World War II Reinhold Knacke (1 January 1919 – 3 February 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 44 aerial victories, plus one unconfirmed claim by day, achieved 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 Royal Air Force Bomber Command.

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

On 2/3 February 1943, he shot down a H2S airborne ground scanning radar-equipped bomber, the first such radar system to be recovered and analyzed by German technicians.

Knacke was born on 1 January 1919 in Strelitz, now Strelitz-Alt, a borough of Neustrelitz, at the time in the Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz of the Weimar Republic.

[Note 2] On 1 September 1939, he was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) and was posted to I. Gruppe (1st Group) of Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing).

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

[3] During the Battle of France, Knacke claimed an unconfirmed aerial victory on 10 May 1940 over a Bristol Blenheim bomber in the vicinity of Waalhaven.

[2] 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 of a bomber.

That night, Knacke, assisted by his radio operator Unteroffizier Günther Heu, claimed three aerial victories.

[10] On the night of 25/26 July 1942, Knacke shot down a Bristol Blenheim bomber R3837 from 114 Squadron on its intruder bombing mission to Venlo airfield.

Knacke was found dead next to his crashed Bf 110 F-4 (Werksnummer 4683—factory number) "G9+DK" 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Achterveld.