Werner Hoffmann (13 January 1918 – 8 July 2011) was a German Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Hoffmann was credited 51 aerial victories, 50 of them at night, claimed in 192 combat missions.

[Note 1] Hoffmann was born on 13 January 1918 in Stettin, present-day Szczecin in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland, at the time in the Province of Pomerania of the German Empire.

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

Staffel of Zerstörergeschwader 2 (ZG 2—2nd Destroyer Wing) in early 1940 and participated in the Battle of France.

[3] In July 1940, Hoffmann was transferred to Ergänzungs-Zerstörergruppe Værløse as an instructor with the rank of Oberleutnant and appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader).

[3] Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, 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.

On 4 July 1943, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of NJG 5, succeeding Hauptmann Siegfried Wandam in this capacity.

On 20 January 1944 Hoffmann had to bail out over Berlin when his aircraft was damaged by return fire from an RAF Lancaster.

Deployed to East Prussia, Hoffmann claimed four victories over Soviet-flown aircraft around Libau during December 1944.

Following the Soviet offensive on 12 January 1945, Major Hoffmann flew ground-attack operations against ground forces.