Ehrler, Heinrich.

Ehrler, Heinrich, born 17-09-1917 in Lauda-Königshofen was one of eight children of a laborer. When his mother died, his father married again. The second marriage added four more children to the family. Following a vocational education as a butcher, Ehrler joined the military service of the Wehrmacht on 29-10-1935. He initially served with the 7th battery of Artillerie-Regiment 25  in Ludwigsburg. Ehrler’s started his career in Goering’s (did you know) Luftwaffe in early 1940, when he started his pilot training after transferring from a flak-artillery unit. Ehrler joined 4./Jagdgeschwader 77, nicknamed “Herz As” under command of the nobel  Oberstleutnant Eitel Roediger von Manteuffel on his first operational posting and achieved his first victory in May 1940. JG 77 was based in Norway and he spent most of the war on the Northfront. JG 77 was restructured as Jagdgeschwader 5 Eismeer under command of Oberst Carl-Alfred Schumacher in January 1942. Schumacher survived the war and died 22-05-1967, aged 71, in Bad Godesberg. JG 5 operated from bases in northern Norway and Finland and they mostly engaged Russian aircraft, but were also given the task of intercepting British raids on Norway. Ehrler achieved his second victory on 19-02-1942. He was promoted to Leutnant and made squadron leader in 6./Jagdgeschwader 5 after his 11^th victory on 20 July. On 4 September, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz, Knights Cross, for 64 aerial victories. By 01-06-1943 he was promoted to Hauptmann and appointed Gruppenkommandeur, Group Commander, for II./JG 5. During this period he was also awarded the Eichenlaub, Oak Leaves to his Ritterkreuz.  On 25-05-1944 he achieved nine victories in one day, bringing his tally up to 155. On 1 August he was appointed to Geschwaderkommodore, Wing Commander of JG 5 and at the same time was promoted to Major.  On 12-11-1944 a message reporting incoming British bombers reached the 27 year old Geschwaderkommodore of JG 5, nicknamed “Eismeer” . 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. The first bombs narrowly missed the target, but then, in rapid succession, came three direct hits. A column of steam and smoke shot up to about 300 feet and within a few minutes the ship had started to list badly. About 10 minutes after the first bomb struck, the Tirpitz had completely turned turtle with only the hull visible from the air.

     Ehrler was called to account for this disaster and at his court martial was accused of flying to get his 200^th 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 200^th victory on 20-11-1944. Ehrler joined Jagdgeschwader 7, nickname “Nowotny”  on 27-02-1945.

Ehrler was known to his colleagues as a fanatical Nazi and someone very nationalistic. As the end of the war approached, Ehrler often said that he wanted to die for his homeland and not be able to tolerate defeat. This was the reason that Ehrler never carried a parachute in his plane after 1944.

    Ehrler engaged a third B-24 Liberator, “Trouble in Mind,” piloted by Captain John Ray, over Kyritz, at 52°57N, 12°23E. A reference is made by surviving crew members to a cannon hit in the fuselage that destroyed the Liberator, but Ehrler had, only moments before, radioed Major, Jagtgeschwader/squadron 7 Geschwaderkommodore, Theodor Weissenberger  that he was running out of ammunition and intended to ram the bomber. He shouted  I’m going to ram. Good bye. See you in Valhalla.” In any case, both planes were destroyed in the ensuing explosion. The B-24 crashed at Krullenkempe, near Havelberg, as Ehrler’s jet fell to earth in the woods of Scharlibbe, where he was killed. His body was recovered the following day at Scharlibbe, near Stendal, where he was buried.  Ehrler’s grave at Stendal confirms the date of death as 04-04-1945. His comrades knew that the old fire had been burned out of the gifted Ehrler. He was buried on the cemetery of Stendal Ehrenteil, section of honor.