Английская Википедия:Hans Ehlers

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Infobox military person

Hans EhlersШаблон:Refn (15 July 1914 – 27 December 1944) was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 55—that is, 55 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. He claimed eleven victories on the Eastern Front and 44 over the Western Allies, including 23 four-engine bombers.

Born in Hennstedt, Ehlers volunteered for service with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War where he was assigned to the ground crew of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88—88th Fighter Group). Following service in Spain, Ehlers was trained as a fighter pilot and posted to Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) He claimed his first aerial victory on 18 May 1940 during the Battle of France. He then fought in Battle of Britain and Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Due to an organizational change, his unit became part of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) in early 1942 and was stationed on the Western Front and fighting in Defense of the Reich.

Ehlers was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 1. On 9 June 1944, Ehlers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and was killed in action on 27 December 1944, when he was shot down near Bereborn during the Battle of the Bulge.

Early life and career

Ehlers was born on 15 July 1914 in a Hennstedt, at the time in the Province of Schleswig-Holstein of the German Empire. He volunteered for service with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. There, Ehlers was a member of the groundstaff of 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88–88th Fighter Group), at the time under the command of Adolf Galland.Шаблон:Sfn For his service in Spain, he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords (Шаблон:Lang) on 14 April 1939. Following his return from Spain, Ehlers received flight training at the pilot school in Salzwedel starting on 1 August.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Refn On 18 September, he transferred to the Jagdfliegerschule 1, the fighter pilot school at Werneuchen before he was posted to the Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Merseburg, a supplementary training unit based at Merseburg, on 16 November.Шаблон:Sfn

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 7 December 1939, Ehlers was posted to the 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing).Шаблон:Sfn At the time, the Staffel was based at Zerbst and commanded by Hauptmann Heinz Gärtner which was subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) headed by Hauptmann Günther Lützow.Шаблон:Sfn On 18 May 1940, during the Battle of France, Ehlers claimed his first aerial victories when he shot down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire fighter and Hawker Hurricane fighter near Valenciennes.Шаблон:Sfn He in turn, was then shot down by RAF fighters on the same day and crash-landed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 south of Valenciennes and was initially listed as missing in action, rejoining his unit shortly later.Шаблон:Sfn

During the Battle of Britain, Ehlers was almost shot down in aerial combat with the RAF. His Bf 109 E-4 was damaged, resulting in a forced landing near Colembert.Шаблон:Sfn He claimed his first aerial victory of this battle on 26 August when he shot down a Spitfire west of Calais.Шаблон:Sfn On 5 September, I. Gruppe escorted 22 Dornier Do 17 light bombers to London where Ehlers claimed another Spitfire shot down.Шаблон:Sfn On 5 February 1941, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 3 targeting the airfield at Saint-Omer.Шаблон:Sfn That day, Ehlers claimed his fifth aerial victory over a Spitfire fighter shot down northwest of Saint-Omer.Шаблон:Sfn

War against the Soviet Union

In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Dub on 18 June 1941. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the V. Fliegerkorps (5th Air Corps), under command of General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim, which was part of Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet), under command of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr. These air elements supported Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South), with the objective of capturing the Ukraine and its capital Kiev.Шаблон:Sfn

On 22 June, German forces invaded the Soviet Union. The Gruppe was tasked with suppressing aerial opposition the area of Lviv by attacking the Soviet airfields in that area. In total, I. Gruppe claimed 36 aircraft destroyed on the ground plus further 8 aerial victories on the first day, including a Polikarpov I-16 fighter by Ehlers.Шаблон:Sfn On 30 June, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine. That day, Ehlers was wounded in a takeoff accident at Lutsk which destroyed his Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 5708—factory number). Шаблон:Sfn The cause of the accident was a ground collision with a Henschel Hs 126 air reconnaissance aircraft from 4. Staffel (Heer) of Aufklärungsgruppe 22 (22nd Reconnaissance Group).Шаблон:Sfn Following his convalescence, Ehlers claimed his next aerial victories during combat leading up to the Battle of Kiev. Fighting over the battle zones over Kyiv and Kaniv on 15 August, he claimed an I-17 fighter and a V-11 ground attack aircraft shot down.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn The I-17 was an early German wartime designation for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter, while the V-11 designator referred to the Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft.Шаблон:Sfn

On 26 August, I. Gruppe was moved to a forward airfield named Gubin located near the front at Hornostaipil. That day, Ehlers claimed an I-16 fighter, one of three aerial victories claimed by the Gruppe that day.Шаблон:Sfn Four days later, the Gruppe flew ten combat missions, two in support of Junkers Ju 87 dive-bombers and eight to protect the bridges crossing the Dnieper near Hornostaipil. Ehlers claimed an R-10 aircraft, referring to either a light bomber, biplane or a Seversky aircraft, and an I-17 fighter.Шаблон:Sfn On 16 September, the bulk of I. Gruppe was ordered back to Germany while 12 pilots and 40 men from the ground staff remained on the Eastern Front and were sent to either II. or III. Gruppe of JG 3. Ehlers was assigned to III. Gruppe and claimed an Il-2 ground attack aircraft on 11 October before returning to I. Gruppe.Шаблон:Sfn

Western Front

Файл:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-361-2193-25, Flugzeug Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A.jpg
A Fw 190 A of II./JG 1, similar to those flown by Ehlers.

In September 1941, with the exception of 3. Staffel which followed in November, I. Gruppe of JG 3 was transferred from the Eastern Front to Germany for rest and re-supply. In November 1941, it was transferred to the northern Netherlands and on 15 January 1942 re-designated II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) in Katwijk.Шаблон:Sfn In consequence, 1. Staffel of JG 3 became the 4. Staffel of JG 1, 2. Staffel of JG 3 became the 5. Staffel of JG 1, and 3. Staffel of JG 3 became the 6. Staffel of JG 1.Шаблон:Sfn

In May 1942, II. Gruppe was reequipped with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A series, a radial engine powered fighter aircraft, at Woensdrecht Air Field.Шаблон:Sfn Ehlers claimed his first aerial victory flying the Fw 190 on 19 June. That day, 17 Fw 190s from 4. and 6. Staffel intercepted a flight of 24 Spitfire fighters in the area Zeebrugge. In this encounter, Ehlers claimed two Spitfires shot down.Шаблон:Sfn On 6 December, Ehlers claimed his first United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) heavy bomber shot down, his 17th aerial victory in total.Шаблон:Sfn That day, 66 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers headed for the industrials areas of Lille of which 37 bombed the target area.Шаблон:Sfn

On 22 January 1943, 15 to 20 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers escorted by Spitfire and North American P-51 Mustang fighters were intercepted by 10 Fw 190 from II. Gruppe over sea northwest of Blankenberge.Шаблон:Sfn In this encounter, Ehrler shot down a Spitfire fighter Шаблон:Convert north of Walcheren.Шаблон:Sfn On 11 March, Ehrler may have shot down a Spitfire fighter on an aerial reconnaissance mission.Шаблон:Sfn On 3 May, 16 Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers and 16 Lockheed Ventura bombers, escorted by 60 Spitfires and 40 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters crossed the coast of Netherlands between 17:45 and 18:00. The Luftwaffe scrambled 24 Fw 190s from II. Gruppe of JG 1 and eight Bf 109s from 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). Defending against this attack, Ehlers was credited with a Spitfire fighter and a Ventura bomber shot down.Шаблон:Sfn The Spitfire was piloted by Wing Commander Howard Blatchford who was killed in action.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Defense of the Reich

Файл:Ellgaard, Ich ramme 1944.jpg
A 1944 drawing by Helmuth Ellgaard illustrating "ramming"

Ehlers was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 1 July 1943.Шаблон:Sfn On 7 July, I. Gruppe of JG 1 moved to Deelen Air Field.Шаблон:Sfn The USAAF targeted the German aircraft industry on 17 August in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. The bombers of the 1st Bombardment Wing headed for the ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt. At 11:50, the Luftwaffe fighters of I. Gruppe of JG 1 intercepted a large formation of B-17 bombers in the area of Aschaffenburg. Following the bombers on their southern heading, Ehlers shot down two B-17 bombers.Шаблон:Sfn That day, the commander of 2. Staffel of JG 1, Leutnant Hans Feustel, was wounded in combat. In consequence, Ehlers was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel the following day.Шаблон:Sfn

On 8 October, fying Fw 190 A-6 (Werknummer 530715), Ehlers rammed a B-17 bomber near Neuenhaus and Bentheim.Шаблон:Sfn That day, VIII Bomber Command had targeted Bremen and German ship building at Bremen-Vegesack.Шаблон:Sfn The aircraft rammed was the B-17 "Marie Helena" from the 351st Bombardment Squadron whose entire crew was killed in the collision.Шаблон:Sfn That day, JG 1 lost its commanding officer, Oberstleutnant Hans Philipp, who was killed in action.Шаблон:Sfn Two other pilots of 2. Staffel also spontaneously executed an unprecedented maneuver by ramming B-17 bombers that were returning westward from a raid against shipyards and factories in Bremen and Vegesack. All three Luftwaffe pilots survived, while all three of their targets were destroyed. This was the only significant ramming attack by Luftwaffe pilots until nearly the end of the war in 1945.Шаблон:Sfn

On 23 October 1943, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, visited JG 1 at Deelen Air Field. During this visit, Ehlers was presented the German Cross in Gold (Шаблон:Lang) by Göring.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn On 11 December, Ehlers succeeded Oberleutnant Rolf Strohal as Staffelkapitän of 3. Staffel of JG 1.Шаблон:Sfn Combat damaged sustained on 13 April 1944 resulted in a forced landing at Gutersdorf near Landshut. His Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 170046) was a total loss.Шаблон:Sfn

Group commander and death

Файл:I-JG1-ins.svg
I./JG 1 insignia

On 17 April 1944, Ehlers was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 1, succeeding Major Rudolf-Emil Schnoor.Шаблон:Sfn Ehlers claimed his first aerial victory as Gruppenkommandeur on 13 May. That day 289 B-17 bombers from the 1st Bomb Division headed for oil targets in western Poland while 261 Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers from the 2nd Bomb Division attacked the Focke-Wulf factories at Tutow. Further 199 B-17 bombers of the 3rd Bomb Division attacked railroad targets near Osnabrück. This attack force was escorted by 1,107 fighter aircraft. JG 1 was sent to intercept the bombers of the 1st Bomb Division but were engaged by the escorting fighters over the Bay of Lübeck. During this aerial battle, Ehlers claimed a P-47 fighter shot down.Шаблон:Sfn

Two days later, VIII Bomber Command sent almost 900 bombers to Berlin and Braunschweig. JG 1 intercepted the bombers near Rheine/Osnabrück. On this mission, Ehlers claimed a B-24 bomber destroyed.Шаблон:Sfn On 6 June, Allied forced launched the Normandy landings. At 05:00, Ehlers received the order to relocate to France. That day, I. Gruppe left the airfield at Bad Lippspringe and relocated to Le Mans Airfield.Шаблон:Sfn Ehlers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Шаблон:Lang) on 9 June 1944.Шаблон:Sfn In September, I. Gruppe relocated back to Germany. During the period associated with Operation Overlord (6 June – 30 August 1944), the Gruppe claimed 50 aerial victories for the loss of 34 pilots killed, 3 taken prisoner of war, and further 13 wounded.Шаблон:Sfn

On 21 November, 421 B-17 bombers of the 1st Bomb Division attacked the Leuna works.Шаблон:Sfn According to Mathews and Foreman, Ehlers shot down a B-17 bomber that day.Шаблон:Sfn This claim is not listed by Prien and Rodeike.Шаблон:Sfn Ehlers claimed his last aerial victory on 25 December when approximately 400 B-17 and B-24 bombers attacked German communication and transportation centers in western Germany. I. Gruppe intercepted the bombers from the 2nd Bomb Division around St. Vith/Bastogne where for the loss of one of their own seven B-24 bombers were claimed, including one by Ehlers.Шаблон:Sfn On 27 December 1944, Ehlers led a flight of 18 Fw 190s on a mission to cover ground troops in the Dinant-Rochefort area during the Battle of the Bulge.Шаблон:Sfn On the approach to the target, they were intercepted by P-51 fighters of the USAAF 364th Fighter Group west of Mayen.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Ehlers was shot down and killed in action in his Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 739363) near Bereborn.Шаблон:Sfn Ehlers had ignored the warnings of his fellow pilots and only three pilots returned from this mission.Шаблон:Sfn He was succeeded by Hauptmann Georg Hackbarth as commander of I. Gruppe.Шаблон:Sfn

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Ehlers was credited with 55 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. This figure includes eleven claims on the Eastern Front and 44 over the Western Allies, including 23 four-engine bombers.Шаблон:Sfn Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 48 aerial victory claims, plus two further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes nine aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 39 on the Western Front, including 22 four-engine bombers.Шаблон:Sfn

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 05 Ost S/RT-8". The Luftwaffe grid map (Шаблон:Lang) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about Шаблон:Convert. These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area Шаблон:Convert in size.Шаблон:Sfn

Chronicle of aerial victories

Шаблон:Legend Шаблон:Legend Шаблон:Legend

Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –Шаблон:Sfn
Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
1 18 May 1940 20:30~ Spitfire southeast of ValenciennesШаблон:Sfn 2 18 May 1940 20:30~?Шаблон:Refn Spitfire?[Note 1] southeast of Valenciennes
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –Шаблон:Sfn
Battle of Britain and on the English Channel — 26 June 1940 – 9 June 1941
3 26 August 1940 Шаблон:Center Spitfire west of CalaisШаблон:Sfn 5 5 February 1941 Шаблон:Center Spitfire northwest of Saint-OmerШаблон:Sfn
4 5 September 1940 Шаблон:Center Spitfire vicinity of LondonШаблон:Sfn
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –Шаблон:Sfn
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 6 November 1941
6 22 June 1941 Шаблон:Center I-16Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Center?Шаблон:Refn 15 August 1941 Шаблон:Center V-11Шаблон:Sfn
7 25 June 1941 15:06 I-153 Шаблон:Convert northeast of DubnoШаблон:Sfn 11 26 August 1941 16:45 I-16 southeast of OschilkijШаблон:Sfn
8 26 June 1941 05:07 SB-2 Шаблон:Convert east of DubnoШаблон:Sfn 12 30 August 1941 10:20 R-10 (Seversky) northwest of OstijewШаблон:Sfn
9 26 June 1941 Шаблон:Center DJ-6Шаблон:Sfn 13 30 August 1941 15:10 I-17 (MiG-1) west of OstijewШаблон:Sfn
10 15 August 1941 06:08 I-17 (MiG-1) Шаблон:Convert west of GorodishcheШаблон:Sfn 14 11 October 1941 Шаблон:Center Il-2Шаблон:Sfn
– 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Шаблон:Sfn
On the Western Front — 1 January – 31 October 1942
15 19 June 1942 11:24 Spitfire Шаблон:Convert northeast of ZeebruggeШаблон:Sfn 17 6 December 1942 12:45~Шаблон:Sfn B-17Шаблон:Sfn Lille-Ostend
16 19 June 1942 11:35 Spitfire southwestern coast of WalcherenШаблон:Sfn
– 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Шаблон:Sfn
Defense of the Reich — 1 January – June 1943
18 22 January 1943 15:13 Spitfire Шаблон:Convert north of WalcherenШаблон:Sfn 21 4 May 1943 19:18 Spitfire southeast of LamswaardeШаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:Center?Шаблон:Refn 11 March 1943 17:53 Spitfire Шаблон:Convert west of IJmuidenШаблон:Sfn 22 14 May 1943 Шаблон:Center P-47 Шаблон:Convert west of VlissingenШаблон:Sfn
19 3 May 1943 17:52 Spitfire Шаблон:Convert northwest of HaarlemШаблон:Sfn 23 10 June 1943 Шаблон:Center SpitfireШаблон:Sfn
20 3 May 1943 17:58 Ventura Шаблон:Convert west of HaarlemШаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Center 22 June 1943 08:30~ Spitfire southwest of RotterdamШаблон:Sfn
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Шаблон:Sfn
Defense of the Reich — 17 August – 8 October 1943
24 17 August 1943 11:58 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/RT-8Шаблон:Sfn
west of Wertheim
26 4 October 1943 11:50 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/TN-6Шаблон:Sfn
west of Frankfurt
25 17 August 1943 12:15 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/SR-5Шаблон:Sfn
Worms
27 8 October 1943 15:45 B-17* PQ 05 Ost S/ES-9Шаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:Convert northwest of Nienburg
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Шаблон:Sfn
Defense of the Reich — November – 31 December 1943
28?Шаблон:Refn 29 November 1943 Шаблон:Center B-17Шаблон:Sfn 32 16 December 1943 14:15 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/DL/ELШаблон:Sfn
Wadden Sea-IJsselmeer
29 1 December 1943 12:22 B-17 DüsseldorfШаблон:Sfn 33 20 December 1943 12:00?Шаблон:Refn B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/UPШаблон:Sfn
vicinity of Bremen
30 11 December 1943 12:25 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/BO-4/5Шаблон:Sfn
Borger, southeast of Assen
?Шаблон:Refn 20 December 1943 12:30 B-17 North Sea, off the Frisian Islands
31 16 December 1943 14:05 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/ELШаблон:Sfn
IJsselmeer
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Шаблон:Sfn
Defense of the Reich — 1 January – 16 April 1944
34 5 January 1944 12:45 B-17Шаблон:Sfn Prüm-Saarbrücken 42?Шаблон:Refn 29 March 1944 Шаблон:Center P-38Шаблон:Sfn
35 30 January 1944 12:03 B-17Шаблон:Sfn 43 8 April 1944 13:55 B-24 PQ 15 Ost S/EB, vicinity of SalzwedelШаблон:Sfn
36?Шаблон:Refn 30 January 1944 12:16~ B-17Шаблон:Sfn 44?[Note 2] 9 April 1944 Шаблон:Center B-17Шаблон:Sfn
37?[Note 2] 20 February 1944 Шаблон:Center P-51Шаблон:Sfn 45?[Note 2] 9 April 1944 Шаблон:Center P-51Шаблон:Sfn
38 22 February 1944 12:50 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/JP, vicinity of GelsenkirchenШаблон:Sfn 46 11 April 1944 11:02 B-17 PQ 15 Ost S/GA, vicinity of BraunschweigШаблон:Sfn
39 6 March 1944 12:35 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/FR-2, north of OsnabrückШаблон:Sfn 47?[Note 2] 11 April 1944 Шаблон:Center P-51Шаблон:Sfn
40 8 March 1944 13:30 P-47 PQ 05 Ost S/FU, northwest of HannoverШаблон:Sfn 48?[Note 2] 11 April 1944 Шаблон:Center P-51Шаблон:Sfn
41?[Note 2] 15 March 1944 Шаблон:Center P-38Шаблон:Sfn 49 13 April 1944 13:50 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/RS/SS, vicinity of DarmstadtШаблон:Sfn
Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Шаблон:Sfn
Defense of the Reich — 17 April – 27 December 1944
50 13 May 1944 13:40?Шаблон:Refn P-47 PQ 15 Ost N/TD, vicinity of FehmarnШаблон:Sfn 51?[Note 2] 23 December 1944 Шаблон:Center P-47Шаблон:Sfn
51 19 May 1944 13:00?Шаблон:Refn B-24 PQ 05 Ost S/FT/FU, south of VerdenШаблон:Sfn 52 25 December 1944 Шаблон:Center B-24Шаблон:Sfn
?Шаблон:Refn 21 November 1944 12:10 B-17 Gotha-ErfurtШаблон:Sfn

Awards

Ehlers was nominated for the posthumous Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Шаблон:Lang). This nomination was not approved.Шаблон:Sfn

Notes

Шаблон:Reflist

References

Citations

Шаблон:Reflist

Bibliography

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Шаблон:Refend

Шаблон:Subject bar


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