Erich Loewenhardt (7 April 1897 – 10 August 1918) was a German soldier and military aviator who fought in the First World War and became a fighter ace credited with 54 confirmed aerial victories.

Erich Loewenhardt (other spellings Löwenhardt, Lowenhardt) was born in Breslau, Silesia, German Empire on 7 April 1897, the son of a doctor.

Young Loewenhardt was wounded near Łódź but remained on duty as standard bearer for his regiment as it fought in the Battle of Tannenberg.

[1] After five months recuperation,[1] Loewenhardt volunteered for the Imperial German Army Air Service and qualified as an aerial observer.

[2][3] Jagdstaffel 10 was one of the four squadrons incorporated into Germany's newly formed first fighter wing, which was commanded by the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen.

[4] On 24 March 1917, Loewenhardt scored his first confirmed aerial victory, destroying an enemy observation balloon over Recicourt.

Following Voss' deadly tutelage, [5] Loewenhardt was an aggressive, skilled fighter whose score grew steadily as he flew Albatros and Pfalz planes.

On 6 November, his aircraft's lower wing was damaged during combat over Winkel Saint Eloi at 0830 hours,[2] a dud antiaircraft shell smashing his left wingtip without exploding.

Loewenhardt pulled his craft out of the resulting spin at 15 meters altitude, wheels down, and bounced into a tumbling wreck.

[1] Loewenhardt continued to score; on 10 May, he destroyed an observation balloon for his 20th victory[7] and became eligible for the Pour le Merite.

[7] On the 10th, flying despite a badly sprained ankle, Loewenhardt launched his yellow Fokker D.VII on a mid-day sortie leading a patrol heavily weighted with rookie pilots.