World War II Paul Gildner (1 February 1914 – 24 February 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 44 aerial victories, including two by day, claimed in approximately 160 combat missions making him one of the more successful night fighter pilots in the Luftwaffe.

[Note 1] All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front in Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Bomber Command.

Trained as a pilot, Gildner served with Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing), flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter, at the start of World War II.

After crash landing his Me-110 following engine failure, Gildner couldn't escape from his burning plane and perished in the flames.

Gildner was born on 1 February 1914 in Nimptsch, present-day Niemcza in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of south-western Poland, at the time in the Province of Silesia in the German Empire.

Following graduation from school and a vocational education in metalworking, he completed his compulsory labour service (Reichsarbeitsdienst).

[1] In early 1933, Gildner joined the military service of the Reichswehr as a cadet with Infanterie-Regiment 7 in Schweidnitz, an infantry regiment of the 3rd Division.

On 1 May 1939, I./ZG 141 was renamed again and became the I. Gruppe of Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing) and was the equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter.

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

There, the airfield came under night attacks by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command, leading Falck to conduct his first experiments of nocturnal aerial combat.

[5] During the Battle of France, Gildner claimed his first aerial victory on 10 May 1940 over a Bristol Blenheim bomber in the vicinity of Waalhaven.

[6] Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, RAF attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.

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

His former unit, I./ZG 1 formed the nucleus of I. Gruppe of NJG 1 which was placed under the command of Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) Werner Streib.

[10] On 13 March 1941 Gildner accounted for Wellington Mark I C N2746 BU-M from 214 Squadron during a British attack on Hamburg.

Following Falck and Streib, he was the third soldier of the night fighter force and first noncommissioned officer to receive this distinction.

[20] With 21 nocturnal aerial victories claimed, Gildner was the second highest scoring night fighter pilot at the end of 1941.

[23][24] Bristol Blenheim Z7307 from 114 Squadron was shot down by Gildner after taking off for an intruder sortie from West Raynham.

[18] On the night of 14/15 February 1943, Gildner claimed the destruction of a Vickers Wellington and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.

[31] On 24 February 1943 flying near Fliegerhorst Gilze-Rijenin the Netherlands in his Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 (Werksnummer 4846—factory number), he attempted landing but had visibility issues due to fog and engine trouble.

Following engine failure and fire, he ordered his radio operator Unteroffizier Heinz Huhn to bail out.

[32] and crash landed his aircraft at a crossroads on the outskirts of the town Dongen, just near Fliegerhorst Gilze-Rijen at 22.45 hrs.