Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Hello,

1st Lt Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS claimed a Bf 110 over Munster Eiffel on November 27, 1944. His next kill was a Ju-87 at 0523 hours on December 17. Then a Ju-188 near Monschau, Belgium, at 0025 on December 27, 1944 (probably Ju 88G-6 Werk Nr 621599 of 8/NJG-3). Finally he shot down two Ju 87D-5 from 1./NSGr 1.

1 - Bf 110 over Munster Eiffel
2 - Ju-87
3 - Ju-188 near Monschau, Belgium (probably Ju 88G-6 Werk Nr 621599 of 8/NJG-3)
4 - 1./NSGr 1 Ju 87D-5 142089 Fhj Fw Günter Hollwitz, Fw Herbert Kalb 10 km NW Köln
5 - 1./NSGr 1 Ju 87D-5 141954 Uffz Paulus Handschuh, Ogefr Helmut Dehnert 20 km NW Köln

Does anybody has more details for his 1st 3 victories ?

Kind regards
George

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Hello,
No. 2 looks like the Ju 87D-3 D3+OH, WNr. 131369 from 1./NSGr. 2
Crew of Uffz. Reinhard Brühne & OG Heinz Janke MIA.
Uffz. Brühne later found dead near Sinzenich near Euskirchen. Rest now at German War Cemertery Zülpich-Sinzenich. OG Janke still MIA.
Bests,
h.

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

I've moved this thread because you're asking for details of Luftwaffe aircraft.

P.S. You didn't give a date but the Kalb/Hollwitz and Hanschuh/Dehnert crews were shot down on 2 March 1945.

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Hi h.

Many thanks for your very helpful answer.
Any idea about his 1st - the Bf 110 over Munster Eiffel on November 27, 1944?

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

No likely candicate....I have no Bf 110 loss on that date (27.11.44)

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

On 28 of November you have a loss ?

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Nope

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

From OSPREY AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES• 84 American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2

Ernst's victim on 27 November was a Bf 110. He and his crew were flying a 'barrier patrol' between the frontlines and the Rhine, hoping to intercept Luftwaffe night intruder’s intent on attacking Allied road traffic. By this time the Germans were well aware of the Black Widow's presence, and its capability, but they were willing to risk encountering in an attempt to stem the Allied advance. Ernst recalled; 'We were patrolling at about 10,000 ft (3000 m) when GCI came on the radio and told us a bogey was approaching at 4000 ft (1200m) from a distance of 20 miles (32 km). I immediately dropped the nose and went down to 3500 ft (1075 m), and by that time the distance between us and the intruder was only 2.5 miles (4 km). My radar observer, 2Lt Ed Kopsel, already had a lock on the bogey as it passed overhead. 'We got on his tail and narrowed the gap down to 1400 ft (430 m). I eased back on the throttles to slow the closure rate, and when the gap hit 800 ft (250 m) we were able to get a positive visual - it was a Bf 110 nightfighter. He was flying at 200 mph (320 km/h) on a course of 200 degrees at an altitude of 3700 ft (1140 m). He was evidently looking for movement on the roads, and had no idea I was onto him. With the bogey square in my sights, I gave him a two-second burst with my 20 mm cannon. I observed strikes on the fuselage and wing roots. Continuing to close down to less than 600 ft (185 m), I fired another quick burst, which converged on his port engine and wing root. Before I could blink an eye, a huge explosion consumed the Bf 110 in a fireball, and he went straight down through the broken undercast. Now, this brought a dangerous situation for us because the cloud layer was about 3000 ft (900 m) above the ground, so I couldn't take the chance of following him down to confirm the kill. However, we did get a confirmation from ground troops in the area. It was a clean kill!'

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

The claim was in the night of 26/27.11.44. No matching loss to be found in the area. I wonder how he can claim "confirmation by ground troops" as Münstereifel area was well in German hands for several months to come....

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Hi,

You're right I agree with you. Another dead end

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Hello,
whats about an mistake with one of the Do 217M-1 from 2. or 4.(F) Nacht?
(Night Recon). (uncorrect indentification of the enemy airplane)

Remember me a little bit for another 422 NFS Pilot. Capt. Anderson in the night of 20.March 1945. He shoot down an RAF Lockheed Hudson (K 803) from 161 Sqduadron (SOE) over Luxembourg. He and his R/O identify the Hudson as an German Do 217-K2. Only the Pilot from the Hudson came safe. The rest of 3 crewmembers and 3 SOE Agents (Belgian) KIA.

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Hello Hans,

I looked at all twin-engine a/c ...... not any logical match. Unless I am misisng losses wich surely could happen....

I would look at a friendly fire incident also.....

John

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Weren't they both in the East?

Among the twin-engined units in the West, I. and II./LG 1 and I./KG 66 were ordered to operate that night against marshalling yards in Antwerp. KG 53 (He 111) was to launch V1s against London if there was sufficient cloud cover.

Also NSG 20, NSG 1 and NSG 2 were to provide "the strongest concentration of aircraft" against Liège, Mechelen, Hasselt and Maastricht.

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

From “422nd Night Fighter Squadron : A History” by Charles McEwen, Jr. we can see the He 111 launching platforms for the V-1s

- The night of the 26/27 saw Churchill Wilcox making his first appearance as Duty I.O. and things really started to pop. The first two missions were quiet, but then Smitty dropped a "Buzz Bomb" about 1/2 mile from a Marmite for first blood for the month, and hit another which only made it seem to go faster. Word then came in that Bolinder had gotten himself a HE.111, almost in 425th territory, and was closing in on another. Close in he did, but after sitting 200 feet under the bogie for 15 minutes, could not reconcile certain features with any German plane, so he played "rather than be sorry" and broke away. Subsequently he was sure it was a ME.110, which was something in the way of a miracle to the two "Krauts" who, but for the Grace of God, should have joined their ancestors. Then Captain Lee closed in on a ME.110, but only damaged it when the nose wheel doors partially opened and were shot away, breaking the circuit and rendering his guns useless. Break number two for the Hun, but by this time Wilcox was in a dither. Ernst then got himself his first, again almost in 425th territory and to cap this very satisfactory evening, Smitty, on his second mission for the night, pranged another HE.111 squarely on a "Boch" village. The explosion and consequent damage to property was the completion of a very satisfactory carron shot. All these planes, according to G.C.I., were launching platforms for the V-I's, though the buzzies, had gone before we arrived. In addition to this, the moon and good visibility made it possible for us to have a very enjoyable evening on the deck to the detriment of the German Railroad System. -

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

Hello,

Perhaps another 'blue on blue' credited to the 422nd NFS...
Might involve the loss of Hudson T9463 of 161 Sqn lost on the 27/11/44 around 2.00am crashed at Brisy, near Houffalize (Belgium), with the death of S/L Wilkinson and crew.

I have written an article about 422nd NFS during the Bulge but not studying this incident. However, about 20% of 422 NFS claims are against friendly target...

ClinA-78

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

You mean the https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/87349 ???

What about the location that Ernst gives ?

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

According to Frank Olynyk's victory list the claim of Ernst was at 02.40 hrs and at "P-7575, Kempen to Munster Eifel". The grid coordinate P7575 is very close to the crash site of the Hudson. As there were no German twin engine a/c losses that match, we might indeed have a blue on blue incident here.

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

So for his claims we have

1 - Bf 110 over Munster Eiffel (Blue on Blue / Friendly Fire incident 161 Sqn RAF Hudson Mk III MA-L, T9463 S/Ldr Reginald Eric Wilkinson, DFC, FC (Neth), F/O J Weddell, F/L FJJ Champion, F/L GH Ash, DFC)
2 - 1./NSGr. 2 Ju 87D-3 D3+OH, WNr. 131369 Uffz Reinhard Brühne, Ogefr Heinz Janke
3 - Ju-188 near Monschau, Belgium (probably Ju 88G-6 Werk Nr 621599 of 8/NJG-3)
4 - 1./NSGr 1 Ju 87D-5 142089 Fhj Fw Günter Hollwitz, Fw Herbert Kalb 10 km NW Köln
5 - 1./NSGr 1 Ju 87D-5 141954 Uffz Paulus Handschuh, Ogefr Helmut Dehnert 20 km NW Köln

Re: Herman E Ernst of 422 NFS
 

It's unfortunate that there were also at least four P-61 victories during 1945 that were "blue-on-blue" incidents, seemingly brought about when RAF aircraft were transiting over/near the American front lines:

14/15 Mar 45, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow # 5577, 1/Lt. George E. Otto, 2/Lt. Herman Kornblum (radar op.)
2025h, near F-7800, 1 Ju-188 DESTROYED
This claim wasn't credited because 1/Lt. Otto didn't open fire before his target flew into the ground during low-level maneuvering. Nevertheless, his adversary appears to be 157 Sqn Mosquito MM650, which crashed into a forest approximately 3 kilometres from Krälingen. Incidentally, 85 Sqn Mosquito MV541 was shot down by US AAA around 15-20 minutes later, some 20 kilometres further south. Both Mosquitoes were returning from missions.


20/21 Mar, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow # 42-5540, Capt. Raymond A. Anderson, 2/Lt Robert F. Graham (radar op.)
0045-0105h, P-7471, 1 Do-217-K2 DESTROYED.
This was 161 Squadron Hudson FK803, which crashed into a forest 0.4 kilometres SW of the Maulusmühle Railway Station.

20/21 Mar, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow # 42-5579, Capt. Leonard F. Koehler, 1/Lt Louis L. Bost (radar op.)
0101h, P-5283, 1 Do-217-K2 DESTROYED.
This was 161 Squadron Hudson T9445, which crashed at grid reference vP.527837 (between Samree and Odeigne)

8/9 Apr, 422nd NFS, P-61A Black Widow 42-39411, 1/Lt. Robert P Lutz, 2/Lt Wallace A Morrissette (radar op.)
0205h, Overath area (F.7060), 1 Ju-188 DESTROYED.
This was 305 Squadron Mosquito NT187, which crashed inside the Ruhr pocket near Gummersbach, west of Ople.