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/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) 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:

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]

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]

Group commander

Ehle was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of NJG 1 on 6 October 1940, succeeding Hauptmann Heinrich Graf von Stillfried und Rattonitz.[4] 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. He was succeeded by Major Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin as commander of II. Gruppe of NJG 1.[4]

Major Ehle was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) 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.[5] Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 34 nocturnal victory claims.[6] Mathews 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.[7]

Chronicle of aerial victories

  This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Ehle an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
  This and the – (dash) indicates unwitnessed aerial victory claims for which Ehle did not receive credit.
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed in Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 and in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.

Claim
(total)		 Claim
(nocturnal)		 Date Time Type Location Serial No./Squadron No.
– 3. Staffel of Zerstörergeschwader 1 –[7]
1 6 September 1939 05:15 PZL P.11 Warsaw
2 8 September 1939
—
 PZL.37 Łoś Radzymin
3 1 June 1940
—
 Spitfire vicinity of Dunkirk
– 3. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[7]
4 1 21 July 1940 01:38 Wellington 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Munster[8]
– Stab II. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[7]
5 2 9 February 1941 23:35 Wellington 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Nunspeet[9] Wellington T2702/No. 15 Squadron RAF[1]
6 3 11 May 1941 00:57 Wellington 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Westerhever[10]
7 4 30 June 1941 01:52 Wellington 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Bremen[11]
8 5 30 June 1941 02:45 Stirling 2 km (1.2 mi) northwest of Ellerbeck[11]
9 6 2 June 1942 02:34 Blenheim north-northeast of Brussels[12] Wellington DV763/No. 16 Operational Training Unit[13]
10 7 7 August 1942 02:40 Halifax 2 km (1.2 mi) southwest of Gruitrode[14]
11 8 12 August 1942 03:12 Wellington northwest of Leuven[14]
12 9 28 August 1942 23:02 Wellington east of Wihogne[15]
13 10 28 August 1942 23:51 Wellington northeast of Liège[15]
14 11 29 August 1942 02:52 Wellington Grez-Doiceau[16]
15 12 2 September 1942 04:13 Stirling Nossegem (incorrectly spelled "Osseghem" in the reference book)[16] Stirling N3714/No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF[17]
16 13 3 September 1942 01:59 Lancaster 22 km (14 mi) southwest of Liège[16]
17 14 7 September 1942 04:55 Wellington 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Tilburg[18]
18 15 17 September 1942 01:08 Stirling south of Tirlemont[19]
19 16 11 April 1943 03:45 Stirling 1 km (0.62 mi) south of Tongerlo[20] Stirling BK760/No. 7 Squadron RAF[21]
20 17 13 May 1943 02:44 Lancaster 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Roermond[22]
21♠ 18 26 May 1943 01:51 Halifax 1 km (0.62 mi) south of Jülich[23] Halifax JB837/No. 77 Squadron RAF[24]
22♠ 19 26 May 1943 01:52 Stirling 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Jülich[23] Stirling EF361/No. 7 Squadron RAF[25]
23♠ 20 26 May 1943 01:52 Stirling 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Jülich[23] Stirling BF534/No. 15 Squadron RAF[25]
24♠ 21 26 May 1943 01:55 Stirling 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Jülich[23] Stirling EH887/No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF[26]
25♠ 22 26 May 1943 02:35 Wellington 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Nederweert[23] Wellington HE699/No. 166 Squadron RAF[27]
26 23 30 May 1943 00:37 Halifax 9 km (5.6 mi) southeast of Aachen[28]
27 24 30 May 1943 01:05 Halifax 6 km (3.7 mi) northeast of Jülich[28]
28 25 17 June 1943 01:18 Lancaster south-southwest of Jülich[29]
29 26 22 June 1943 02:39 Halifax 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Bortel[30]
30 27 29 June 1943 02:33 Stirling 40 km (25 mi) west-southwest of Diest[31] Stirling EE880/No. 149 Squadron RAF[32]
31 28 28 July 1943 01:26 Lancaster west-southwest of Bremervörde[33]
32 29 18 August 1943 01:44 Lancaster north-northwest of Peenemünde[34]
33 30 18 August 1943 01:46 Lancaster north-northwest of Peenemünde[34]
—
 31?[Note 2] 28 August 1943 02:00 Stirling northwest of Nuremberg[36]
34 32 31 August 1943 03:45 Lancaster Giesenkirchen[37]
—
 33?[Note 2] 3 November 1943 14:25 B-17[38]
—
 34?[Note 2] 3 November 1943 19:40 Lancaster 30 km (19 mi) west-northwest of Cologne[38]

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces.
  2. 1 2 3 According to Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, this claim was unconfirmed while Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 confirm this claim.[35][7]
  3. ↑ According to Obermaier on 9 November 1942.[5]

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Bowman 2016, p. 26.
  2. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 9.
  3. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 27.
  4. 1 2 Aders 1978, p. 227.
  5. 1 2 Obermaier 1989, p. 106.
  6. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, pp. 10–125.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 264.
  8. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 10.
  9. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 16.
  10. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 20.
  11. 1 2 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 23.
  12. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 43.
  13. ↑ Bond 2014, p. 78.
  14. 1 2 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 54.
  15. 1 2 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 56.
  16. 1 2 3 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 57.
  17. ↑ Stirling N3714.
  18. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 58.
  19. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 59.
  20. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 74.
  21. ↑ Stirling BK760.
  22. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 79.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 82.
  24. ↑ Halifax JB837.
  25. 1 2 Stirling EF361.
  26. ↑ Stirling EH887.
  27. ↑ Wellington HE699.
  28. 1 2 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 83.
  29. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 86.
  30. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 88.
  31. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 91.
  32. ↑ Stirling EE880.
  33. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 98.
  34. 1 2 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 103.
  35. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, pp. 107, 125.
  36. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 107.
  37. ↑ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 108.
  38. 1 2 Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 125.
  39. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 98.
  40. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 143.
  41. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 289.

Bibliography

  • Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.
  • Bond, Steve (2014). Wimpy: A Detailed History of the Vickers Wellington in service, 1938-1953. London: Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1-90980-814-0.
  • 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 [in German] (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; Mathews, Johannes (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • Mathews, 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.
  • Accident description for Halifax JB837 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Stirling BK760 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Stirling EE880 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Stirling EF361 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Stirling EH887 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Stirling N3714 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Wellington HE699 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
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