Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein

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Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein
August 14, 1916 – January 21, 1944
Place of birth	Copenhague
Place of death	Lübars by Stendal
Allegiance	Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1937 - 1944
Rank	Major
Unit	KG 1, KG 51, NJG 2, NJG 7
Commands	NJG 2, IV./NJG 7
Battles/wars	Battle of France
Awards	Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwerten

Prince Heinrich Alexander Ludwig Peter zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Copenhague, August 14, 1916 - KIA January 21, 1944 ) was the third highest scoring ace of night-fighters in the Luftwaffe during World War Two.

Sayn-Wittgenstein was originally denied entrance in the Luftwaffe because of being partly of Danish descent. Because he wanted to fly, his father bought him an airplane. With the battle of Britain having caused a shortage of pilots, Sayn-Wittgenstein was accepted into the Luftwaffe when he reapplied in 1940.

Serving from mid 1941 until his death in 1944, Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was an exponent of the Ju 88C-6 nightfighter; at one point he was the Gruppenkommander of part of NJG 5 on the Eastern Front, using two aircraft equipped with FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C or FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1: C9+AE and a streamlined, stripped aircraft, C9+DE.

He was killed on January 21, 1944, after shooting down four RAF bombers, when his aircraft R4+XM an aircraft taken over when his own was under repair, was hit either by return fire or an RAF nightfighter; he ordered his crew to bail out, which they did; the aircraft hit hard and broke up on landing and he was apparently thrown clear, being killed by the impact. His score at that time was 83, on both Eastern (29 Soviet) and Western fronts (54). He was holder of the knight's cross with oak leaves and swords at the time of his death.