Werner Hoffmann ( nightfighter pilot ) Werner Hoffmann ( 13 January 1918 – 8 July 2011 ) was a German Luftwaffe night 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 . Werner Hoffmann claimed 51 aerial victories , 50 of them at night . Career . Hoffmann began flying gliders in 1932 and joined the Luftwaffe in December 1936 , learning to fly with the " Luftkriegschule " near Potsdam . He was awarded his pilot ' s badge in June 1938 and was then posted to 7 . / JG 234 . III . / JG 234 was eventually redesignated I . / ZG 52 in May 1939 and was equipped with the new Bf 110 " Zerstörer " fighter . Lt . Hoffmann was assigned to 4 . / ZG 2 in early 1940 and participated in the Battle of France . He claimed his first victory , a Royal Air Force ( RAF ) fighter over Calais , on 24 May 1940 . He was slightly wounded in June and spent some time in hospital . In July 1940 Hoffmann was transferred to " Ergänzungs - Zerstörergruppe Værløse " as an instructor with the rank of " Oberleutnant " and appointed " Staffelkapitän " ( squadron leader ) . He remained with the unit until 3 August 1941 , when the unit was disbanded . Hoffmann was posted as " Staffelkapitän " to 5 . / NJG 3 based at Schleswig . On the night of 25 / 26 June 1942 Hoffmann shot down two twin - engine bombers during the 1 , 000 - bomber raid on Bremen . Hauptmann Hoffmann was appointed " Staffelkapitän " of 4 . / NJG 5 on 11 February 1943 . He then served with I . / NJG 1 , based at St Trond , in May and was acting " Gruppenkommandeur " ( group leader ) of I . / NJG 5 in July 1943 . On 15 November Hoffmann was awarded the German Cross in Gold ( " Deutsches Kreuz in Gold " ) for 15 victories and by the end of 1943 had a victory total of 18 . On 20 January 1944 Hoffmann had to bale out over Berlin when his aircraft was damaged by return fire from an RAF Lancaster . On the night of 28 / 29 January he shot down three Halifax bombers raiding Berlin and claimed two Lancaster bombers shot down the next night . Hauptmann Hoffmann was awarded the " Ritterkreuz " for 31 victories in May 1944 . On 29 June Hoffmann shot down a four - engine bomber but again bailed out when his aircraft received hits from defensive fire from the bomber . On the night of 7 / 8 July he shot down three RAF bombers . In late July 1944 I . / NJG 5 was withdrawn to Stendal for re - equipment with the Ju 88 G - 6 . Deployed to East Prussia , Hoffmann claimed four victories over Soviet - flown aircraft around Libau during December 1944 . By early 1945 Hoffmann had 44 victories . Following the Soviet offensive on 12 January 1945 , Major Hoffmann flew ground - attack operations against ground forces . Hoffmann claimed a further seven victories during 1945 . On the night of 16 / 17 March Hoffmann shot down three Lancaster bombers before he was shot down in a Ju 88 G - 6 near Nüremberg by a Mosquito Mk XXX night - fighter flown by ace F / L Dennis Hughes ( 5 victories ) of No 239 Squadron RAF . Hoffmann suffered severe bruising to his chest as a result of bailing out . On 1 May 1945 Hoffmann joined 7 . / NJG 3 , based at Husum . Following three months internment in the POW camp at Wiedelah Hoffmann was released . After the war he studied pharmacy and opened a dispensary in Goslar . In 1957 Hoffmann was engaged by Hoechst AG in Bremen in an advisory role . Werner Hoffmann was credited with 51 victories in 192 missions . He recorded one victory by day and four were recorded over the Eastern front . Hoffmann was recommended for the award of the " Eichenlaub " .