Erich Leie

Erich Leie (born 10 September 1916 in Kiel, killed in action 7 March 1945 in Drogomyśl, Poland) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe until his death on 7 March 1945. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant and nominated for the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Military career
In March 1940, Leie joined III./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) and claimed his first victory on 14 May when he shot down a Bristol Blenheim. By October 1940, Leie was serving with Geschwaderstab of JG 2, and had 11 victories by the end of the year. Leie was awarded the Ritterkreuz in August 1941 after claiming 21 victories in the west. He claimed 6 Spitfires shot down in one day on 23 July, and by the end of 1941, his total was 32.

In May 1942, Leie became Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I Gruppe, JG 2. He saw action in the air battle over Dieppe on 19 August, claiming a Spitfire. However, he was shot down and wounded, bailing out of his Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-3.

In January 1943, Leie transferred as Gruppenkommandeur to I./Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing), based on the Eastern front. Leie led the Gruppe during the offensive operations leading up to Operation Zitadelle, the Battle of Kursk, in July 1943. In November 1943 Leie, by now a major, recorded his 100th victory. After a spell of leave in March, he returned to duty only to be shot down by Russian fighters on 6 July. He bailed out over Russian lines but on descending by parachute, was blown back over German lines. By October 1944, Leie's victory total stood at 114. He became Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) in December 1944.

Leie was killed over Drogomyśl, 20 km northeast of Cieszyn (southern Poland) on 7 March 1945, when he collided with a crashing Russian Yak 9 fighter and failed to survive a low level bail-out from his Bf 109 G-14/AS. He was officially credited with 118 victories from over 500 combat missions. He claimed 76 victories over the Eastern front, including 32 Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft. Among his 42 claims recorded over the Western front, 30 were Supermarine Spitfire fighters and one was a four-engine bomber.

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
 * German Cross in Gold on 20 October 1942 as Oberleutnant in the I./JG 2
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 August 1941 as Oberleutnant and pilot in the Stab of I./JG 2 "Richthofen"