Heinrich Ehrler

[knusel]

I often heard that Heinrich Ehrler's last words were "See you in Valhalla".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAy3sBLmv1M
The whole thing might just be a legend but are any others airmen associated with this sentence ?

[Johannes]

Hallo Gentlemen

Extending Nick's flugbücher/RLM syatement about some claims not making it to the RLM. There is a pattern. Some pilots list only confirmed claims on their abschüßeliste, others include unconfirmed. There was one night-fighter ace who presented his list, but stated he thought one was not confirmed, and sure enough one did not appear on the microfilms.

Let's take Günther Rall his flugbücher records only one that was not on the microfilms, his last, and when questioned about it he stated he didn't do the paperwork as he was hospitalised. Does appear strange he had no other unconfirmed claims, he was known to be very dedicated and did not take risks, yet it just seems he didn't bother with anything not worth pursuing, it does sound incredible that an honest claimer with such a career didn't have any O.Z claims e.t.c.

Others record claims in their flugbücher with comments like O.Z(without witness), but on their abschüßelist they are omitted

Some just thought they would be confirmed, but they never were, and let's face it it often took more than a year to get confirmation.

Then you have those who worked their scams and just completed the paper-work perfectly dispite sometimes not any combat taking place, thus no question about it, so they had no questionable claims.

Kind Regards

Johannes

[Nokose]

According to Wolfgang Späte his return to the Eastern Front in 1942 for a few weeks was because some of his confirmed claims had been rejected. He went back to gain some victories to make up for the rejected claims. It is always interesting to find some denied claim that had an actual matching loss. There are many Soviet aircraft that were shot down by Bf 109 or Fw 190 that have no matching cliam made by German pilots. I often wonder if no witness or lost report resulted in it.

[knusel]

Originally Posted by Johannes

...

Some just thought they would be confirmed, but they never were, and let's face it it often took more than a year to get confirmation.

Then you have those who worked their scams and just completed the paper-work perfectly dispite sometimes not any combat taking place, thus no question about it, so they had no questionable claims.

Kind Regards

Johannes

Hello Johannes,

when the Nazis needed a scapegoat for the Tirpitz disaster they could not accuse Heinrich Ehrler of cowardice because he had been in action that day. Therefore, they accused him of the egoism of trying to get his score to 200 instead of conducting the interception from the ground control station. That does not necessarily mean his score was 199 in the morning of 12Nov but III. Gruppe adjutant Oblt Kurt Schulze reported that when Ehrler was aloft he prepared congratulations for his 200th because he usually didn't return without a claim.

Have a good evening,

Michael