Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain

[John Vasco]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

Thank you John.

In case it's of interest, from ULTRA CX/JQ/93 (decrypt issued 29/6/40):

8. On 28/6 in answer to a call for volunteers for night fighters Fliegerkorps I sent in a nil return.

9. By order of Gen. Göring (28/6) I./ZG 1 (Düsseldorf) is in all haste to be used as a night fighter group. The heavy fighter groups of ZG 26 are at once to supply I./ZG 1 with one crew each (pilot and blind-flying W/T operator) capable of night flying, in exchange for a crew not so trained.

The raids on Luftwaffe bases may have been scattershot but they seem to have been very frequent and to have wound the Germans up a treat to judge from the decrypts.

Very interesting, Nick, and to illustrate the point of '9' above, an extract from the book I did with Peter C:
'...Typical of the more experienced Bordfunkers in Zerstörer units at this time, 20 year-old Rudolf Krause had already flown over 80 sorties before the opening of the Western offensive back in May. Posted to 3./ZG 26, with his pilot, Uffz. Engelbert Mail, Krause survived 22 war-flights during the fighting over France and was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, on 8th June. He transferred to the newly-formed 2./NJG 1 at Düsseldorf early in July where he flew a number of night sorties with Lt. Reese before teaming-up with Fw. Erich Puschnerus, who had requested a transfer back to day-fighters. They both transferred to 1./ZG 26 later that month and were on their fourth combat sortie together when shot down on 11th August. ..'
They were both KIA on 11th August.