Hajo Herrmann's Night Score

[Edward L. Hsiao]

We know that Hajo Herrmann was awarded the Oak Leaves and later the Swords to his Knight's Cross for his leadership of 'Wild Boars' nightfighters. What was his kill score when he flew at night? I know I asked this question before a few years ago,but I don't think I can find it among the many topics. I don't think Herrmann had nine kills at night. Please remind me again about this topic.
Edward L. Hsiao

[Chris Goss]

This might help:


On the night of July 3-4, 1943, he and his Kommando went into action albeit it is possible that on several night in May and June 1943 individual aircraft had been in action but no claims were confirmed. 653 bombers attacked Köln that night and led by Hajo, six aircraft took off from Mönchengladbach and attacked in the middle of a heavy Flak barrage and claimed 12 kills. However, afterwards these were downgraded to six with the successful pilots being Oberleutnant Friedrich-Karl Müller, Feldwebel Hans Müller, Oberfeldwebel Otto Hofer, Oberfeldwebel Heinz Lönnecker and Hauptmann Ewald Jansen. The sixth went to Hajo-a Lancaster at Mehlem am Rhein but was more likely to have been a Short Stirling of 90 Sqn flown by Flt Lt Bob Platt; Platt and five crew were killed, one captured. On the minus side, Oberfeldwebel Otto Hofer was killed when his Fw 190 crashed near Bonn.
As a result of the devastating RAF attacks on Hamburg between July 24 and August 3, 1943, Hajo was now tasked to form a Geschwader, initially called Jagdgeschwader (JG) Herrmann and then towards the end of August 1943 JG 300. Further successes came on the night of July 25-26, 1943 with three claims and then July 27-28, 1943 with four claims, one of them believed to be a Lancaster of 101 Sqn flown by Flt Sgt David Hurst shot down by Hajo. The following night saw a massive claim of 17 aircraft and the night of July 30-31, 1943 another 14. However, at total of five pilots were killed, three wounded and another three forced to bale out during the first month of proper operations-a high attrition rate.
August 1943 would see fewer kills albeit Hajo claimed a Lancaster, believed to be from 103 Sqn and flown by WO John Stoneman, on the night of August 2-3, 1943, the same day that his award of the Oakleaves to his Ritterkreuz was announced. However, on the night of August 23, 1943, Hajo was forced to bale out of his Fw 190 following combat with an RAF bomber (this claim was disallowed) and then on the night of September 5, 1943, his Fieseler Fi 156 Storch suffered an engine failure and he had to force-land near Hennef.
By now, JG 301 commanded by a former pilot from 7./KG 30 and a friend of Hajo's Major Helmut Weinreich, was ordered to be formed at Neubiberg and JG 302, commanded by Major Ewald Jansen, was formed at Stade. Both Kommodore were not fighter pilots (Jansen was a former Stuka pilot while Weinreich was soon killed in action on November 18, 1943 having shot down his first and last enemy aircraft). As a result, Hajo, who had been promoted to Oberstleutnant, was ordered to form 30 Jagddivsion, handing over JG 300 to Major Kurt Kettner (another former bomber pilot who would be killed as a day fighter pilot on August 25, 1944). Despite being a staff officer, Hajo still flew the occasional operational mission, his last being around the night of January 2-3, 1944 when he claimed his ninth and final kill (of which only four of his claims can be identified).