Lothar_Linke--Karl_Heinz_Lichte

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.