Hauptmann Fritz E. Krause, NJG 11?

[Nick Beale]

In my opinion, after about mid-1944 there was no such thing as a Reichsverteidigung band, at least not as a "badge" of "belonging" to the Reich Defence. That was a deduction made by Karl Ries about 40 years ago from the limited photographic evidence available at the time (and when RAF wartime intelligence documents were still classified).

I think that the bands were a functional device originally developed by units to aid reassembly after a pass through an American combat box. In the same way, white tail surfaces denoted unit leaders at one stage (see http://www.ghostbombers.com/various/markings1.html). This was found to be useful for fighter units in general and it spread: the order of December 1945 which formalised the banding system doesn't speak of Reich Defence but of "better differentiation in the air."

I wouldn't think that a coloured tail band would be much help to a night fighter unit - they didn't enter combat in formation and didn't need to reassemble. Anything's possible of course...