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Old 4th April 2022, 10:16
Simon Trew Simon Trew is offline
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Re: Conversations between Luftwaffe prisoners - summer 1944 summary

Thanks again for feedback.

richdlc - I fear I will disappoint you on the subject of the He 219. Unless I am badly mistaken, the aircraft had a fairly peripheral role during the Normandy campaign. I'm not saying that Luftwaffe night fighter operations from early June to late August in connection with the Normandy campaign were unimportant; in fact, I think this is probably a subject that deserves much more attention than it has received. But my understanding (possibly misunderstanding!) is that units equipped with the He 219 were not much involved in night operations over the broader Normandy 'battle space.' Consequently, my bibliography is more than thin on that subject.

I'm reproducing below the section from the bibliography (i.e. from Chapter 9) that focuses on night fighter operations during summer 1944. In addition, I'm including an entry from another part of the same chapter that identifies an important intelligence source (known, I'm sure to most users of this forum who share this interest). I hope you will understand that I can't reproduce great chunks of the chapter or its appendices, for the fairly simple reason that I've spent a huge amount of time on the bibliography, and no small sum of money on research expenses and book-buying. In short, I need to sell a few copies of the bibliography (possibly chapter by chapter as I appreciate that users of this forum, for example, may be uninterested in paying for 8 chapters that aren't really about Luftwaffe air or flak operations). Much as I would like to make the whole thing available for free - and I have great admiration for those who do this sort of thing - I really need to recoup some of my costs, and so I can only include snippets here or on similar forums.

Anyway, here is the section about Luftwaffe night fighter ops relating to the summer 1944 campaign over western France. Any suggestions for additions / amendments will be much appreciated.

9. Luftwaffe night fighters during the Normandy campaign

9.1. General accounts:

Not very much has been published about Luftflotte 3’s night fighter operations, even though they took place on a reasonably large scale. Relevant sources are described below.

9.1.1. Primary sources and intelligence records:

According to online finding aids, there are fragmentary records relating to night fighter operations in the West during summer 1944 in the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv. Two of the documents are in 3. Jagddivision’s files. They include RL 8/178 (map dated 29 July, showing areas of responsibility over the Netherlands) and RL 8/236 (orders relating to night fighter tactics dated 8 August). There are also some 5. Jagddivision records, notably RL 8/226, which appears to contain reports on operations from 31 May to 29 June 1944.

‘G.A.F. Fighter Activity on the Western Front, dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn.’ This series of British intelligence reports is in the UK National Archives, HW 13/81. The documents contain detailed information about Luftwaffe night fighter operations from D-Day to the end of the campaign. See section 5.1.1. above for further details.

[ENTRY in section 5.1.1. = • ‘G.A.F. Fighter Activity on the Western Front.’ This series of British intelligence summaries (series PEARL/ZIP/BMP) is in the UK National Archives, HW 13/81 and HW 13/82. The documents describe Luftwaffe fighter activities from D-Day to 28 August 1944 (PEARL/ZIP/BMP 727-810). Like similarly-titled reports in HW 13/68 (see section 8.1.1. below), these summaries were based partly on deciphered signals sent using the ‘Enigma’ coding machine. They also utilised intercepted radio traffic between pilots and their ground controllers. Some pages are identical to material found in the HW 13/68 series. However, the latter contain detailed descriptions of day fighter operations that are omitted from HW 13/81 and HW 13/82. Perhaps more important, the summaries in HW 13/81 and HW 13/82 include a section (Part Two of each report) that deals with German night fighter activities. These are illustrated with maps to illustrate the routes taken by Allied bomber forces, information about the airfields and navigation aids used by the Germans, and narratives of night fighter operations.]

9.1.2. Secondary sources:

Aders, Gebhard (trans. Vanags-Baginskis, Alex): History of the German Night Fighter Force 1917-1945 (Jane’s Publishing Company, London 1979; 284pp., maps, illustrations). This is the English-language edition of the author’s Geschichte der deutschen Nachtjagd 1917-1945 (Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1978). The book contains a lot of information about the history of the Luftwaffe night fighter forces and their equipment. There are numerous appendices containing aircraft production figures, details of victory claims etc. There are only a few pages (pp.168-70), however, that contain information about the role of German night fighters during the Normandy campaign.

Boiten, Theo and Mackenzie, Roderick: The Nachtjagd War Diaries: An Operational History of the German Night Fighter Force in the West, Volume Two – April 1944 to May 1945 (Red Kite, Walton-on-Thames 2008; 412pp., illustrations). According to the publisher’s website, the text of this book has been superseded by the more comprehensive and accurate account provided by the same author in his Nachtjagd Combat Archive series (see below and also section 4.2.2. above). For those who cannot access the latter, Chapter 7 of the original volume (pp.66-134) contains quite detailed information about Luftwaffe night fighter claims and losses during the Normandy campaign.

Boiten, Theo: Night Airwar: Personal recollections of the conflict over Europe, 1939-1945 (The Crowood Press, Marlborough 1999; 240pp., maps, illustrations). This is a compendium of descriptions of night-time air operations over Western Europe during World War II. It includes personal accounts both from German night fighter crew members, and from those they were trying to shoot down. Pages 151-5, 161-3 and 165-6 provide a small amount of information about German perspectives on this dimension of the Normandy campaign.

Boiten, Theo: Nachtjagd Combat Archive: 1944 Part 3, 12 May – 23 July 1944 (Red Kite, Walton-on-Thames 2020; 128pp., maps, illustrations). This book updates information originally covered in the author’s Nachtjagd War Diaries (see above). Pages 33-128 describe the achievements of German night fighters and flak against RAF Bomber Command from D-Day to late July 1944. Boiten uses a chronological structure, and numerous illustrations, to provide comprehensive coverage of German night fighter successes and losses over north-west Europe during the period covered by his book. He quotes extensively from intelligence records and from correspondence, diaries and other documents originating from German sources. Although the book lacks source notes or an index, it is by some distance the most important published source for Luftwaffe night fighter operations during the first seven weeks of the Normandy campaign.

Boiten, Theo: Nachtjagd Combat Archive: 1944 Part 4, 24 July – 15 October 1944 (Red Kite, Walton-on-Thames 2021; 128pp., maps, illustrations). This volume in a multi-book series continues the author’s detailed account of German night fighter operations during 1944. Pages 3-64 deal with the Luftwaffe’s achievements in the closing stages of the Normandy campaign. Particular attention is paid to ‘Sondereinsatz Heidelberg’ (Special Operation Heidelberg), during which several night fighter units carried out ground-attack missions against Allied forces in Normandy. Along with its companion volume (see above), this is an indispensable source for anybody interested in the contribution made by Luftwaffe night fighters to the defence of western Europe during summer 1944.

Clutton-Brock, Oliver: Massacre over the Marne: The RAF Bombing Raids on Revigny, July 1944 (Patrick Stephens Ltd., Sparkford 1994; 256pp., maps, illustrations). Pages 23-86 of this book describe three R.A.F. Bomber Command raids against a railway target in north-eastern France during July 1944 (two of which were abortive). During these raids, 41 Lancaster bombers were lost, mostly to German night fighters. The text is supported by clear mapping and many photographs. Extensive use of primary sources is made by the author, although unfortunately there are no footnotes.

Neuhaus, Stéphane and Cazenave, Stephan: “Pauke! Pauke! La chasse de nuit lourde allemande dans le ciel Normand (Part.2), 6.6. – 8.6.44”, in Bataille de Normandie 1944 Magazine, Number 5, 2021, pp.2-13. This French-language article describes operations by German night fighters over north-west France on the nights of 5-6, 6-7 and 7-8 June 1944. It is accompanied by many illustrations.

9.2. Units:

9.2.1. Nachtjagdgeschwader 1:

Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 was formed in 1940. It operated from airfields in the Netherlands, Belgium and western Germany. In early 1944 it had a Stab and four gruppen, all subordinated to 3. Jagddivision. It played only a minor part in the summer 1944 campaign. The geschwader withdrew to Germany in September 1944 and continued to fly sorties until the end of the war.

According to online finding aids, a reasonable quantity of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1’s records from summer 1944 survive and can be found in the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv. They include war diaries for I./ and II./NJG 1 (RL 10/539) and a chronicle of III./NJG 1’s activities that was produced after the war (RL 10/598). There are also lists of victory claims for the geschwader’s II. and III. gruppen (RL 10/572 and RL 10/620), plus a record of NJG 1’s own losses (RL 10/541). There is even a photo album (RL 10/706).

Apart from the war diaries described above, and some material mentioned in section 9.1. above, there do not seem to be any significant sources that shed much light on this unit’s operations during summer 1944. A minor exception is an intelligence report based on information provided by a member of III./NJG 1’s ground staff who was captured in autumn 1944 (see UK National Archives, AIR 40/2419, ADI(K)/564 of 20 October 1944).

9.2.2. Nachtjagdgeschwader 2:

Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 was created in autumn 1940 and expanded as the war continued. It carried out night intruder missions over the U.K. and then operated in Reich defence and in the Mediterranean theatre. On the eve of the Normandy invasion, NJG 2 consisted of a Stab and three gruppen. It played an important role in night-time operations during summer 1944, sending its Stab, plus I./ and II./NJG 2, from Holland and Germany to forward bases in France to enhance their effectiveness. These units were equipped with Ju 88 night fighters and operated as part of 5. Jagddivision. Towards the end of the campaign the two gruppen returned to Germany, where they continued to operate until the end of the war.

Rokker, Heinz: Chronik I. Gruppe Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 – I./NJG2, Juli 1940 bis Kriegsende 1945 (VDM Verlag, Zweibrücken 1997; 307pp., maps, illustrations). Unfortunately, I was unable to see a copy of this book before completing this bibliography. Possibly, it includes some information about events during summer 1944.

Williams, David: Nachtjäger: Luftwaffe Night Fighter Units 1939-1945 (Crécy Publishing Ltd., Manchester 2021; 192pp., illustrations). This book originally appeared as two separate volumes in 2005. Pages 135-9 provide information about an NJG 2 night fighter that landed in the U.K on the night of 12-13 July 1944 after becoming lost, along with several photographs of the aircraft. The incident represented a coup for the British, who discovered the latest version of the Luftwaffe’s airborne intercept radar, and various homing devices, on board the captured aircraft.

Six British intelligence reports, based on the interrogation of captured air crew and other sources, shed light on Nachtjagdgeschwader 2’s involvement in anti-invasion operations during summer 1944. See the following UK National Archives sources: AIR 40/2418 (ADI(K)/350, 407, 445, 461 and 462) and AIR 40/2419 (ADI(K)/511 and 564).

See also Appendix C to this chapter, monitoring reports SRA 5465, 5466, 5467, 5468, 5480, 5481 and 5482. All of these reports contain information provided by members of a Ju 88 night fighter crew from 7./NJG 2 who landed by accident in Suffolk on the night of 12-13 July 1944 after becoming hopelessly lost (see entry above under ‘Williams, David’). The capture of this fully intact aircraft was of great value in facilitating British counter-measures against Luftwaffe night fighter operations. See also SRA 5570, 5572, 5580, 5588, 5589, 5590, 5591, 5592, 5593, 5594, 5595 and 5596, which provide additional information about night fighter activities, mostly based on remarks made by a 6./NJG 2 wireless operator who was captured on 8 August 1944.

For additional information about the Ju 88 night fighter that landed in the U.K. on the night of 12-13 July, see ‘crashed enemy aircraft report No.242’ (16 July 1944) in the UK National Archives, AIR 40/45. In addition to a considerable amount of technical information, the report includes a diagram of the plane’s instrument panel and six photographs.

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...der/NJG2-R.htm provides further information about this unit.

9.2.3. Nachtjagdgeschwader 3:

Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 was formed in 1940-41, initially with a Stab and three gruppen. A fourth gruppe was added in late 1942. In early 1944 the geschwader was based mostly in north-west Germany, subordinated to 2. Jagddivision. A few of its sub-units were temporarily re-located to France during the summer. They played a relatively minor role during the Normandy campaign.

Hinchliffe, Peter: The Lent Papers (Cerberus Publishing Ltd., Bristol 2003; xvi + 304pp., illustrations). This is a biography of a leading German night fighter ace who died in a flying accident in October 1944. Pages 244-9 describe his experiences during summer 1944, when he was based at a French airfield and achieved several successes against British bombers flying in support of the invasion forces.

A single British intelligence report, based on interrogation of a captured former member of this unit, sheds light on Nachtjagdgeschwader 3’s involvement in anti-invasion operations during summer 1944. See the following UK National Archives source: AIR 40/2419 (ADI(K)/578).

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...der/NJG3-R.htm provides further information about this unit.

9.2.4. Nachtjagdgeschwader 4:

Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 was formed mostly in 1942. Its night fighters were based at airfields in Belgium, northern France and western Germany. On D-Day it had a Stab and three gruppen, equipped with a mix of Ju 88s, Do 217s and Me Bf 110s. By the end of the Normandy campaign, it had converted almost entirely to Ju 88s. Throughout the summer its units played an important role in night-time operations over France. Later the geschwader withdrew to Germany, where most of its units were disbanded at the end of March 1945.

Three British intelligence reports, based on the interrogation of captured aircrew and other sources, shed light on Nachtjagdgeschwader 4’s involvement in anti-invasion operations during summer 1944. See the following UK National Archives sources: AIR 40/2418 (ADI(K)/463) and AIR 40/2419 (ADI(K)/509 and 511).

See also Appendix C to this chapter, monitoring reports SRA 5575, 5576, 5577, 5578 and 5580.

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...der/NJG4-R.htm provides further information about this unit.

9.2.5. Nachtjagdgeschwader 5:

Nachtjagdgeschwader 5 was formed in late 1942. By the start of the Normandy campaign it had a Stab and four gruppen. I./ and III./NJG 5 were based at airfields in north-eastern France. Initially they were equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 110s but during the summer they converted to Ju 88 twin-engine fighters. Several of the geschwader’s units participated in operations over France during summer 1944, after which they withdrew to Germany. NJG 5 continued to operate until the end of the war.

According to online finding aids, a chronicle of III./NJG 5’s activities from May 1943 to April 1945 can be found in the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv, RL 10/604. But this appears to be the only surviving source that relates to the Normandy campaign.

Zorner, Paul: Nächte im Bomberstrom: Erinnerungen 1920-1950 (NeunundzwanzigSechs Verlag, Moosburg 2007; 335pp., illustrations). This German-language memoir was written by the officer who commanded III./Nachtjagdgeschwader 5 during the Normandy campaign. Pages 258-76 describe his experiences flying a night fighter over France in summer 1944.

A single British intelligence report, based on captured documents, sheds light on Nachtjagdgeschwader 5’s involvement in anti-invasion operations during summer 1944. See UK National Archives, AIR 40/2418 (ADI(K)/472C).

For further information about this geschwader and its units, see http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/...wader/NJG5.htm.

9.2.6. Kampfgeschwader 51:

For information about this unit see section 11.2.8. below.

Horn, Jan: Das Flurschaden-Geschwader: Die Chronik des Kampfgeschwaders 51 “Edelweiß” zwischen 1. Januar 1944 bis Kriegsende (self-published, 2010; 398pp., maps, illustrations). Intermittent night fighter operations by elements of this geschwader during the Normandy campaign are covered on pp.40-61 of this German-language book.

9.2.7. Jagdgeschwader 301:

Jagdgeschwader 301 was formed in autumn 1943 as a single-engine fighter unit equipped with Me Bf 109s. It operated both in the day fighter and night fighter roles. On D-Day it had a Stab and two gruppen. One of the latter, I./JG 301, was sent from Germany to France soon after the invasion began. It operated throughout the summer 1944 campaign, flying night-time missions against Allied bombers and other aircraft. At the end of August, it re-located to northern Germany, where it converted to Fw 190s. It continued to operate until the end of the war.

Frappé, Jean-Bernard: La Luftwaffe face au débarquement allié: L’intervention de la chasse allemande dans la bataille de Normandie et en Provence – Messerschmitt 109 G et Focke Wulf 190 A au combat, 6 juin – 31 août (Editions Heimdal, Bayeux 2018; 432pp., maps, illustrations). This French-language volume contains a chapter about operations by I./Jagdgeschwader 301’s single-engine night fighters during the Normandy campaign (pp.366-74).

Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Bock, Winfried; & Balke, Ulf: Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945, Teil 13/VI – Einsatz in der Reichsverteidigung und im Westen, 1.1. bis 31.12.1944 (Buchverlag Rogge GmbH, Eutin 2020; 302pp., illustrations). This volume in a series about the role of the Luftwaffe’s fighter arm in the defence of the Reich and western Europe includes a section (pp.167-75) about I./JG 301’s activities during most of 1944. But because the authors are interested only in operations by day fighters, and I./JG 301 flew in the night fighter role during summer 1944, there is very little information about the Normandy campaign.

Reschke, Willi: Jagdgeschwader 301/302 “Wilde Sau”: In Defense of the Reich with the Bf 109, Fw 190 and Ta 152 (Schiffer Military History, Atglen 2005; 284pp., illustrations). This is the English-language edition of the author’s Jagdgeschwader 301/302 “Wilde Sau” (Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1999). Pages 82-144 contain several references to night fighter operations by I./JG 301 over France during the Normandy campaign. Appendices on pp.264-72 and p.275 provide details of victory claims and losses during the same period.

‘Wilde Sau’ (Night Defence of Germany by Single-Engined Fighters)’ (11pp.). This detailed British intelligence report is in the UK National Archives, AIR 40/2417 (ADI(K)/283 of 19 June 1944). The document sheds light on techniques used by single-engine night fighters of the type deployed by I./JG 301. ‘Wilde Sau’ (‘Wild Boar’) methods were used by this gruppe during their sorties throughout the Normandy campaign.

On 21 July 1944 two Messerschmitt Bf 109s belonging to JG 301 landed by mistake in the U.K. Information based on interrogation of their pilots (Feldwebel Manfred Gromill and Leutnant Horst Prenzel) can be found in three British intelligence reports. See UK National Archives, AIR 40/2418 (ADI(K)/371, 374 and 426) for details.

See also Appendix C to this chapter, monitoring reports SRA 5492, 5493, 5504, 5509, 5510, 5511, 5515, 5516, 5517, 5518, 5519, 5526, 5546, 5552 and 5559 (all covering information provided by Feldwebel Gromill).

For additional information about the two Me Bf 109s that landed in the U.K. on 21 July, see ‘crashed enemy aircraft report No.243’ (22 July 1944) in the UK National Archives, AIR 40/45.

Best,

Simon
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