All of his nocturnal victories were claimed over the Western Front in Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command.

After training at various postings, he served with Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing) flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter at the outbreak of World War II.

Streib, the son of a merchant, was born on 13 June 1911 in Pforzheim, at the time located in the Grand Duchy of Baden of the German Empire.

On 1 October 1935, then an Oberfähnrich (officer candidate), Streib transferred to the newly emerging Luftwaffe (air force) and was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 1 April 1936.

[1] On Friday 1 September 1939, German forces invaded Poland starting World War II in Europe.

Flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter, he was credited with shooting down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Bristol Blenheim bomber.

[2] In May 1940 the creation of the Nachtjagd (night fighter force) had commenced and I. Gruppe of NJG 1 flew out of Gütersloh airfield.

On the night of 19/20 July, Streib claimed his first nocturnal aerial victory over a RAF Armstrong Whitworth Whitley shot down at 02:15 near Saerbeck.

[3][Note 2] Two nights later at 01:22, Streib claimed his second nocturnal, his third overall, victory over another Whitley shot down 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) north of Münster.

He was credited with shooting down a Vickers Wellington at 23:24 north-northeast of Emmerich am Rhein and a Handley Page Hampden at 00:32 near Arnhem.

After Wolfgang Falck, Streib was the second member of the night fighter force and first pilot to receive this distinction.

[1][10] On 7 October, he was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) and appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the I. Gruppe of NJG 1.

[1] At 22:18 on 10/11 March 1941, Streib claimed his ninth nocturnal victory when he shot down a Hampden 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Venlo.

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

At 02:19 on the night of 6/7 August, Streib claimed his 18th nocturnal victory over a Whitley shot down 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Eindhoven.

[24] His first victory of 1943, his 40th nocturnal, was claimed on the night of 9/10 January when he shot down an Avro Lancaster bomber at 19:15, 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Venlo.

He received the Oak Leaves from Adolf Hitler personally at his office in the New Reich Chancellery in Berlin on 11 May 1943.

[28][29] On the night of the 3/4 April 1943 Streib claimed a trio of Halifax bombers on an operation to attack Essen.

One of the bombers was Halifax II DT723, LQ-F, crewed by Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) personnel from No.

[32] On the night of 11/12 June 1943, Streib, together with radio operator (Bordfunker) Unteroffizier Helmut Fischer, flew the prototype version He 219 V9, with the pre-production label A-0/R2 "G9+FB" (Werknummer 190 009—factory number), in combat against the RAF and claimed five aerial victories.

Of this attack force, made up of Wellington, Handley Page Halifax, Short Stirling and Avro Lancaster bombers, 693 aircraft actually hit the target.

[36] A Stirling claimed at 01:30 on 22 June 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Venlo took his total to 57 nocturnal victories.

[38] Streib was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of NJG 1 on 1 July 1943, succeeding Falck in this capacity.

[42] On 23 March 1944, he was made Inspector of Night Fighters and he would stay in this post as Oberst until the end of the war.

This Luftwaffe version of the Greek Areopagus—a court of justice—aimed at finding solutions to the deteriorating air war situation over Germany.

[43] Often called 'Father of the Nachtjagd' Streib helped develop the operational tactics used by the Nachtjagd during the early to mid-war years, and along with the likes of Falck made the Luftwaffe's night fighter force an effective fighting force against the RAF Bomber Command offensive.

[48][Note 8] Obermaier and Scutts list Streib with 68—one daytime and 67 nighttime—aerial victories, claimed in about 150 combat missions.