Heinz Wilberg - mystery solved

[Johannes]

Hi Andre

The author John Foreman once told me when I thought it strange that claimers kept popping up with NJG1 from other units that NJG1 and NJG1 only had the authority to "borrow" pilots from other units for one off operations!

Regards

Johannes

[Marcel Hogenhuis]

Hello Johannes,

That story is besides the truth I am afraid: it was the NJG 1 that defended the main routes to the industrial Ruhr area, with Gruppen at Leeuwarden (IV./NJG 1), Twente (III./NJG 1), Deelen (Stab NJG 1), Venlo (I./NJG 1) and St.Trond/Belgium (II./NJG 1) so it was logical to reinforce these units with crews waiting 'in vain' in other parts of occupied Western Europe and the Third Reich.

It was Josef Kammhuber who decided to deploy crews of other nightfighter Geschwader and ordered these to reinforce the NJG 1 Gruppen on the airfields mentioned above.

Fw. Wilberg was one the many pilots who spent a short spell at the I./NJG 1 in Venlo, he is named twice on still existing duty rosters.

All the best, Marcel