Martin Becker (12 April 1916 – 8 February 2006) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 58 aerial victories making him the tenth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare.

[1] All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front in Defense of the Reich missions, the majority at night against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Bomber Command and one daytime claim over a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

Following graduation from school, he joined the military service in 1936 and was trained as an air observer and was posted to a bomber wing and participated in the Battle of France.

Becker, who flew approximately 110 combat missions, died on 8 February 2006 in Oberneisen.

Becker was born on 12 April 1916 at Wiesbaden at the time in Hesse-Nassau, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia.

On 1 April 1937 he was assigned to Kampfgeschwader 155 (KG 155–155th Bomber Wing), and then to an aerial reconnaissance unit.

Staffel (squadron) of Heeres-Ergänzungs-Aufklärungsgruppe 21 (21st army reconnaissance group) as an Oberfeldwebel (master sergeant).

[2] World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland.

Becker received basic and advanced training as a night fighter pilot while based there.

[2] 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.

Southwest of Mannheim he claimed a Handley-Page Halifax destroyed at 20:56 and another near Rimbach at 21:05 for his second to fourth victories.

[6] Becker achieved ace status on 21 December when he claimed one Avro Lancaster bomber two Halifax between 19:50 and 19:55.

[7] On the night of 20 February 1944 Becker downed three bombers—two Lancasters and a Halifax—between 03:02 and 04:18 in the airspace between Celle and Leipzig.

[11] In the evening of 22 March 1944 Becker claimed six between 21:42 to 22:39 which elevated his total to 18 bombers destroyed.

[13] On the night of the 30/31 March 1944, Bomber Command suffered heavy losses on a raid to Nürnberg.

Flying Officer W. C. Isted (DFM), E. H. J. Summers, J. V. Scrivener (RCAF) became prisoners of war.

[18] Becker also shot down the experienced and decorated crew of Lancaster III ND640, OF-B, of No.

Two crewman, Flight Sergeants D. Findlay and R. Dawson evaded capture and went into hiding with the help of locals.

[24] On 26 July at 02:10, west of Stuttgart, Becker achieved his 34th victory over a Lancaster bomber.

In December 1944 the German Ardennes Offensive had achieved success but was bogged down.

Bomber Command attacked rail targets to disrupt the flow of supplies to the German Army and proceeded to continue its campaign against Germany.

On 2/3 January 1945 Becker intercepted two Lancaster bombers over Bruchsal at 18:45 and Luxembourg at 19:32 and claimed both shot down.

Becker's crowning achievement, and a Nachtjagd record, was on 14/15 March 1945, when he claimed nine bombers of No.

Only seven other separate claims were filed on this night: one for Herbert Lütje and three for Gerhard Friedrich and three to other pilots.

Northeast of Jena at 22:15 and southwest of Heidelsheim at 23:00 a Lancaster was reported shot down at each location.

[37] Obermaier also lists him with 58 aerial victories, including three of which shot down by his radio operator Karl-Ludwig Johanssen with his rearward-facing MG 131 machine gun.