BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

I own a superb painting "Duel in the Dark" showing a BF110 Nightfighter that has undershot a Lancaster, the 110's Gunner has opend fire on the Lanc as they have passed underneath.

Did many / any Luftwaffe Nightfighter gunners claim RAF four engined bombers with their relative light defensive weapons?

Did any ever shoot down an attacking Mosquito ?

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

Hello Jon,

claims by rear-gunners during night-fighting were very seldom. I remember one case in the night 15.March 1945 when Tino Becker was in the bomberstream, had shot down several 4-eng-planes and was out of ammunition.He flew forward, he told me, and his radio-operator Karl-Ludwig Johannsen shot down three more aircraft.
I dont know about any claim of mosquito by reargunner.

regards Peter Spoden

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

..I was wondering about this having just translated some extracts from Fritz Rumpelhardt's memoir..(Schnaufer Bordfunker) ..perhaps this is the same exploit he refers to on P59 - describing the 03 November 1943 Köln raid when Schnaufer's cannon refused to fire, Rumpelhardt writes, "..how likely is it that a Bordfunker could shoot down three bombers with his twin MGs after the standard armament had refused to function..!? "....bit of rhetorical question no doubt..not very..

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

Peter I am sure you are still in contact with Karl Johanssen ? Wonderful man !

he told me of some length the victories- 9 of them that Becker and he scored. Karl shot down 3 RAF heavies, 2 Lancs and a 100th group B-17 which I have quite a bit of information on........the second Lancaster downed by Karl was during: putting out a radio fire; 23.15hrs near Unterschlauersbach. // Ju 88G-6, 2Z+MF

Ace and Staffelkapitän of 5./NJG 2, Erich Jung had his bordfünker also take out a RAF Lancaster with their single 13mm MG 131 in their Ju 88G-6 on the night of March 16/17 45

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

Ritterkreuzträger Johannes Richter as Bordfünker claimed a 4 engine a/c with his mg. Am not sure what unit he was flying with at the time of this incident; NJG 2, 3, 100 or 5 ?

E ~

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Did many / any Luftwaffe Nightfighter gunners claim RAF four engined bombers with their relative light defensive weapons?

I don't see why not. Most of the flexible guns used by both sides were powerful enough to bring down any aircraft with liquid-cooled engines.

While I haven't studied German anti-Mosquito successes at length, I do know that the RAF sometimes did it for them. After taking off on the evening of August 3rd, 1944 an RAF Mosquito of 219 Squadron misidentified and attacked a Short Stirling bomber which returned fire (with their relatively light .303 defensive weapons) and shot down the Mosquito near Maupertus. I don't know which gun position scored the fatal hits.

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

Hello Erich,

I am always impressed how much you know about nightfighting. In Gebhard Aders book "Geschichte der Deutschen Nachtjagd" I found the name of Jungs Bordfunker: Fw. Heidenreich. Aders gives also about 50 claims of nightfighters against Mosquitos.
By the way David Williams is writing a book about Tino Becker and NJG 6.

Regards to Oregon Peter

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

Thanks to all the responses. The role of the Airgunner has always fascinated me as they were the last resort and i had always wondered about that painting !

Again thanks for the information.

Re: BF110 Nightfighter gunner claims
 

Hi

On 10th June 1944 Herbert Lutje claimed two lightnings at 0829hrs and 0831hrs, the second was accedited(on micro Films) to his gunner Ofw Bogumil!

Johannes