| Walter Ehle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 28, 1913 |
| Died | 18 November 1943 (aged 30) |
| Place of birth | Windhuk, Namibia |
| Place of death | St. Trond, Belgium |
| Buried at | Lommel, Belgium |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1935–1943 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
Condor Legion ZG 1 NJG 1 |
| Commands held | II./ NJG 1 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Walter Ehle (28 April 1913 – 18 November 1943) was a German 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.[Notes 1]
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.
Ehle was one of the longest serving Gruppenkommandeure 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.
Awards[]
- Aviator badge
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
- Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (June 1939)
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- German Cross in Gold (9 November 1942)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 August 1943 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 [1]
Notes[]
- ↑ For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces.
References[]
- Citations
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 143.
- Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 - 1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Walter Ehle and the edit history here.