Luftwaffe Night Fighter Aces

This is a study of the seventy Luftwaffe night fighter aces who were awarded the Knight’s Cross and its higher grades between 1940 and 1945\. Of this number, two were night fighter pilots who were awarded the Knight’s Cross with Diamonds, while another two who were awarded the Knight’s Cross with Swords, and twenty-four who were awarded the Oakleaves. The top German night fighter ace was Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who alone shot down 119 aircraft; he was one of only two night fighter pilots to score more than 100 night fighter victories. The other was Helmut ‘Bubi’ Lent, who, together with Schnaufer, was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. The award was presented to him personally by Hitler. Lent was killed the following month. Werner Streib shot down sixty-six aircraft during the Second World War; all but one were at night whilst flying with the 1st Night Fighter Wing. Streib had participated in the Battle of France in 1940, claiming what is possibly the very first night fighter victory, an RAF Armstrong Whitworth Whitley on 20 July 1940\. Streib is often referred to as the ‘Father of Night Fighters’, as he developed many of the tactics used by Luftwaffe night fighters during the Second World War. Others detailed in this fascinating book are Ludwig Becker, who was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves having achieved a total of forty-four aerial victories. He claimed the very first Luftwaffe night fighter victory using airborne radar. Hans-Joachim Jabs was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves in March 1944, while Hauptmann and commander of the 4th Group of Night Fighter Wing 1, after achieving forty-five aerial victories. Jabs survived the war after flying 510 sorties and achieved forty-eight aerial victories, of which thirty were while flying as a night fighter. This comprehensive study provides details of the individuals’ ranks and commands at the time of the award, as well as also detailing their careers during the war and after, with investigations into their fates.