Leutnant Fischer, an ‘anonymous’ NJG 2 pilot with a rather special Abschuss.

[Doug Stankey]

Gentlemen:

Would any of you be so kind as to identify the night-fighter pilot, apparently flying a Ju 88 out of Coulommiers in France, who shot down (though he would not have known it) the RAF pilot who flew the most heavy bomber operations in the Second World War.

In the early hours of 5 July 1944, over the southern outskirts of Paris, a Lt. Fischer in 6/NJG 2 claimed a four-engine aircraft that has been confirmed post-war as the Lancaster bomber in which Squadron Leader Alec Cranswick lost his life when on his 107th operation.

Attention is now being drawn to Fischer’s one and only Abschuss because of its historical significance, which has become evident only recently. However the claim did not include a first name for Fischer (and no names for others in his crew), which makes tracing with the surname alone a more complex task.


So, can someone here come up with some sort of clue to help establish his given name – and hopefully his date of birth too – to enable this forum, belatedly, to give ‘Lt Fischer’ the recognition that is surely due to him.

This will also feed back into our Officer Career Database to set his place in history.