As Herbert Ihlefeld returned to Germany after the Spanish Civil War, with nine victories he was one of the most successful aces of the Condor Legion.

During the Battle of Britain he once again demosntarted his outstanding skills in aerial combat, returning from almost every mission across the Channel with new kills. From August 1940 he commanded I.(J)/LG 2 (later I./JG 77).

On February 26, 1941, German fighters claimed six RAF fighters shot down over the Channel. One of them, a Spitfire, was recorded as Ihlefeld's 30th victory. The British pilot, Flight Sergeant Howard Squire of RAF 54 Squadron, force-landed his Spitfire MK II (A/C P7443) near Calais.

Squire was brought to the base of I.(J)/LG 2, where he met with and shared a few drinks with Ihlefeld. Before being transferred to a POW camp, Squire asked Ihlefeld to drop a note that he was safe over 54 Squadron's base at Croydon.

Ihlefeld did so a few days later, and on the return flight he bagged another Spitfire for his thirty-first victory. Forty-three years later the two men met at the same place again.

When participate in the German offensive in the Balkans, Haupt. Ihlefelt was shot down in his Bf 109 E-7, "Yellow 1" W.Nr. 2067 by ground fire on 6 April 1941 and taken prisoner.

However he was lucky to be relieved by the advancing German troops and was soon back in action, scoring his 36th Abschusse, a Hurricane over Malemes on 16 May.

According to recent research, Herbert Ihlefeld claimed a total of 123 victories during WW II. He passed away on August 8, 1995, and was buried in the Wennigser Waldfriedhof, near Hannover.

Note: The small "bump" beneath the belly of the aircraft displayed here is Peil1G IV a bearing equipment that was tested by I.(J)/LG 2 during this period.

Note also that this machine, his replacement machine when returning after beeing captured, an E-3 that earlier was the personal machine of Josef "Pips" Priller of 6./JG 51.

One could still dedect Priller´s "Yellow 1" on the fuselage and below the cockpit his personal "Jutta" ace of hearts emblem shown under the rather sloppy newly applied camouflage.