Heinz Ebeling (2 January 1918 – 30 November 1987) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

during World War II. He is credited with 18 aerial victories achieved in 163 combat missions, all of which claimed over the Western Allies during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

and Battle of Britain. Born in Karlsruhe, Ebeling grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe where he was trained as a fighter pilot. Following flight training, he was posted to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) in December 1939. Flying with this wing, Ebeling claimed his first aerial victory on 17 May 1940 over a

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

fighter aircraft. In August 1940, he was appointed squadron leader of 9. '' Staffel'' (9th squadron) of JG 26. This unit was then converted to a

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

unit. Ebeling was awarded the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 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' ...

on 5 November 1940. That day, he collided with his wingman over England and was taken prisoner of war. Ebeling died on 30 November 1987 in Austria.

Early life and career

Ebeling was born 2 January 1918 in Karlsruhe, at the time in the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

as part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. Following flight training, he was posted to 8. '' Staffel'' (8th squadron) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) in December 1939. At the time, 8. ''Staffel'' was commanded by ''Oberleutnant'' Eduard Neumann. The squadron was subordinated to III. '' Gruppe'' (3rd group) which was headed by ''Major'' Ernst Freiherr von Berg, and was under the overall command of ''

Geschwaderkommodore {{unreferenced, date=May 2019 ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (short also ''Kommodore'') is a ''Luftwaffe'' position or appointment (not rank), originating during World War II. A ''Geschwaderkommodore'' is usually an OF5-rank of ''Oberst'' (colonel) or K ...

'' (wing commander) ''Oberst''

Eduard Ritter von Schleich Eduard-Maria Joseph Ritter von Schleich (9 August 1888 – 15 November 1947), born Schleich, was a high scoring Bavarian flying ace of the First World War. He was credited with 35 aerial victories at the end of the war. During the Second World ...

. Based at Essen-Mülheim Aifield, the unit was equipped with the

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

E-1 and E-3 and patrolled western German border during the " Phoney War".

World War II

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. During the

on 17 May 1940, Ebeling claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a

Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier was a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier (1881–1964) and the Morane brothers, Léon (1885–1918) and Robert (1886–1968). The company was taken over and diversified ...

fighter near Grammont, Geraardsbergen in Dutch pronunciation. His opponent may have been a misidentified Hawker Hurricane from the Royal Air Force (RAF) No. 17 Squadron or No. 245 Squadron, which each lost an aircraft in combat near Brussels. On 28 May, during the Battle of Dunkirk, II. and III. ''Gruppe'' engaged in combat with Hurricane fighters from the Biggin Hill Wing near Ostend. Fighter pilots from the two units claimed seven aerial victories in this encounter. This figure includes a Hurricane fighter from either No. 213, No. 229 or No. 242 Squadron shot down northwest of Ostend. RAF units lost six Hurricane fighters in this battle. On 9 June, German forces had breached the French defenses at the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

. The aircraft was probably a

Caudron C.714 The C.710 were a series of light fighter aircraft developed by Caudron-Renault for the French Air Force just prior to the start of World War II. One version, the C.714, saw limited production, and were assigned to Polish pilots flying in France a ...

from GC I/145 () which lost seven aircraft. By the end of the French campaign, he had claimed 5 victories. During the initial stages of the Battle of Britain against the RAF, Ebeling shot down 10 British fighters in August 1940, including three victories on 12 August and two more on 15 August.

Squadron leader

On 22 August, the command hierarchy in JG 26 changed. ''Hauptmann''

Adolf Galland Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western Front and in the Defen ...

, who had commanded III. ''Gruppe'', was appointed ''

'' (wing commander) of JG 26. In consequence, ''Hauptmann''

Gerhard Schöpfel Gerhard Schöpfel (19 December 1912 – 17 May 2003) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 45 aerial victories claimed in approximately 700 combat missions, all of w ...

, who had led 9. ''Staffel'' until then, succeeded Galland as ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of III. ''Gruppe'' and Ebeling was given command of 9. ''Staffel'' as '' Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader). Bf 109E-3 in flight (1940)

On 31 August, Ebeling claimed three aerial victories. JG 26 flew three combat air patrols to the northern banks of the Thames Estuary. Near

North Weald North Weald Bassett or simply North Weald is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The village is within the North Weald Ridges and Valleys landscape area. A market is held every Saturday and Bank Holiday Mo ...

, Ebeling claimed a No. 56 Squadron Hurricane fighter shot down at 09:50. In this encounter, his Bf 109 E-4 (''Werknummer'' 3712—factory number) sustained combat damage, resulting in a forced landing in the English Channel. He was then rescued by a Dornier Do 18

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

from the '' Seenotdienst'' (sea rescue service). On a later patrol that day, Ebeling engaged combat with Hurricane fighters of the No. 85 Squadron and was credited with the destruction of two fighters northwest of

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

. In September, 9. ''Staffel'' began flying fighter-bomber missions. That month, Ebeling claimed three further aerial victories. Sources provide conflicting information regarding actions on 6 and 7 September. According to Caldwell, on 6 September, Ebeling shot down a No. 303 Squadron Hurricane fighter northwest of

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. That day, the Luftwaffe had targeted RAF airfields and aircraft factories in southern England. According to the authors Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock, this claim was filed on 7 September. On 7 September, the Luftwaffe launched a bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, predominantly against London, which was dubbed The Blitz. That day, Ebeling claimed two, only one was confirmed, No. 603 Squadron

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

fighters shot down southeast of London. On 5 November 1940, Ebeling, flying Bf 109 E-4 (''Werknummer'' 2740), collided with his wingman ''Feldwebel'' Walter Braun, flying Bf 109 E-1 (''Werknummer'' 3259), over Dungeness. Both pilots becoming prisoners for the rest of the war. Ebeling was awarded the

() on this day for 18 victories in 163 missions, and the fast conversion of 9. ''Staffel'' to a

unit. His successor as ''Staffelkapitän'' of 9. ''Staffel'' became ''Oberleutnant'' Kurt Ruppert. Ebeling was taken to Canada where he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war. While imprisoned, he was promoted to ''

Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

'' (first lieutenant). Ebeling died on 30 November 1987 at

Obsteig Obsteig is a municipality in the Imst district and is located 15 km northeast of Imst and 3 km above Mötz. The village has 14 parts and is a popular area for skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose ...

in Tyrol, Austria.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces: Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the

German Federal Archives The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv (BArch) (german: Bundesarchiv) are the National Archives of Germany. They were established at the current location in Koblenz in 1952. They are subordinated to the Federal Commissioner for Culture and t ...

and found records for 18 aerial victory claims, all of which were claimed on the Western Front.

Awards

* Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

on 5 November 1940 as '' Leutnant'' and '' Staffelkapitän'' of the 9./''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter"

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ebeling, Heinz 1918 births 1987 deaths German World War II flying aces Military personnel from Karlsruhe Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross People from the Grand Duchy of Baden German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom