Lothar Linke
Lothar Linke (23 October 1909 – 14 May 1943) was a German Luftwaffe night fighter pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Linke claimed 27 aerial victories, 24 of them at night. On 14 May 1943 Linke and his crew were forced to bail out after engine failure of their Messerschmitt Bf 110. He struck the tail end of the plane and was killed. On 19 September 1943, he was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross. Early life and career Linke was born on 23 October 1909 in Liegnitz, present-day Legnica, at the time in the Province of Silesia of the German Empire. He was the son of a train driver who had died in 1924. Linke attended the Volksschule (elementary school) in Liegnitz from 1916 to 1919 and the Oberrealschule (secondary school) from 1919 to 1927, also in Liegnitz. From April 1927 to April 1928, he then attended a private school in Liegnitz. Linke joined the military service on 1 March 1934, serving with the 3. Eskadron (3rd squadron) of the Fahr-Abteilung (driving department) in Rendsburg. Linke transferred to the Luftwaffe and on 24 July 1939 was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd