Allegiance Nazi Germany Rank Leutnant Service/branch Luftwaffe | Years of service 1939–1942 Name Erwin Fleig Unit Jagdgeschwader 51 | |
Born 6 December 1912
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany ( 1912-12-06 ) Battles/wars World War II
Eastern Front
Western Front
Battle of Britain
Operation Barbarossa Died March 1, 1986, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Battles and wars Eastern Front, Western Front, Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa, World War II | ||
Ervin Fleig (6 December 1912 – 1 March 1986) was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Ervin Fleig was credited with 66 victories in 506 missions.
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Career
Erwin Fleig spent his entire War time career flying with Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51) and became Werner Molders Rottenflieger (wingman). He had joined JG 51 in June 1940. Fleig claimed his first victory on 11 August 1940, when he shot down a Spitfire over the English Channel. He claimed seven aerial victories during the Battle of Britain, six of them were Spitfire fighters. During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he accumulated a further 57 victories. He was Hermann Joppien's wingman on 28 August 1941, when Joppien was killed as they attacked Soviet bombers near Bryansk. On the 29th of May 1942 Fleig was shot down in Szokoloje. Taken as a Prisoner of war, Fleig wasn't released until the fifties. Erwin Fleig was credited with 66 aerial victories in 506 missions. Nine of his victories were scored on the Western Front, six were Spitfires.