Hans Strelow (26 March 1922 – 22 May 1942) was a Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 68 enemy aircraft shot down in over 200 combat missions, all of which claimed over the Eastern Front.

Born in Berlin, Strelow volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1939.

Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) in 1941 and participated in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Strelow was born on 26 March 1922 in Berlin of the Weimar Republic, the son of a teacher at a Volksschule.

[4] World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland.

Gruppe of JG 51 was withdrawn from the English Channel and ordered to Dortmund where the unit was reequipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F series.

Gruppe followed the German advance and relocated 100 kilometers (62 miles) east to an airfield at Terespol on the Bug.

[7] The German advance required the Gruppe to relocate approximately 220 kilometers (140 miles) east to an airfield at Nowo-Hutkowo near Slutsk on 28 June.

Gruppe was moved to an airfield at Stara Bychow, approximately 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of Mogilev on the Dnieper on 12 July.

Staffel commanding officer Kolbow was killed in action and was replaced by Leutnant Hans-Joachim Steffens.

Gruppe reached an airfield at Schatalowka, present-day Shatalovo air base, 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Smolensk, on 17 August.

[2] The Gruppe relocated to Sechtschinskaja, approximately 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Roslavl, on 23 September from where the unit flew missions in the combat area east of Konotop.

[16] On 11 October, the Gruppe was briefly detached from the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of JG 51 and ordered east to Oryol.

Operating from Kaluga, Strelow claimed a Pe-2 bomber shot down on 5 December northwest of Kashira.

Gruppe claimed thirteen aerial victories including two Polikarpov R-Z reconnaissance bomber aircraft by Strelow.

Strelow claimed his 40th aerial victory on 28 February, a Pe-2 bomber shot down east of Bryansk.

[2] On 30 March, the Luftwaffenpersonalamt (staff department) of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Ministry of Aviation) deferred a preferential promotion to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on account of his young age.

[29] Four days later, Strelow committed suicide after he was shot down by a Pe-2 twin-engine bomber in his Bf 109 F-2 "Black 10" (Werknummer 8239—factory number).

He had made a forced landing 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) behind Soviet lines near Mtsensk and killed himself to avoid capture by the Red Army.