Hauptmann
Hans Ehlers was born on 15 July 1914 at Hennstedt
in the Itzehoe region of Holstein. Ehlers was a member of the groundstaff
of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. Unteroffizier Ehlers
was serving with 2./JG 3 during the French campaign. On 18 May 1940, he
recorded his first victories when he claimed two RAF fighters shot down
during a freie-Jagd mission with 10 others of his Staffel over the area
southeast of Valenciennes. However he, in turn, was shot down by RAF Hurricane
fighters of 56 Squadron and crash-landed his Bf 109 E-1 south of Valenciennes
and was listed as missing. However, Ehlers managed to evade and return
to his own lines to rejoin his unit sometime later. During the Battle
of Britain, Feldwebel Ehlers added a further two victories. However,
he was forced to belly-land his damaged Bf 109 E-4 “Black 6” at Colembert
following aerial combat over England on 15 August 1940. Ehlers participated
in the invasion of Russia. On 30 June 1941, while taking-off from Lutsk,
dust produced by a Bf 109 taking-off ahead of him obscured his view and
he failed to see a Hs 126 tactical reconnaisance aircraft of 4./(H) 22
parked halfway down the runway. The wing of Ehler’s Bf 109 F-2 (W.Nr. 5708)
struck the Hs 126 causing the Bf 109 to veer off the runway. The aircraft
was completely destroyed and Ehlers suffered serious injuries. Ehlers recorded
his 10th victory on 15 August, when he shot down a Russian I-17 fighter
near Gorodishche. He recorded the 1,000th victory for JG 3 on 30 August
when he shot down two Russian aircraft for his 12th and 13th victories.
In mid-September, I./JG 3 were ordered back to Germany for rest and refit.
However, Ehlers and a number of other I. Gruppe pilots remained in Russia
serving with III. Gruppe. By the time he finally returned to Germany to
rejoin 1./JG 3, Ehlers, attached to 8./JG 3, had increased his victory
total to 14. Following a period of rest and re-equipment with Bf 109 F-4
fighters, I./JG 3 was ordered to relocate to bases in Holland in December
1941. On 15 January 1942, 3./JG 3 was redesignated 6./JG 1. On 3 May 1943,
6./JG 1 intercepted a formation of RAF Ventura twin-engine bombers and
its escort of Spitfire fighters raiding a power station at Amsterdam. In
the ensuing combat, Ehlers claimed a Spitfire and a Ventura shot down for
his 18th and 19th victories. The Spitfire was piloted by the Wing Leader
of the Coltishall Wing, RAF, Wing Commander Howard “Cowboy” Blatchford
(6 confirmed, 3 probable and 4.5 damaged victories). Blatchford ditched
in the Channel but was not found. By the end of June 1943, Ehlers had 23
victories to his credit. Leutnant Ehlers was appointed Staffelkapitän
of 2./JG 1 on 1 October 1943. On 8 October 1943, Ehlers was wounded in
aerial combat with USAAF B-17 four-engine bombers whereby, having shot
down one, he rammed a second over Kalle. He baled out of his stricken Fw
190 A-6 (W.Nr. 530 715) “Black 5”. On 24 October 1943, Ehlers was presented
the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold by Hermann Göring. On 11 November 1943,
Oberleutnant Ehlers became Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 1. On 13 April
1944, Ehlers was again wounded in an aerial combat where he shot down a
USAAF P-51 fighter and a B-17 but had to force-land his damaged Fw 190
A-8 (W.Nr. 170 046) “Yellow 5”. The injury was superficial. Following the
serious injuries suffered by Gruppenkommandeur, Hauptmann Emil-Rudolf Schnoor
(23 victories, DKiG), in a flying accident on 16 April 1944, Hauptmann
Ehlers took command of I./JG 1. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 9 June
1944 for 52 victories, including 22 four-engine bombers. On 27 December
1944, Ehlers led off 18 Fw 190s on a mission to cover ground troops in
the Dinant-Rochefort area. They were met near Mayen by P-51 Mustangs of
364th Fighter Group, USAAF and suffered the loss of six pilots killed.
Among those killed was Hans Ehlers, shot down in his Fw 190 A-8 (W.Nr.
739 363) “White 20”.
Hans Ehlers was credited with 55 victories. Included
in his victory total are 24 four-engine bombers.
He recorded eight confirmed victories on the Eastern
front. His final score may well be higher as details of his successes
during the Normandy campaign were never brought to account.
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18.5.1940
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Spitfire | 2./JG 3 | SE Valenciennes |
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18.5.1940
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Spitfire | 2./JG 3 | SE Valenciennes |
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26.8.1940
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Spitfire | 2./JG 3 | W Calais |
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5.9.1940
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Spitfire | 2./JG 3 | London area / rammed |
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5.2.1941
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Spitfire | 2./JG 3 | 10km NW St. Omer |
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22.6.1941
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I-16 | 3./JG 3 | - |
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25.6.1941
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I-153 | 3./JG 3 | 20km NE Dubno |
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26.6.1941
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SB-2 | 3./JG 3 | 15km E Dubno |
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26.6.1941
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DJ-6 | 3./JG 3 | - |
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15.8.1941
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I-17 | 3./JG 3 | 15km W Gorodishche |
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15.8.1941
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V-11 | 3./JG 3 | not confirmed |
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26.8.1941
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I-16 | 3./JG 3 | SE Oschilkij |
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30.8.1941
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R-10 | 1./JG 3 | NW Ostijew / 1000th for JG 3 |
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30.8.1941
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I-17 | 1./JG 3 | W Ostijew |
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11.10.1941
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Il-2 | 3./JG 3 | - |
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19.6.1942
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Spitfire | 6./JG 1 | 20km NE Zeebrugge |
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19.6.1942
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Spitfire | 6./JG 1 | SW Walcheren |
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6.12.1942
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B-17 | 6./JG 1 | Lille-Ostend |
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11.3.1943
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Spitfire | 6./JG 1 | 40km W Ijmuiden / not confirmed |
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3.5.1943
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Spitfire | 6./JG 1 | 15km NW Haarlem / Spitfire IX of Coltishall Wing, RAF flown by Wg Cdr HP Blatchford (6/3/4.5 victories), killed |
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3.5.1943
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Ventura | 6./JG 1 | 25km N Haarlem |
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4.5.1943
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Spitfire | 6./JG 1 | SE Lamswaarde |
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14.5.1943
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P-47 | 6./JG 1 | 40km W Vlissinghen |
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10.6.1943
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Spitfire | 6./JG 1 | - |
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22.6.1943
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Spitfire | 6./JG 1 | - |
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17.8.1943
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B-17 HSS | 2./JG 1 | W Wertheim |
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17.8.1943
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B-17 | 2./JG 1 | Worms |
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4.10.1943
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B-17 HSS | 2./JG 1 | W Frankfurt |
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8.10.1943
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B-17 | 2./JG 1 | 20km NW Nienburg |
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29.11.1943
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Bremen-Oldenburgh |
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1.12.1943
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Düsseldorf area |
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11.12.1943
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B-17 HSS | 3./JG 1 | Borger |
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16.12.1943
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Ijsselmeer |
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16.12.1943
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Wadenzee-Ijsselmeer |
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20.12.1943
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Bremen area |
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20.12.1943
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Off Frisians |
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5.1.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Prüm-Saarbrücken |
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30.1.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Pl Qu 05 Ost S/ |
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30.1.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Pl Qu 05 Ost S/ |
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20.2.1944
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P-51 | 3./JG 1 | S Kassel |
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22.2.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Gelsenkirchen area |
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6.3.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Vechta |
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8.3.1944
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P-47 | 3./JG 1 | 40km NE Hannover |
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15.3.1944
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P-38 | 3./JG 1 | Uchte-Wagenfeld area |
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29.3.1944
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P-38 | 3./JG 1 | - |
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8.4.1944
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B-24 | 3./JG 1 | S Salzwedel |
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9.4.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Heiligenhafen area |
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9.4.1944
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P-51 | 3./JG 1 | Heiligenhafen area |
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11.4.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | 7km SE Burgdorf |
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11.4.1944
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P-51 | 3./JG 1 | - |
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11.4.1944
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P-51 | 3./JG 1 | - |
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13.4.1944
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B-17 | 3./JG 1 | Darnstadt area |
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13.5.1944
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P-47 | Stab I./JG 1 | Mecklenberger Bucht |
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19.5.1944
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B-24 | Stab I./JG 1 | S Verden |
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21.11.1944
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B-17 | Stab I./JG 1 | Gotha-Erfurt area |
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23.12.1944
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P-47 | Stab I./JG 1 | - |
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25.12.1944
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B-24 | Stab I./JG 1 | - |
