Luftwaffe fighters stalking B-17's back to Britain

[Broncazonk]

I remember reading something about an interesting mission where a large formation of German fighter aircraft used English speaking pilots (and captured challenge codes) to mimic returning Allied fighter escorts all the way back to Britain and to at least one B-17 base. The plan worked perfectly resulting in many B-17's being shot down (in the landing pattern) and many more being strafed on the ground. I can't remember where I read this however.

Does anyone have the details of this mission?

Thanks!

Bronc

[Nick Beale]

This is probably a reference to an intruder mission on 22 April 1944. I haven't heard evidence of the Germans using Allied codes or the English language, though.

The US 8th AF bombed the marshalling yards at Hamm and returned in darkness. The 2nd Bomb Div’s B-24s were followed home over East Anglia by the II./KG 51's Me 410s. They shot down or forced to crash land 14 Liberators and an RAF Albemarle. The Germans had two losses including their Gruppenkommandeur, Maj. Dietrich Puttfarken.

[DavidIsby]

On a lighter note was the incident in August 1944 when a shot-up Lancaster made an emergency landing one night at RAF Manston. It was followed immediately by the Bf 109G night fighter that had chased it all the way from the Ruhr and was now out of fuel.

The ADI(K) report (which, alas, did not give the German pilot's name) showed considerable skepticism towards his story that he was so intent on getting the Lancaster that he did not notice he was out of fuel.

[Broncazonk]

I found the following information on another forum. Credit goes to Pips, a gent from Canberra.

"Theo Boiten's excellent book Nachtjagd - the Night Fighter versus Bomber War over the Third Reich, 1939-45 has a chapter dedicated to the intruder operations over England.

The name given to night intruders was Fernnachtjagd.

When Kammhuber founded the Luftwaffe night fighter force he established two arms; that of the short range Nachtjagd operating over the Reich and the long-ranged Fernnachtjagd to hunt Bomber Command over it's bases in Britain. Kammhuber considered that the Fernnachtjagd would be the most effective arm in combatting Bomber Command.

II./NJG1 was designated on 17 July 1940 to fly intruder operations over the UK using modified Junkers Ju88 and Dornier Do17 bombers. Initially the Gruppe flew from Schiphol airfield, then from September it operated from Gilze-Rijen airfield, being rechristened I./NJG2. The goal was to expand it to Geschwader strength, but between August 1940 and October 1941 it rarely had more than 20 aircraft on strength. It didn't make a very auspicious start. By the end of 1940 it had claimed 8 aircraft destroyed for the loss of 21 of it's own - eleven to enemy action, the balance to accidents. A change in tactics lead to more intercepts being achieved over the (safer) North Sea as opposed to UK mainland, and claims increased. Between January and October 1941 I./NJG1 claimed 125 enemy bombers destroyed, for the loss of 55 aircraft. Dozens more RAF bombers were damaged in attacks.

On 12 October however Hitler ordered Kammhuber to halt Fernnachtjagd operations over the UK and North Sea. Hitler gave two reasons, a) that if the Fernnachtjagd was really successful the RAF would have copied it by now and b) the German citizen would rather see enemy aircraft shot down in such a way as to see the enemy bomber lying next to his burnt house. A third reason lurking in the background was that Kammhuber got no support from Luftwaffe High Command - who still did not take the looming threat of Bomber Command seriously.

Kammhiber tried to keep the experienced Fernnachtjagd gruppe for use in radar-controlled GCI interceptions, but the Gruppe was sent to the Mediterranean.

That effectively spelled the end of intruder operations over the UK. There were some very ad hoc missions organized by Peltz, but other than that nothing effectively happened until 1945."

[Matti Salonen]

Not one but two aircraft and not in August, but July:
1944-07-21, 1./JG 301, Bf 109G-6/U2, 412951, 16 weiße, Fl.Pl. Manston, Landung um 02.40 Uhr in Feindflugplatz infolge Verorientierung.
Flugzeugführer (Staffelführer) Lt Prenzel, Horst, gefangen
1944-07-21, 3./JG 301, Bf 109G-6, 163240, 8 gelbe, Fl.Pl. Manston, Bauchlandung um 02.45 Uhr in Feindflugplatz infolge Verorientierung.
Flugzeugführer Fw Gromoll, Manfred, gefangen

Matti

[Peglar]

Also in the Book from Willi Reschke "Jagdgeschwader 301/302 Wilde Sau" at Site 112.

Greetings peglar

[Crimea River]

Also recommended reading:

Night of the Intruders
The Slaughter of Homeward Bound USAAF Mission 311
Ian MacLachlan