Ernst Freiherr von Althaus (19 March 1890 – 29 November 1946) was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with nine confirmed aerial victories, as well as eight unconfirmed ones.

In an early action, he led a patrol of 15 hussars into a French village occupied by the enemy and captured twenty-two prisoners.

For this feat, on 27 January 1915, he was awarded his native Bavaria's highest decoration for valor, the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of St. Henry.

[1][2][3] See also Aerial victory standards of World War I Althaus was promoted to Oberleutnant on 6 August 1915 before being posted to Feldflieger Abteilung 23 (Field Flier Detachment 23) on 20 September.

While serving with Feldflieger Abteilung 23, Althaus was temporarily assigned to ad hoc fighter formations known as Kampfeinsitzerkommando (Combat Single-Seater Commands), which were named after their location.

He made a splash, marking his Albatros D.V's chrome yellow fuselage with the five dots and a dash that denoted the Morse Code for his nickname initials of 'H A'.

Althaus's failing eyesight caused his removal from command and combat;[7] he also seems to have been regarded as a scandalous gambler.

In a reversal of the usual system of transfers, Althaus shifted back into the command of an infantry company at Verdun.