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Heinrich Ehrler
HeinrichEhrler4
Heinrich Ehrler
Born (1917-09-14)14 September 1917
Died 4 April 1945(1945-04-04) (aged 27)
Place of birth Oberbalbach
Place of death Stendal
Allegiance Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Service/branch Balkenkreuz Luftwaffe
Years of service 1935–1945
Rank Major
Unit JG 77, JG 5 and JG 7
Commands held JG 5 Eismeer
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Heinrich Ehrler (14 September 1917 – 4 April 1945) was a German World War II fighter ace whose distinguished Luftwaffe combat career ended in tragic controversy. Along with Theodor Weissenberger, Ehrler shared the honors of "top-ace" in Jagdgeschwader 5, amassing 208 kills - including eight in the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter (while flying with Jagdgeschwader 7).[1] Scapegoated for the loss of the German battleship Tirpitz, Ehrler - who had been nominated for the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords prior to the disaster - was court-martialled, stripped of his command and sentenced to three years and two months Festungshaft (honourable imprisonment).[2] Ehrler's sentence was later commuted and his loss of rank rescinded, and in February 1945 he was transferred to JG 7. According to his fellow pilots, Ehrler thereafter flew in the increasingly desperate air battles without the purpose and dedication that had made him one of the Luftwaffe's most successful aces.[3] On 4 April 1945, he shot down two Allied bombers for his final two victories, before destroying a third by ramming with his damaged aircraft after having run out of ammunition.[3]

World War II[]

Heinrich Ehrler started his career in the Luftwaffe in a flak-artillery unit, but transferred to pilot training early in 1940. Ehrler was posted to 4./Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) based in Norway.[Notes 1] He scored his first victory in May 1940. JG 77 supported X. Fliegerkorps (under Luftflotte 5) in operations against Britain from bases in Norway, often providing fighter cover for Stuka attacks against British shipping. JG 77 was restructured as JG 5 Eismeer in January 1942.[4] JG 5 operated from bases in northern Norway and Finland, and they mostly engaged Russian aircraft, but were also given the task of intercepting British raids on Norway.

Ehrler achieved his second victory on 19 February 1942. He was promoted to Leutnant and made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) in 6./Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing) after his 11th victory on 20 July.[Notes 2] On 4 September, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz (Knights Cross) for 64 aerial victories. By 1 June 1943 he was promoted to Hauptmann and appointed Gruppenkommandeur (Group Commander) for II./JG 5. During this period he was also awarded the Eichenlaub (Oak Leaves) to his Ritterkreuz. On 25 May 1944 he achieved nine victories in one day, bringing his tally up to 155. On 1 August he was appointed to Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) of JG 5 and at the same time was promoted to Major.

Sinking of the Tirpitz[]

On 12 November 1944 the RAF launched its final raid against the battleship Tirpitz. Avro Lancaster bombers from 617 and 9 squadrons were sent to Håkøya a little west of Tromsø where the Tirpitz was based.

Ehrler was in command of 9./JG 5 at Fliegerhorst Bardufoss with 12 operational Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3s. The Staffel was at 10 minutes' readiness status due to the continuing pressure of British bombers in the Tromsø area. Ehrler's unit was scrambled airborne, but he received conflicting messages as to the enemy aircraft location and course. Some reports claimed Alta was the target area, others indicated Bodø.[5] When it finally became clear that the target was the Tirpitz, it was too late for the fighters to intercept, and the Tirpitz was destroyed with much loss of life.

After this unsuccessful action, Ehrler faced a court martial hearing in Oslo on the grounds of his not having understood the seriousness of the attack. Evidence was presented that supported the contention that his unit had failed to respond to requests from the Kriegsmarine for help. Ehrler was found guilty. He was relieved of command, demoted and sentenced to three years in prison. Ehrler had been recommended for the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords prior to the disaster, but the award was not approved.[6]

Walter Schuck, one of his junior officers, appealed to Reichskommissar Josef Terboven.[7] On 12 January 1945 Terboven hand-delivered Schuck's affidavit in support of Ehrler to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. Further investigations and testimonies indicated that the aircrews did not know that the Tirpitz had been moved to the new location at Håkøya a couple of weeks earlier, and Heinrich Ehrler was a convenient scapegoat for the failure to protect Tirpitz.[8] The investigation concluded the reason for the failure was poor communication between the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe.[9] Ehrler was exonerated. Shortly afterward, the Führer HQ announced Ehrler's release and return to front-line service, where he would have the chance to "rehabilitate himself."[7] Ehrler's sentence was commuted and his loss of rank rescinded. He was reassigned to an Me 262 fighter squadron in Germany.[10]

Transfer to Germany[]

Ehrler was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing) on 27 February 1945. JG 7 was equipped with the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, and was given the task of Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich). During the next five weeks Ehrler scored a further 8 kills,[Notes 3] bringing his tally to 206.

On the morning of 4 April 1945, Ehrler flew his last sortie and achieved the last two of his 208 recorded victories. Major Ehrler, flying out of the JG 7 Airfield at Brandenburg-Briest accompanied by his wingman, was in the skies 50 kilometers east of Hamburg when B-24 Liberators from the 448th Bombardment Group began forming their bombing run of Parchim. Ehrler attacked the lead 714th Bombardment Squadron, downing two B-24 Liberator bombers—Lt. Shafter's "Miss-B-Havin," and Lt. Mains' "Red Bow." At the time of the attack, two P-51 Mustangs were pursuing Ehrler, and he was being fired upon by squadron bombers, taking hits from the tail and waist gunners of B-24, "My Buddie" (piloted by Lt. Gordon Brock), who reported pieces of fuselage flying off the jet. The attack took place over Büchen.

Minutes later, as the 448th Bombardment Group circled back towards their Group RP at Stendal, Ehrler engaged a third B-24 Liberator, "Trouble in Mind," piloted by Captain John Ray, over Kyritz, at 52°57′N 12°23′E / 52.95°N 12.383°E / 52.95; 12.383. A reference is made by surviving crew members to a cannon hit in the fuselage that destroyed the Liberator, but Ehrler had, only moments before, radioed Major Theodor Weissenberger that he was running out of ammunition and intended to ram the bomber. In any case, both planes were destroyed in the ensuing explosion. The B-24 crashed at Krüllenkempe, near Havelberg, as Ehrler's jet fell to earth in the woods of Scharlibbe, where he was killed. His body was recovered the following day at Scharlibbe, near Stendal, where he was buried. Ehrler's grave at Stendal confirms the date of death as 4 April 1945.

Quotations[]

"Theo. I have run out of ammunition. I'm going to ram this one. Good bye. We'll see each other in Valhalla." - Heinrich Ehrler's last transmission over the Squadron Radio Network before he rammed the B-24 bomber "Trouble in Mind," piloted by Captain John Ray, destroying both aircraft and killing himself. "Theo" refers to Theodor Weissenberger.

Walter Schuck who followed the R/T exchange over the loudspeaker in the ops room recalls Ehrler's last words slightly differently. He believes they were: "Theo, Heinrich here. Have just shot down two bombers. No more ammunition. I'm going to ram. Auf Wiedersehen, see you in Valhalla!"[11]

Awards[]

Recovered BF 109 G2[]

A BF 109, number 13605 of the 6./JG 5 was found in Russia, and was later purchased and recovered by warplane restorer Jim Pearce on November 2003. The aircraft was the one flown by Ehrler on his 200th kill. Afterward he transferred to JG 7 to fly the Me 262. The airframe was later shot down by Russian Flak over northwestern Russia and was forced to land in the tundra, and had sat there until it was recovered. It is currently being restored.[16]

Notes[]

  1. For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
  2. There is some doubt as to when this happened. [1] says 22 August, [2] says 20 July. The latter is more probable, as the former would mean Ehrler got 56 victories in 13 days.
  3. For a list of Luftwaffe Jet aces see List of German World War II jet aces

References[]

Citations
  1. Toliver,Luftwaffe Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe, p. 238
  2. Toliver,Luftwaffe Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe, p. 311
  3. 3.0 3.1 Toliver,Luftwaffe Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe, p. 312
  4. Hafsten[et al.], Flyalarm - Luftkrigen over Norge 1939-1945, p. 145
  5. Hafsten[et al.], Flyalarm - Luftkrigen over Norge 1939-1945, p. 220
  6. Berger 2000, p. 392.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Schuck,Luftwaffe Eagle - From the Me109 to the Me262, p. 183
  8. Hafsten[et al.], Flyalarm - Luftkrigen over Norge 1939-1945, p. 221
  9. Schuck, Luftwaffe Eagle - From the Me109 to the Me262, p. 177
  10. Morgan & Weal, p. 60
  11. Schuck,Luftwaffe Eagle - From the Me109 to the Me262, p. 201
  12. Obermaier 1989, p. 57.
  13. Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 99.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Thomas 1997, p. 147.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Scherzer 2007, p. 290.
  16. David Siddall Multimedia for warbirdfinders.co.uk. "Warbirdfinders.Co.Uk". Warbirdfinders.Co.Uk. http://www.warbirdfinders.co.uk/aircraft_BF109G_wn13605.htm. Retrieved 25 December 2011. 
Bibliography
  • Bjørn Hafsten[et al.](1991). Flyalarm - Luftkrigen over Norge 1939-1945, Sem & Stenersen AS. (ISBN 82-7046-058-3).
  • Berger, Florian (2000), Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [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]. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Morgan, Hugh; Weal, John (1998). German Jet Aces of World War 2. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-634-5. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RNK3QmgBs-8C&pg=PA60&dq=ehrler+tipitz&hl=en&sa=X&ei=y4D3To6KHMaSOtSqnYgN&sqi=2&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=ehrler%20tipitz&f=false. 
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1941 – 1945]. Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001) (in German). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2]. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Schaulen, Fritjof (2005), Eichenlaubträger 1940-1940 Band I Abraham-Huppertz (in German). Pour le Mérite. ISBN 3-932381-20-3.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). 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]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Schuck, Walter (2007), Abschuss! Von der Me 109 zur Me 262 Erinnerungen an die Luftkämpfe beim Jagdgeschwader 5 und 7 (in German). Helios Verlags- und Buchvertriebsgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-938208-44-1.
  • Schuck, Walter (2009), Luftwaffe Eagle - From the Me109 to the Me262. Hikoki Publications. ISBN 978-1-902109-06-0.
  • Thomas, Franz (1997) (in German). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K]. Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. 
  • Toliver, Raymond F. & Trevor J. Constable (1996), Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-88740-909-1.

External links[]

  1. Luftwaffe.cz - Ehrler biography (English)
  2. Pilotenbunker - Ehrler biography (German w/ english translation)
  3. Ehrler biography (French)
  4. Lexicon der Wehrmacht - Ehrler biography (German)
Military offices
Preceded by
Oberstlt. Günther Scholz
Commander of Jagdgeschwader 5 Eismeer
1 August 1944 – 27 February 1945
Succeeded by
Oberstlt. Günther Scholz




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