Hans Ehlers

Hans Ehlers (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.

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 (Heer) of Aufklärungsgruppe 22 (22nd Reconnaissance Group).

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.

For his service in Spain, he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords (Spanienkreuz in Silver mit Schwertern) on 14 April 1939.

Following his return from Spain, Ehlers received flight training at the pilot school in Salzwedel starting on 1 August.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

He claimed his first aerial victory of this battle on 26 August when he shot down a Spitfire west of Calais.

On 5 September, I. Gruppe escorted 22 Dornier Do 17 light bombers to London where Ehlers claimed another Spitfire shot down.

On 5 February 1941, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 3 targeting the airfield at Saint-Omer.

That day, Ehlers claimed his fifth aerial victory over a Spitfire fighter shot down northwest of Saint-Omer.

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.

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.

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).

The cause of the accident was a ground collision with a Henschel Hs 126 air reconnaissance aircraft from 4.

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.

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).

Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88–88th Fighter Group), at the time under the command of Adolf Galland.