The Final Air Battles over Germany

[Benoit Douville]

I am looking for more info about those Air Battles. While seriously outnumbered by large waves of Allied bombers and escorting fighters the Luftwaffe Ace Walter Krupinski and his cohorts continued their struggle with the aid of the world's first operational jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe. Krupinski was a member of Adolf Galland's famed Jagdverband 44, a special unit formed from the elite of the remaining Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Other Luftwaffe Aces involved in that Battle?

[Nick Beale]

Rober Forsyth's book "Battle Over Bavaria" (Classic Publications) is still available and tells the story of JV 44 vs. American B-26 units. His earlier book "JV 44, The Galland Circus" (Classic Publications 2001) sold out years ago but a library may be able to find it for you.

Don't imagine (a) that JV 44 was nothing but aces, it had its "ordinary" pilots too, or (b) that it was the last active unit in the Luftwaffe.

Many of the aces were exhausted by this time, after years of combat stress and JV 44 may well have been the first of the jet units still on the order of battle to cease operations. And certainly many jet and conventional luftwaffe formations were still fighting a week after JV 44 stood down.