[Theo Boiten]

Hi all,

Interesting thread Andy, alas I've nothing to offer as I have never before come across this (I believe ad-hoc & short-lived?) NJ unit, not in any official documents, Flugbücher, claims listings, NJ memoirs etc..

FYI though, I have recently re-written a narrative in one of the NCA volumes manuscripts based upon newly discovered documents:

7-8 February 1943
A force of 323 aircraft bombed Lorient between 20.15 and 22.07 hrs. Seven aircraft were lost, at least two of which were shot down by Flak in the target area. Fighter opposition was negligible, only two Main Force aircraft coming under attack by ‘Me109s’.

-44 Sqn Lancaster ED309: hit by 1. & 2./schw. Flak Abt. 671, 1./schw. Flak Abt. 677 and Flak of IV. Marine Flak Brigade, crashed in sea off Lorient at 20.24 hrs.
-44 Sqn Lancaster W4832: hit by several Flak batteries including 1./schw. Flak Abt. 677, crashed in sea near Lorient at 20.30 hrs.

After the first series of Bomber Command Main Force raids against the U-boat bases in Lorient in late January and early February 1943, the XII. Fliegerkorps decided to set up two mobile railway-mounted Dunkelnachtjagd zones to protect the Lorient and St. Nazaire areas, deploying the 3. Schwarm of 10./NJG5 from Dinard airfield. The Nachtjagd Räume were code-named Bussard 1 (based at Plaintel near Saint Brieux) and Bussard 2 (at Plounérin, 20 km east of Morlaix), both becoming operational on the night of 22-23 February 1943. Less than two weeks later, on 6 March, Bussard 1 was disbanded, whereas Bussard 2 was re-named Beate 1. Simultaneously, a new mobile Nachtjagd zone was set up at the railway station of Questembert, 23 km east of Vannes under the code-name of Beate 3, operating with the 2. Schwarm of 10./NJG5 based at Rennes airfield. On the night of 1-2 April 1943, Raum Beate 2 became operational at the railway station of Uzel, 20 km south of Saint Brieux, also operating with the elements of 10./NJG5 based at Rennes. On 1-2 May 1943, a fourth mobile Nachtjagd Raum became operational in Brittany under the code-name of Nanette 1, being based at Gavre railway station, 44 km NE of St. Nazaire and operating with the 1. Schwarm of 11./NJG5 at Nantes. Beate 2 was re-deployed to Plaintel on 24 May 1943, the 1. and 2. Schwärme of 10./NJG5 operating with Beate 1 and 2 from Lannion from that date onwards. Finally, on the night of 5-6 June 1943, Nanette 2 and Nanette 3 became operational, the former being based at Soullans railway station and the latter at the railway station of Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, operating with 11./NJG5 at Nantes airfield.
The Nachtjäger operating in the Nachtjagd zones over Brittany were guided by the mobile Dunkelnachtjagd trains of Sumatra I, II and II (Bussard and Beate) and Java I, II and III (Nanette). Over the sea, the Nachtjäger were only allowed to operated at heights of over 1,000 meters; below that height, Flak had a free reign. This made it virtually impossible for the Nachtjäger to counter the increasing menace of the low-flying British mine-layers. Between 25-26 February and 27-28 June 1943, a meagre total of nine Abschüsse were achieved in the Dunkelnachtjagd over Brittany. In late June, the mobile Nachtjagd over Brittany was halted, the radar trains of Sumatra and Java being re-deployed to the Eastern Front.

Cheers, Theo