Ernst-Georg Drünkler (8 July 1920 – 12 March 1997) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 47 aerial victories,[1] including two by day, claimed in 102 combat missions making him the thirtieth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare.

The majority of his victories were claimed over the Western Front in Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command.

Following flight training in 1942, he was posted to Zerstörergeschwader 2 (ZG 2—2nd Destroyer Wing) operating on the Eastern Front, flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter.

Gruppe (2nd group) of Zerstörergeschwader 2 (ZG 2—2nd Destroyer Wing) operating on the Eastern Front of World War II.

There, he flew nine ground attack and was credited with the destruction of an armored train, five locomotives, two freight cars and five trucks.

[3] Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.

It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter.

Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers.

[7] During this mission, his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 (Werknummer 5427—factory number) sustained combat damage, resulting in a forced landing at Bergervaart, near Bergen op Zoom, which destroyed the aircraft.

[8] On the night of the 21/22 June 705 RAF bombers—262 Lancasters, 209 Halifax, 117 Short Stirlings, 105 Vickers Wellingtons and—12 Mosquitos attacked Krefeld.

The raid was carried out before the full moon period was over and the heavy casualties were mostly caused by night fighters.

[9] Drünkler intercepted the bomber stream west of Makkum and claimed a Short Stirling at 02:39.

[10] On the 23/24 July 1943 Air Marshall Arthur Harris, Air Officer Commanding, Bomber Command, initiated Operation Gomorrah, a concerted attempt to destroy Hamburg and step up the area bombing of German industrial cities.

[11] Over the Bay of Kiel in the early hours of 24 July, Drünkler claimed a Halifax shot down at 00:54.

300 B-17 Flying Fortress from the 1st Bombardment Wing were to attack Hamburg, while a small force was to bomb the U-boat yards at Kiel.

A notable loss was Karl-Heinz Leesmann, who was killed in action and a night fighter crew that came down in the North Sea and were captured by a Royal Navy vessel.

[14] On the night of the 30/31 March 1944, Bomber Command suffered its heaviest loss of the war an operation to bomb Nürnberg.

Bomber Command attacked the rail networks in Belgium and France as a prelude to Operation Overlord, scheduled to begin on 6 June 1944.

[18] Drünkler had another successful night on the 12/13 June 1944, six days after D-Day, when he accounted for two heavy bombers shot down.

[19] Drünkler's victims were from 671 aircraft (348 Halifax and 285 Lancaster, 38 Mosquito) of No 4, 5, 6 and 8 Group, sent to attack communications at Amiens, Longueau, Arras, Caen, Cambrai and Poitiers.

[20] On 24/25 June 1944 535 Lancaster, 165 Halifax bombers, and 39 Mosquito intruders from all RAF groups attacked seven V-1 flying bomb sites.

[23] Drünkler continued his success in France on the 14/15 July when he destroyed two Lancasters west of Chaumont (02:08) and southeast of Bar-sur-Seine (02:17) to reach a total of 20.

[27] On the last night of the Normandy campaign, as the German front collapsed, Drünkler, 1./NJG 5 was moved to East Prussia.

[29] While based in East Prussia, Drünkler accounted for a Red Air Force Ilyushin DB-3 shot down southeast of Georgenburg at 01:56 for his 28th victory.

[33] Drünkler intercepted three bombers and claimed them shot down within nine minutes: 21:03 to 21:12 southwest and west of the city.

Post-raid reconnaissance suggest the raid was ineffective and although parts of the city were hit, most of the bombs fell in open country.

Drünkler downed a trio of heavy bombers on 16/17 March 1945, over, east and south of Ansbach from 21:15 to 21:43.

463 Squadron RAF on the mission to the synthetic oil refinery at Böhlen, crashed at Tachenau, just south of the target area, killing all seven crew members including pilot Flying Officer Richard Stuart Bennett RAAF (on secondment).

[45] On 17 April northwest of Strasburg and north of Fürstenwalde at 23:21 and 23:47 he accounted for two Ilyushin Il-4s, Drünkler's penultimate victory claims of the war.

[46] Drünkler was credited with 46 aerial victories—45 nocturnal, including five over Russian bombers, and one daytime victory over Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress—plus further seven unconfirmed claims.