Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

B - 24 # 42 - 95298 IG " Trouble N Mind "
3 KIA 6 POW MACR # 13731
Pilot - Capt. John Ray Jr.
CP - Lt Alden Hershiser KIA
Nav - Lt. Ara Adams KIA
Toggleer / NT - S/Sgt. John Garrity
TT/E - S/Sgt. Wilfred Shilts
RO - T/Sgt. Hobart Chester
LW - S/Sgt. Edward Webb
RW - S/Sgt. Francis Hildenberger
TG - S/Sgt. Peter Fager KIA

On the morning of 4 April 1945, Ehrler flew his last sortie and achieved the last two of his 208 recorded victories. Major Ehrler, flying out of the JG 7 Airfield at Brandenburg-Briest accompanied by his wingman, was in the skies 50 kilometers east of Hamburg when B-24 Liberators from the 448th BG began forming their bombing run of Parchim. Ehrler attacked the lead 714th squadron, downing two B-24 bombers—Lt. Shafter’s “Miss-B-Havin,” and Lt. Mains’ “Red Bow.” At the time of the attack, two P-51s were pursuing Ehrler and he was being fired upon by squadron bombers, taking hits from the tail and waist gunners of B-24, “My Buddie” (piloted by Lt. Gordon Brock) who reported pieces of fuselage flying off the jet. The attack took place over Buchen at grid points 53°31N, 10°38E. Minutes later, as the 448th Bomb Group circled back towards their Group RP at Stendal, 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 Theodor Weissenberger that he was running out of ammunition and intended to ram the bomber. In any case, both planes were destroyed in the ensuing explosion. The B-24 crashed at Krullenkempe, near Havelberg, as Ehrler’s’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 4 April 1945.

04 APRIL 1945
8th USAAF Mission # 926 of 968, 448th BG Mission # 248 of 262 total.
Target: Jet/Rocket Airfields in Northern Germany .
The maximum effort strike assigned 45 aircraft from Seething to attack Wesendorf.
Near the target the group received intense opposition; first due to German jet and rocket fighter aircraft followed by intense, accurate anti-aircraft fire.
B-24H-30-FO, #42-95298, TROUBLE N' MIND (MACR 13731) piloted by Capt. John Ray Jr.suffered a cannon burst in the cockpit which severed the oxygen and communication lines. While fire consumed the cockpit area the aircraft went into a shallow dive that increased into a spin.
Six of the nine crewmembers who parachuted were captured by Germans between Kyritz and Havelberg.
The three remaining airmen Lt. Alden J. Hershiser Jr. O768545, 1st Lt. Ara J. Adams O2000376 and SSgt. Peter J. Fager 396173211 did not survive. Hirshiser was last seen decending with his parachute deployed.
The aircraft finally crashed near the village of Krullenkempe narrowly missing the houses.
The violent jet opposition cost the 448th Bomb Group three aircraft with their crews in mere seconds on this raid on which they were unable to drop their bombs.

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

Incredible! What is the source/es of this info

TIA

Rob Romero

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

not incredible, just ask google and wikipedia,
seek and thou shalt find ! ;-)

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

Hello,

please open following link:

http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety...45/Ehrler.html


" The wording of the death certificate, signed by Major Weissenberger and Oblt. Schuck, Staffelkapitaen of 3./JG7, gives no clue as to the precise cause of the crash: "Major Ehrler failed to return from a combat sortie on April 6, 1945. A body was found on April 7, 1945 near Stendal and an autopsy revealed that it was that of Major Heinrich Ehrler. Major Heinrich Ehrler was buried in Stendal cemetery on April 10, 1945.
"Walter Schuck states in his book "Abschuss", "whether Ehrler did ram actually or his plane was shot up by the rear gunner of the attacked B-17 during the ram attempt will remain one of the many unsolved fates of the war....Ehrler's grave at Stendal gives date of death of the 4th April 1945.


The question: What was the death date of Heinrich Ehrler: April 4 or April 7?

Best wishes, Karl

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

Zum Gedenken

V1662312 Nachname:Ehrler Vorname:Heinrich Dienstgrad:Major Geburtsdatum:14.09.1917 Geburtsort:Oberbellbach Todes-/Vermisstendatum:04.04.1945 Todes-/Vermisstenort:

Heinrich Ehrler ruht auf der Kriegsgräberstätte in Stendal-Städtischer Friedhof (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) .
Endgrablage: Parzelle 1 Feld 2 Reihe 1

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

Fascinating post. I have an avid interest in this incident and the downing of Lt. Mains Liberator.

I live a couple of miles from the old airfield at Seething and have been working on a documentary film project about the 2nd AD and 448th BG for some time. The Lt. Mains / Me262 attack will be an important sequence in the film. I have spoken with Harold Dorfman (USAF Ret.) who took the famous photo of Lt. Mains aircraft in its death dive. I have also interviewed Edward Paretti who was tail gunner on the Torrance crew that day and was credited with a 262 kill.

Furthermore i have since been in contact with a gentleman who researched Alden Hershisher's story and which ultimately lead to Alden's remains being repatriated to the U.S very recently. I don't think that i ever heard reference to any ramming but i could be wrong. There are so many sources and angles that it can make your head spin.

I do have copies of all the mission reports from the 448th crews that day and need to sit down and go through them, deciphering the handwritten notes. I have long thought that it would be cool to attempt to recreate the battle, to try and plot the aircraft using all these sources.

Anyway I don't know if that helps you but as I say this incident resonates with me.

Please visit http://happywarriors.co.uk/

Always good to hear from fellow enthusiasts with thoughts, ideas, anything.

Cheers,
Evan

Heinrich Ehrler
 

Hi guys

Rather interesting discussion on the death of Major Ehrler. I have always seen that he died on 4 April 1945 while ramming an opponent after having claimed his final two victories although as has been alluded to earlier there is some doubt as to if this really did happen. Concerning the events described above, I should point out that all accounts state that he was killed in action against USAAF B-17 four-engined bombers and not USAAF B-24 four-engined bombers. According to Theo Boiten and Martin Bowman in Battles with the Luftwaffe: The Bomber Campaign Against Germany, 1942-45 the only Me 262 pilots that claimed B-24 bombers that day were Leutnant Rudolf Rademacher (102 victories, RK) of 11./JG 7 and Leutnant Fritz Müller (22 vctories) of III./JG 7. Both pilots brought down their victims with R4M rockets and it appears that Rademacher was the pilot that downed B-24M (44-50838) while Müller downed B-24H (42-95298) as he saw six men bail out of his victim and the first bomber had only one survivor.

Horrido!

Leo

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

Hi

The remains of Lt Alden Hershiser was found by local researchers in 2006. In 2007 he was recovered and in 2010 identified.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009...emains_fi.html

Rene

Re: Heinrich Ehrler KIA 4-4-1945
 

Here is a link to Heinrich Ehrers crash site

http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/luft1945/Ehrler.html

just sroll down.

Schuck confirms that Ehrler was KIA on 4th of April 1945. When he and Weissenberger signed the official death documents, they did not look if the date written on the paper (6th of April) was correct. At those times anyway no combat pilot had the time or was interested to give back the document to the Gefechtsstand for correcting an error in the date.

To the date, 4th of April fits a story of a ground crew member, an Oberfeldwebel of Stab/JG 7: It was obvious that Ehrler was a broken man after he had been accused to be responsible for the sinking of the "Tirpitz". Although he was innocent for this tragedy he was sentenced and imprisoned in Aakershus/Norway. Released to front probation he immediately went to his friend Theo Weissenberger, Kommodore of JG 7. On 27th of February 1945 he arrived at Brandenburg-Briest (see also Boehme, Jagdgeschwader 7). In the following weeks Ehrler fell more and more in depressions and could not get over the disgrace he had to endure and experienced. Before his take-off on 4th of April Ehrler gave a silver ring to the Oberfeldwebel with the words: "you have always been my true and reliable armourer. Take this ring, I don't need him anymore..." After Ehrers death the Oberfeldwebel knew what he had wanted to tell him. It is said that this ring was a present from Weissenberger to Ehrler. Inside are shown the date of arrival 27.2.1945 and the initials H.E. - no other pilot of JG 7 had the same initials H.E. The top shows the crest of JG 7, see attached photo.

All the best,
Horst