights were extinguished; his aircraft crashed and he and his crew, Ofw. Leidenbach (Bordfunker—radio/wireless operator) and Uffz. Derlitzky (Bordschütze—aerial gunner), perished.

Major Ehle was awarded the Knight's Cross on 29 August after 31 victories and at the time of his death he was credited with 39. He shot down a total of 38 enemy aircraft of which 35 were at night.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Ehle was credited with 39—four daytime and 35 nighttime—aerial victories.[4] Foreman, Parry and Matthews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 34 nocturnal victory claims.[5] Matthews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Ehle with 34 claims, including three as a Zerstörer pilot, plus three further unconfirmed claims.[6]

Awards

Notes
  1. For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces.
  2. According to Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, this claim was unconfirmed while Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 confirm this claim.[26][6]
  3. According to Obermaier on 9 November 1942.[4]

References

Citations
  1. Bowman 2016, p. 26.
  2. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 9.
  3. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 27.
  4. Obermaier 1989, p. 106.
  5. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, pp. 10–125.
  6. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 264.
  7. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 10.
  8. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 16.
  9. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 20.
  10. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 23.
  11. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 43.
  12. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 54.
  13. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 56.
  14. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 57.
  15. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 58.
  16. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 59.
  17. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 74.
  18. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 79.
  19. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 82.
  20. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 83.
  21. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 86.
  22. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 88.
  23. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 91.
  24. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 98.
  25. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 103.
  26. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, pp. 107, 125.
  27. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 107.
  28. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 108.
  29. Foreman, Parry & Matthews 2004, p. 125.
  30. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 98.
  31. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 143.
  32. Scherzer 2007, p. 289.

Bibliography
  • Bowman, Martin (2016). Nachtjagd, Defenders of the Reich 1940–1943. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-4738-4986-0.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Foreman, John; Parry, Simon; Matthews, Johannes (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
Military offices
Preceded by
Hauptmann Graf von Stillfried und Rattonitz		 Gruppenkommandeur of II. Nachtjagdgeschwader 1
6 October 1940 – 17 November 1943		 Succeeded by
Major Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin
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