Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow
| Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 May 1908 Stettin, German Empire |
| Died | 10 September 1990 (aged 82) Kiel, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany West Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe.svg){kind=small} German Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1939–45 1950s–64 |
| Rank |
Major (Wehrmacht) Oberstleutnant (Bundeswehr) |
| Unit | KGr.z.b.v. 108 LTS (See) 222 NJG 1 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Other work | Pilot with SCADTA and Luft Hansa |
Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow (5 May 1908 – 10 September 1990) was a German night fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany. He was recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Modrow, along with four other pilots, was the 45th most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare. He was credited with 34 nocturnal aerial victories, including one De Havilland Mosquito, claimed in 259 combat missions, 109 of which flown at night. Modrow was the leading proponent of the Heinkel He 219. All but one of his 34 successes were claimed in this aircraft.
Modrow was born on 5 May 1908 in Stettin, at the time in the Province of Pomerania in the Kingdom of Prussia. Today, Stettin is Szczecin, the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. Modrow began his civil flight training in 1929 worked as a pilot for the Colombian-German Air Transport Society (SCADTA—Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aéreos) from 1933 to 1937. Modrow then flew the postal routes to South America with the Deutsche Luft Hansa from May 1937 to August 1939.
World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Modrow was posted to Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung 108 (KGr.z.b.v. 108—Fighting Group for Special Use) to fly the Dornier Do 26 flying boat. With this unit he flew maritime aerial reconnaissance and supply missions into Narvik during the Norwegian Campaign. On 28 May 1940, his Do 26 D-AGNT "Seeadler" and another Do 26 were moored at Rombaksfjord when they came under attack by Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawker Hurricane fighters from No. 46 Squadron led by the New Zealander Flight Lieutenant Patrick Jameson. During the attack, Modrow was severely injured and both aircraft destroyed. In March 1941, following a period of convalescence, he was posted to Blindflugschule 1 (1st Blind Flying School) as an instructor. In April 1942, for one year, Modrow was posted to the Mediterranean theater of operations, flying more than 100 transport missions with the Blohm & Voss BV 222 flying boat with the Lufttransportstaffel (See) 222 (LTS (See) 222—222nd Air Transport Squadron Sea). In April 1943, he was transferred to the Luftwaffe (Maritime Test Site) at Travemünde.
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