US Air Force Colonel Herman Ernst (1918-2003) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Henry and Julia Ernst. He graduated from Central High School in 1936 and attended the University of Chattanooga briefly, before Enlisting in 1940.
His love of flying began at Chattanooga where he went for 15-minute flights with a local airplane club whenever he could save two dollars from his lunch money. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his National Guard unit, the 181st Field Artillery, moved to California where he successfully tested for flight school.
After pilot training, a checkout in the B-25, and a course in aerial gunnery, Ernst was assigned to Florida for transition into night fighters. In March 1944, he deployed to England with the 422d Night Fighter Squadron (NFS), the first American unit of its type in the European Theater of Operations. Unfortunately, their P-61 Black Widows did not arrive for several months, and the crews had to fight off a move to equip them with British Mosquito night fighters.
On 15 July 1944, he was the first pilot to destroy a V-1 “buzz bomb” that Hitler attempted to destroy England, his first mission.
In December, during the Battle of the Bulge, in support of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, Ernst’s squadron destroyed Nazi aircraft and supported the troops on the ground.
In March 1944, however, and in one night Ernst downed two Ju-87 Stukas and possibly destroyed an Me-110. Their final tally of five aircraft and one “buzz bomb” was unexcelled by any American nightfighter crew in Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
He was discharged from active service in 1945 but continued service in the Tennessee Air National Guard until retiring at the rank of Colonel in 1978. He retained a life long passion for flying and was long and active member of the Chattanooga Flyers Club. Sadly Lt. Col. Herman E. Ernst died aged 85 on February 28th 2003.
[Contributor: Michael Harrison]
His love of flying began at Chattanooga where he went for 15-minute flights with a local airplane club whenever he could save two dollars from his lunch money. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his National Guard unit, the 181st Field Artillery, moved to California where he successfully tested for flight school.
After pilot training, a checkout in the B-25, and a course in aerial gunnery, Ernst was assigned to Florida for transition into night fighters. In March 1944, he deployed to England with the 422d Night Fighter Squadron (NFS), the first American unit of its type in the European Theater of Operations. Unfortunately, their P-61 Black Widows did not arrive for several months, and the crews had to fight off a move to equip them with British Mosquito night fighters.
On 15 July 1944, he was the first pilot to destroy a V-1 “buzz bomb” that Hitler attempted to destroy England, his first mission.
In December, during the Battle of the Bulge, in support of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, Ernst’s squadron destroyed Nazi aircraft and supported the troops on the ground.
In March 1944, however, and in one night Ernst downed two Ju-87 Stukas and possibly destroyed an Me-110. Their final tally of five aircraft and one “buzz bomb” was unexcelled by any American nightfighter crew in Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
He was discharged from active service in 1945 but continued service in the Tennessee Air National Guard until retiring at the rank of Colonel in 1978. He retained a life long passion for flying and was long and active member of the Chattanooga Flyers Club. Sadly Lt. Col. Herman E. Ernst died aged 85 on February 28th 2003.
[Contributor: Michael Harrison]
US Air Force Colonel Herman Ernst (1918-2003) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Henry and Julia Ernst. He graduated from Central High School in 1936 and attended the University of Chattanooga briefly, before Enlisting in 1940.
His love of flying began at Chattanooga where he went for 15-minute flights with a local airplane club whenever he could save two dollars from his lunch money. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his National Guard unit, the 181st Field Artillery, moved to California where he successfully tested for flight school.
After pilot training, a checkout in the B-25, and a course in aerial gunnery, Ernst was assigned to Florida for transition into night fighters. In March 1944, he deployed to England with the 422d Night Fighter Squadron (NFS), the first American unit of its type in the European Theater of Operations. Unfortunately, their P-61 Black Widows did not arrive for several months, and the crews had to fight off a move to equip them with British Mosquito night fighters.
On 15 July 1944, he was the first pilot to destroy a V-1 “buzz bomb” that Hitler attempted to destroy England, his first mission.
In December, during the Battle of the Bulge, in support of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, Ernst’s squadron destroyed Nazi aircraft and supported the troops on the ground.
In March 1944, however, and in one night Ernst downed two Ju-87 Stukas and possibly destroyed an Me-110. Their final tally of five aircraft and one “buzz bomb” was unexcelled by any American nightfighter crew in Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
He was discharged from active service in 1945 but continued service in the Tennessee Air National Guard until retiring at the rank of Colonel in 1978. He retained a life long passion for flying and was long and active member of the Chattanooga Flyers Club. Sadly Lt. Col. Herman E. Ernst died aged 85 on February 28th 2003.
[Contributor: Michael Harrison]
His love of flying began at Chattanooga where he went for 15-minute flights with a local airplane club whenever he could save two dollars from his lunch money. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his National Guard unit, the 181st Field Artillery, moved to California where he successfully tested for flight school.
After pilot training, a checkout in the B-25, and a course in aerial gunnery, Ernst was assigned to Florida for transition into night fighters. In March 1944, he deployed to England with the 422d Night Fighter Squadron (NFS), the first American unit of its type in the European Theater of Operations. Unfortunately, their P-61 Black Widows did not arrive for several months, and the crews had to fight off a move to equip them with British Mosquito night fighters.
On 15 July 1944, he was the first pilot to destroy a V-1 “buzz bomb” that Hitler attempted to destroy England, his first mission.
In December, during the Battle of the Bulge, in support of the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, Ernst’s squadron destroyed Nazi aircraft and supported the troops on the ground.
In March 1944, however, and in one night Ernst downed two Ju-87 Stukas and possibly destroyed an Me-110. Their final tally of five aircraft and one “buzz bomb” was unexcelled by any American nightfighter crew in Europe. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
He was discharged from active service in 1945 but continued service in the Tennessee Air National Guard until retiring at the rank of Colonel in 1978. He retained a life long passion for flying and was long and active member of the Chattanooga Flyers Club. Sadly Lt. Col. Herman E. Ernst died aged 85 on February 28th 2003.
[Contributor: Michael Harrison]
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