Walter Ehle
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Walter Ehle
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| Born | 28 April 1913 Windhuk, Namibia |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. St. Trond, Belgium |
| Buried |
Lommel, Belgium
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| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |
Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1935–43 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Condor Legion ZG 1 NJG 1 |
| Commands held | II./ NJG 1 |
| Battles/wars | Spanish Civil War World War II |
| 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.[Note 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 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.
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 on 20 October 1942 as Hauptmann in the II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1[1][Note 2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 August 1943 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1[3]
Notes
- ↑ For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces.
- ↑ According to Obermaier on 9 November 1942.[2]
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by
Hauptmann Graf von Stillfried und Rattonitz
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Gruppenkommandeur of II. Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 6 October 1940 – 17 November 1943 |
Succeeded by Major Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin |
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Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1
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1Knight's Cross with Zerstörergeschwader 76. 2Knight's Cross with Nachtjagdgeschwader 6.
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German World War II 
- 1913 births
- 1943 deaths
- People from Windhoek
- Condor Legion personnel
- German World War II flying aces
- Recipients of the Spanish Cross
- Recipients of the Gold German Cross
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- White Namibian people
- Colonial people in German South-West Africa
- Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium
- German military personnel killed in World War II
- Burials at Lommel German war cemetery
