Erich Leie (10 September 1916 – 7 March 1945) was a German
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
military aviator and
wing commander
Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. As a
fighter ace, he is credited with 121 aerial victories claimed in more than 500 combat missions. He claimed 44 on
Western Front, 77 on the
Eastern Front, including one four-engine bomber.
Born in
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
, Leie grew up in the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...
and
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. In 1939, he served with
''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) before he was transferred to
''Jagdgeschwader'' 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) in early 1940. Flying with this wing, Leie claimed his first aerial victory on 14 May during the
Battle of France and received the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 August 1941. In June 1942, he was given command of I. ''
Gruppe'' of JG 2. In 1943, he transferred back to JG 51 where he commanded I. ''Gruppe''. This unit fought on the Eastern Front where he claimed his 100th aerial victory on 6 November 1943. In December 1944, he was given command of
''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing). Leie was
killed in action on 7 March 1945. Posthumously, he was promoted to ''
Oberstleutnant
() is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...
'' (lieutenant colonel) and nominated for the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
.
Early life and career
Leie was born on 10 September 1916 in
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
, at the time in the
Province of Schleswig-Holstein
The Province of Schleswig-Holstein (german: Provinz Schleswig-Holstein ) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia (subsequently the Free State of Prussia after 1918) from 1868 to 1946.
History
It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and H ...
, a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
. In August 1939, Leie temporarily led the ''Reservestaffel'' of
''Jagdgeschwader'' 71 (JG 71—71st Fighter Wing) until he was replaced by ''
Oberleutnant'' (First Lieutenant)
Horst Tietzen
Horst Tietzen (19 July 1912 – 18 August 1940) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.
Career
Tietzen was born 19 July 1912 at Arnswalde (today Choszczno in Poland). As a ' ...
on 29 August.
[For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations see ]Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
. The ''Reservestaffel'' was a training squadron equipped with the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 D-1, at the time based at
Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling () is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some southeast of Munich. It features a luxury health resort with a peat pulp bath and mineral spa.
History
Bad Aibling and its surrounding ...
and subordinated to the I. ''
Gruppe'' (1st group) of
''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). On 26 August, during the German
mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...
phase, the ''Reservestaffel'' was ordered to
Fürstenfeldbruck where it was tasked with providing fighter protection over
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
.
World War II
World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces
invaded Poland. On 21 March 1940, Leie was transferred to III. ''Gruppe'' (3rd group) of
''Jagdgeschwader'' 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing), named after World War I fighter ace
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...
. He claimed his first victory on 14 May during the
Battle of France when he shot down a
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
bomber east of
Sedan. By October 1940, Leie was serving with the ''
Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit) of JG 2. On 28 November 1940, Leie was
wingman
A wingman (or wingmate) is a pilot or UAV who supports another pilot in a potentially dangerous flying environment. ''Wingman'' was originally the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation.
According to t ...
of ''
Major'' (Major)
Helmut Wick
Helmut Paul Emil Wick (5 August 1915 – 28 November 1940) was a German flying ace of World War II. He was a wing commander in the Luftwaffe (air force) of Nazi Germany, and the fourth recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak L ...
, ''
Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander) of JG 2, on a mission to the
Isle of Weight. Leie claimed a
Supermarine Spitfire fighter destroyed, his eleventh aerial victory. On that mission, Wick was
killed in action when he was shot down, probably by
Flight Lieutenant John Dundas of
No. 609 Squadron who was also killed that day.
On 23 July 1941, he claimed six Spitfires shot down in one day, an "
ace-in-a-day" achievement, taking his total to 21 aerial victories. For this, Leie was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 1 August 1941. He received the award from ''
Feldmarschall
''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several L ...
'' (Field Marschal)
Hugo Sperrle with fellow JG 2 "Richthofen" pilots ''Leutnant''
Egon Mayer and ''Oberleutnant''
Rudolf Pflanz
Rudolf Pflanz (1 July 1914 – 31 July 1942) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Pflanz claimed 52 aerial victories, all of them over the Western Front.
Early life a ...
on that day. The triple award presentation was recorded by the ''
Deutsche Wochenschau'' (German Weekly Review), a
newsreel
A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...
series released in the cinemas. By the end of 1941, his total stood at 32 aerial victories. His 32nd claim was a
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester.
The Halifax has its orig ...
heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
shot down on 30 December in the vicinity of
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
. On 26 January 1942, Leie claimed a Spitfire shot down south of
Rame Head
Rame Head or Ram Head ( kw, Penn an Hordh) is a coastal headland, southwest of the village of Rame in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is part of the larger Rame Peninsula.
History and antiquities
The natural site was used for a pr ...
. The Spitfire was piloted by Kazimierz Kosinski from the
No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron who was killed in action on a shipping reconnaissance mission that day.
Group commander
On 24 June 1942, Leie was officially appointed as ''
Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 2. Leie thus succeeded ''Hauptmann'' Ignaz Prestele in this capacity who had been killed in action on 4 May 1942. He saw action in the air battle of the
Dieppe Raid on 19 August and claimed a Spitfire shot down north of
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...
. This was his last claim on the Western Front. He was then shot down and wounded, bailing out of his
Focke Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' ("Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, th ...
A-2 (''Werknummer'' 0326—factory number) southwest of
Abbeville
Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...
.
His injuries required hospitalization. Leie returned to his unit on 2 October 1942. During his convalescence, ''Oberleutnant'' Christian Eickhoff temporarily led I. ''Gruppe''. On 13 August, Sperrle had approved Leie's preferential promotion to ''
Hauptmann
is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
'' (captain). The ''Gruppe'' saw relatively little action in October. In fear of an Allied invasion on the French Mediterranean coast, I. ''Gruppe'' was ordered to
Marseille-Marignane airfield on 8 November. There, it was tasked with providing fighter protection over the coastal area. Without engaging in aerial combat, the ''Gruppe'' stayed in Southern France until the end of 1942.
Eastern Front
In January 1943, Leie transferred as ''Gruppenkommandeur'' to I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51, based on the
Eastern Front. Leie had received the transfer-order on 6 January and arrived at his new unit on 17 January which at the time was based at Isotsch
near
Nevel (town), Nevel. That day, Leie's predecessor as ''Gruppenkommandeur'', ''Oberleutnant'' Rudolf Busch, was killed in action when he
collided in mid-air with ''Geschwaderkommodore'' ''
Oberstleutnant
() is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...
'' (Lieutenant Colonel)
Karl-Gottfried Nordmann. At the time of Leie's arrival on the Eastern Front, Soviet and German forces were engaged in the
Battle for Velikiye Luki
The Battle of Velikiye Luki, also named Velikiye Luki offensive operation (russian: Великолукская наступательная операция), started with the attack by the forces of the Red Army's Kalinin Front against the We ...
and in the
Battles of Rzhev
The Battles of Rzhev (russian: Ржевская битва, Rzhevskaya bitva) were a series of Red Army offensives against the Wehrmacht between January 8, 1942, and March 31, 1943, on the Eastern Front of World War II. The battles took place ...
in the sector of JG 51 area of operation. On 28 January, I. ''Gruppe'' was forced to give up its airfield at Isotscha and moved to an airfield west of
Oryol. Flying from Oryol, Leie claimed a
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-3) was a Soviet fighter-interceptor used during World War II. It was a development of the MiG-1 by the OKO (opytno-konstruktorskij otdel — Experimental Design Departme ...
fighter shot down on 2 February, his first aerial victory on the Eastern Front.
Leie led the ''Gruppe'' during the offensive operations leading up to
Operation Citadel
Operation Citadel (german: Unternehmen Zitadelle) was a German offensive operation in July 1943 against Soviet forces in the Kursk salient, proposed by Generalfeldmarschall Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein during the Second World War on ...
, which initiated the
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history ...
. The battle began on 5 July 1943 with I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51 supporting the German
9th Army in its northern attack on the Kursk salient. For the first days of the operation, I. ''Gruppe'' primary task was to provide fighter escort for the bombers of
''Kampfgeschwader'' 4,
''Kampfgeschwader'' 51 and
''Kampfgeschwader'' 53, as well as for the
Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact through ...
of
''Sturzkampfgeschwader'' 1. On the first day of the Zitadelle, Leie claimed his 50th aerial victory, an Il-2 shot down in the vicinity of
Maloarkhangelsk.
On 6 November 1943 Leie, by now a ''Major'', recorded his 100th victory. He was the 57th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. After a lengthy spell of leave, he returned in late March 1944. On 6 July, during
Operation Bagration
Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
, he was shot down by Soviet fighters. He baled out over Soviet lines but on descending by parachute, was blown back over German lines. By the end of October 1944, Leie's victory total stood at 117.
Wing commander of JG 77 and death
![Geschwaderwappen Jagdgeschwader 77](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Geschwaderwappen_Jagdgeschwader_77.png)
On 29 December 1944, Leie was appointed ''Geschwaderkommodore'' of
''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing). He replaced ''Major''
Siegfried Freytag
Siegfried Freytag (10 November 1919 – 2 June 2003) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 102 aerial victories of which 49 victories were claimed over the Eastern Front. Among his ...
in this function who had temporarily assumed command after ''Major''
Johannes Wiese
Johannes Wiese (7 March 1915 – 16 August 1991) was a German Luftwaffe pilot during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 133 enemy aircraft shot down in 480 combat missions. He claimed all of his victories over the Eastern Front, i ...
was wounded in combat on 25 December. Freytag continued to lead JG 77 until Leie's arrival with the ''Geschwader'' on 15 January 1945. Command of his former I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51 was passed to ''Hauptmann''
Günther Schack
Günther Schack (12 November 1917 – 14 June 2003) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II and a fighter ace credited with 174 enemy aircraft shot down in 780 combat missions. All of his victories were claimed on the Easter ...
. On 12 January, the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
had launched the
Vistula–Oder Offensive on the Eastern Front. The offensive required the Luftwaffe to relocate its forces, defeated
Army Group A
Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during World War II. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsibl ...
, taking much of Poland and striking deep within the pre-war borders of Germany. JG 77 was one of the first Luftwaffe fighter units ordered to relocate to the Eastern Front on 19 January.
As ''Geschwaderkommodore'', Leie was ordered to Berlin on 22 January 1945 and attended the meeting with ''
Reichsmarschall
(german: Reichsmarschall des Großdeutschen Reiches; ) was a rank and the highest military office in the ''Wehrmacht'' specially created for Hermann Göring during World War II. It was senior to the rank of , which was previously the highes ...
''
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
which was later dubbed the
Fighter Pilots' Mutiny. This was an attempt to reinstate ''Generalleutnant''
Adolf Galland as ''
General der Jagdflieger
Inspector of Fighters (German language: ''Inspekteur der Jagdflieger'' redesignated to ''General der Jagdflieger'' (General of Fighters)) was not a rank but a leading position within the High Command of the German Luftwaffe in Nazi Germany
...
'' who had been dismissed for outspokenness regarding the ''
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe
The (; abbreviated OKL) was the high command of the air force () of Nazi Germany.
History
The was organized in a large and diverse structure led by Reich minister and supreme commander of the Air force (german: Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaf ...
'' (''Luftwaffe'' high command), and had been replaced by ''Oberst''
Gordon Gollob. The meeting was held at the
''Haus der Flieger'' in Berlin and was attended by a number of high-ranking fighter pilot leaders which included Leie,
Günther Lützow
Günther Lützow (4 September 1912 – 24 April 1945) was a German Luftwaffe aviator and fighter ace credited with 110 enemy aircraft shot down in over 300 combat missions. Apart from five victories during the Spanish Civil War, most of his cl ...
,
Hannes Trautloft
Johannes "Hannes" Trautloft (3 March 1912 – 11 January 1995) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, and general in the postwar German Air Force. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 58 enemy airc ...
,
Hermann Graf
Hermann Graf (24 October 1912 – 4 November 1988) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. He served on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 200 aerial victories—that is, 200 ...
,
Gerhard Michalski
Gerhard Michalski (25 June 1917 – 22 February 1946) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 73 aerial victories in 652 missions, of which 59 victories were achieve ...
,
Helmut Bennemann
Helmut Bennemann (16 March 1915 – 17 November 2007) was an ''Oberstleutnant'' of Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe in World War II. Bennemann claimed 93 aerial victories in over 400 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed over the E ...
,
Kurt Bühligen and
Herbert Ihlefeld
Herbert Ihlefeld (1 June 1914 – 8 August 1995) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, a fighter ace listed with 130 enemy aircraft shot down in over 1,000 combat missions. He claimed seven ...
, and their antagonist Göring supported by his staff
Bernd von Brauchitsch and
Karl Koller. The fighter pilots, with Lützow taking the lead as spokesman, criticized Göring and made him personally responsible for the decisions taken which effectively had led to the lost air war over Europe.
On 7 March 1945, Leie claimed his last two aerial victories and was killed in action. At 14:56, he claimed a La-5 shot down. Half an hour later, he claimed a
Yakovlev Yak-9
The Yakovlev Yak-9 (russian: Яковлев Як-9) is a single-engine, single-seat multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union and its allies during World War II and the early Cold War. It was a development of the robust and successf ...
fighter west of
Bielitz
Bielsko (german: Bielitz, cs, Bílsko) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that to ...
, present-day Bielsko-Biała, but collided in mid-air with the crashing Yak-9 fighter in his Bf 109 G-14/AS (''Werknummer'' 786329—factory number). He baled out at an altitude of , too low for his parachute to fully deploy. Posthumously, he was nominated for the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
() which was not approved. He was buried at the German war cemetery in
Valašské Meziříčí
Valašské Meziříčí (; german: Wallachisch Meseritsch) is a town in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban mo ...
.
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to US historian
David T. Zabecki, Leie was credited with 118 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 118 aerial victories, 75 on the Eastern Front and 43 on the Western Front, claimed in approximately 500 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the
German Federal Archives and found records for 121 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 77 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 44 over the
Western Allies
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...
, including one four-engine bomber.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 14 West 4911". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15
minutes of
latitude
In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
by 30 minutes of
longitude
Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lette ...
, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.
Awards
*
German Cross
The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...
in Gold on 20 October 1942 as ''
Oberleutnant'' in the I./''Jagdgeschwader'' 2
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 August 1941 as ''Oberleutnant'' and pilot in the ''Stab'' of I./''Jagdgeschwader'' 2 "Richthofen"
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leie, Erich
1916 births
1945 deaths
People from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein
Military personnel from Kiel
German World War II flying aces
German military personnel killed in World War II
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1945