Heinrich Ehrler

[Benoit Douville]

Another Luftwaffe Ace that we don't usually heard about:

He joined the army in 1935 and served with a flak unit in the Spanish Civil War. In 1940 he began flying training. On completion of his training he was posted to 4./JG 77 operating from bases in Norway. He gained his first victory in May 1940 shooting down a RAF Blenheim bomber. 4./JG 77 was redesignated 4./JG 5 on 1 February 1941. Ehrler recorded his second victory on 19 February 1942 and was now operating over the Northern front from bases in Finland and northern Norway. He was to score a total of 11 victories with the unit before he was promoted to Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 5 on 22 August. Between January and September 1942, Ehrler recorded 54 victories. Leutnant Ehrler was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 4 September for 64 victories. On Saturday, 27 March 1943, Ehrler, in short order, downed five Soviet Kittyhawks and Airacobras in aerial combat. While attempting to engage another Soviet fighter his aircraft was hit by a 20mm cannon shell forcing his disengagement from the battle. He returned safely to base with slight wounds. On 1 June, he was named Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 5. On 6 June, he claimed four Soviet-flown Hurricanes to record his 96th through 99th victories. He gained his 100th victory the next day. After recording his 112th victory on 2 August, he was awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 265). He shot down eight enemy aircraft on 17 March 1944 to record his 124th to 131st victories. He bettered this effort on 25 May 1944 downing nine to record his 147th to 155th victories. On 1 August 1944 he was promoted to Kommodore of JG 5.

On 12 November 1944 a message reporting incoming British bombers reached the 27 year old Geschwaderkommodore of JG 5. Ehrler, with his score at 199 victories, scrambled to intercept the Lancasters of 9 and 617 Squadrons at the head of a Gruppe of Bf 109s. The fighters were too late. The British Lancasters sank the battleship Tirpitz north of Tromsö with the loss of a thousand sailors. Ehrler was called to account for this disaster and at his court martial was accused of flying to get his 200th victory, instead of guiding his fighters from ground control. Ehrler was sentenced to three years Festungshaft, a more honourable punishment than imprisonment. Ehrler had been nominated for the Schwerten prior to the battleship disaster. The award was never made. He was stripped of his command. However, he was able to record his 200th victory on 20 November 1944. Ehrler joined JG 7 on 27 February 1945. His comrades knew that the old fire had been burned out of the gifted Ehrler. On 4 April 1945, he shot down two B-17s. Ehrler then reported he had run out of ammunition and rammed a third. Erhler did not return from the mission, and his body was found the next day at Schaarlippe near Berlin.
Heinrich Ehrler achieved 208 victories, of which about 10 were recorded over the Western front. Included in his score are eight victories flying the Me 262.

Source: http://www.luftwaffe.cz/ehrler.html

[diversdream]

ummmm -

thats slightly wrong actually i had a relation who flew with 617 RAF Sqd on 2 of the 3 Tirpitz Ops.

Sugest you track down any of the recent histories of 617 or Tirpitz and find out what really happened.

This is just rough ie off the top of my head but if i remeber correctly he was sent to the OLD anchorage of Tirpitz by the Ops hut and by the time they relaised the error IE when the OC Tirpitz was apparently screaming in the radio where are the fighters or words to that effect only then was the error realised. By the time they were able to arive at the correct location it was too late they did how ever chase off the Film Lanc that was filiming Tirpitz as she roiled over.

He was then recalled court martiled and put under a 'supended sentence of death' (they needed pilots too badly) which was to be carried out at wars end. He was KIA before anything further could be done. He did spend quite a period of time in Prison before being recalled stripped of all awards and also i think rank as well but not 100%.

However Jan 12 1945 when 617 and 9 returned to Norway to attack the U-Boat and E-Boat Pens at Bergen, they were delt with roughly. This period of the Sqd is of particular intrest to me as my relation wass killed during the Bergen Operation along with his Aircrew. Its belived that they were strafed in the water aprox 30-35 M off the Coast off Bergen. This incidnet was witnissed by several in 617. Only 1 body was recovered and burried. Aparently (according to the 617 Historian the Author Allan W Cooper and others more recent works 617 were marked for special attention by several JGs as a result of what they called the 'Ehrler Incicdnet'. 617 Were also being used in propaganda re the sinking and also due to the Dams Opeartion and other raids were well known as at one time 'Gibsons Boys' to the Intelligence units of the Luftwaffe and Kreigsmarine.

The Pilot was my relation his name was Ian Stewart Ross A/18839 RAAF and he is remebered in the Runnymeade Memorial in the UK and in many peoples eyes was just as much a victim as Tirpitz. This was a BAD operation and 617 and 9 both suffered losses and damage was extremly bad to the Lancasters that got home. All this despite the Mustang escort they had from the Polish Wing. Its a good example of how Bombers in Daylight even this late were still very easily outperformed by Luftwaffe JG and NJG units in the war.

For those intrested we had 7 serve 6 were Killed. 4 RAN 2 RAAF. All Australian Armed Forces.

Stephen. Sydney. Aussie

PS

Look up S/L Drew Wynes RAF and Aircrew they were also murderd under the orders of the local town leader after becoming POWs. 2 Former Dams Aircrew were also shot shortly after the dams when they became POWs. 2 were found found gulity in abscence as they escaped and to this day the sqd use this case as proof that it was not a one off situation for 617 Aircrews to undergo 'special treatrment' much as the PFF or 100 Group Aircrew were told not to reval they worked with RDF where possibile or H2S etc as they would be interogated more severley. The RAF did this to to Aircrews of the Luftwaffe's Pathfinder Kamfgruppen and esp during 'the war of the beams' in 1941-42. so they were not alone in this attiude of giving specialised aircrews further treatment.

PPS
Sorry for getting off track lol....

[Black Baron]

It is said that his last words were; See you in Valhalla! over the radio to his friend Theodor Weissenberger.

[Benoit Douville]

You didn't provide any source...

What did he mean when he said Valhalla? Heaven? If he was christian, he was right, to met God.

Regards

[Gerst]

I don't think Ehler was being literal when he said "see you in Valhalla." He was a Christian, but I don't think he was thinking Christian thoughts when as he aimed his plane at the bomber. He was speaking as a warrior who knew the end was near, a German Kamikaze!

Gerst