Heidemarie W. Schnaufer

Heidemarie W. Schnaufer is based on German pilot Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer. Her archetype's nickname was The Night Ghost of St. Trond, which is the reference for her story in the manga Kimi to Tsunagaru Sora. She is Karlsland's top night witch (Nachthexe). By the end of 1944, she was nearing a shot-down count of 100, all of which were scored in air combat at night. Together with a magic Radar Antenna, a tell-tale feature of a night witch, she has a special night vision ability which allows her to see clearly through the darkness by starlight. As a child, she had trouble controlling this night vision ability, and thus went through much of her life indoors in dimly lit conditions. At the age of 10, she was admitted into a witch training program, and as she learned to control her powers, her talent as a night witch blossomed. Soon, her night vision ability would no longer spontaneously activate, but the visual neurons which had already been damaged could not be healed even with magic, so she usually wears glasses with a strong prescription. As if in response to her lonely childhood, she has a strong desire to make friends with others her age, which is surprising, especially in a night witch. A currently serving night-fighter air infantryman in 1944. Once she reaches 100 victories, she will be promoted to Squadron Leader, becoming Karlsland's youngest combat air wing commander (Geschwaderkommodore). She also seems to have struck up a friendship with Sanya, and the two regularly contact each other while on night patrol. (Source: Strike Witches Wiki)