Ehle, Walter, born 28-04-1913 in Windhuk, Namibia,

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 recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Walter Ehle claimed 39 aerial victories, 35 of them at night. He was a member of the Condor Legion

and based at Deelen, the Netherlands, the unit were part of the 1
st Night Fighter Division under Oberst
Josef Kammhuber.

With little technical equipment or training, interceptions of night flying RAF bombers were sporadic through the year, although by October the first Himmelbett, skydivers, zones were in place to aid the aircrews with radar guidance and radio assistance from the ground. Ehle was one of the longest serving Gruppenkommandeur in the Luftwaffe, leading II./NJG 1 from October 1940 until his death in November 1943. He was succeeded by Oberstleutnant
Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin

, who would survive the war and would die at the age of 72 on 11-01-1992 in Hamburg. Ehle’s sixth night victory was a Bristol Blenheim shot down on 02-06-1942, and he had 16 victories in total by the end of 1942. By the end of the war it was the most successful night fighter unit and had claimed some 2.311 victories by day and night, for some 676 aircrew killed in action.
Death and burial ground of Ehle, Walter.
Fieldgrave.