German Prince and World War II Ace. Member of the Sayn-Wittgenstein aristocratic family. Third leading night fighter ace in that war with 83 victories. Holder of the 44th Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (of 160), awarded posthumously. He was born in Denmark, as his father was a diplomat in the Danish capital. He was a member of the Hitler Youth, joining in 1933, and graduated from Gymnasium in 1935. Deciding on a military career, he joined a cavalry regiment in the spring of 1937 in Bamburg but transferred to the Luftwaffe in the summer. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1938 and flew the Ju 88 and He 111 bombers. Before the war, he served as an observer/navigator in KG 54. When war broke out, he continued to serve as an observer with KG 1 in the Battle for France and the Battle of Britain, and was awarded the Iron Cross First and Second Class. He then returned to flight school and obtained an advanced pilot certificate, which qualified him to fly at night. He then rejoined KG 1 and took part in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa. In August 1941, he transferred to the night fighter force, as he did not like the fact that as a bomber pilot he might be dropping bombs on civilians. He was named a squadron leader in NJG 2 on November 1941 and scored his first night victory in May 1942. By October, he had reached 22 victories, for which he was awarded the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross, and was promoted to Captain. In February 1943, he transferred to NJG 5 on the Eastern Front as Group Commander. In August 1943, he was appointed Commander of Group II of NJG 2, and after his his 54th victory later that month, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knights Cross. On January 20th he barely survived a mid-air collision with a Lancaster bomber he had shot down, belly-landing his Ju 88 night fighter. The next night, he intercepted a flight of Lancaster bombers, shooting down five before being hit by the escorting fighter. He and his crew bailed out, but he was found dead near the wreckage of his aircraft with an unopened parachute, though his crew survived. On his death, he was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht and was awarded the Swords to his Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. According to his family, he became very disillusioned as the war went on and openly spoke with his family about killing Hitler, as he was unmarried and had no children. He was the leading night fighter ace at his death. He was originally buried in the squadron cemetery at Deelen Air Force Base, but his remains were moved to their final location in 1948 after the war.