On the homeward route of the Braunschweig raid, half a -432 Sqn Halifax MZ506: hit by 6./gem. Flak Abt. 596 and 2. & 4./lei. dozen combats took place, mainly in the Minden-Quakenbrück Flak Abt. 955, crashed 3 km S. of Le Mans airfield at 02.40. area and over the Netherlands. Uffz. Rohlfing at the controls -425 Sqn Halifax LK810: hit by 5. & 6./gem. Flak Abt. 596, crashed 3 of Bf110 G-4 D5+HT of 9./NJG3 dispatched a 207 Squadron km N. of Le Mans airfield at 02.45 hrs. Lancaster, which reportedly crashed at Dörpel near Barnstorf at around 02.30 hrs on its return from Braunschweig. A few Within a minute of the arrival of the first wave minutes after Rohlfing’s Abschuss, Oblt. Seeler of 5./JG302 of bombers over Dortmund (at 00.40 hrs), a string of scored his second Abschuss of the night over a searchlight- combats took place. Returning bomber crews reported coned 57 Squadron Lancaster. His quarry exploded over 76 sightings of fighters over Dortmund, 37 of which Ottersberg at 02.19 hrs; Seeler’s victories were both officially were Fw190s and Bf109s of all three Gruppen of anerkannt on 9 September 1944. During the bombers’ JG300 and 1./NJGr.10. Pilots of these units claimed return flight, Oblt. Dieter Schmidt, St.Kpt. of 8./NJG1, was four Viermots shot down over the city under attack, scrambled from Deelen for a second sortie, this time in only one of which was subsequently anerkannt. JG300 Himmelbett fashion. His Funker Fw. Schönfeld recorded claimed eight further Abschüsse, but, remarkably, none in his diary, ‘We get permission to take off again, at 02.34 of these were officially registered by the RLM/OKL. hrs. We’re supposed to fly to GCI box Salzhering. The fighter Many of these claims concern the eight Main Force controller is reporting on the last homeward-bound flights. aircraft of the Dortmund raid that returned with fighter He sets us on to one of them and for the first time in a long damage, four of these being severely shot up. Upon the while I get it all nicely served up without having to become completion of the bombing attack at 01.00 hrs, both too involved. I take over at 4 km range and bring my pilot in single and twin-engined Nachtjäger then pursued the closer. He’s already got a visual at 800 m and gives him a few stream, which split south of Mönchengladbach, on its bursts into the wings. The target reacts immediately and goes homeward flight. The fighter attention concentrated down steeply. Crash at 3.13 north of Den Helder. on the first wave of bombers, which took a northerly The last of the ‘delivery men’ is on his way home.He’s route. The more southerly second wave reported passed from box to box and is now flying across Salzhering, only one combat, in the Flushing area. Engaging the and is almost into box Hering. We make a turn to starboard retreating bombers roughly until the Dutch-German onto him from the south. At 6 km range I see him wander onto border, single-engined fighters claimed three Viermots The remains of 77 Squadron Halifax LL138 lying in a field at Séris. It was Fw. Kurt Schönfeld, regular Funker to Oblt. Schmidt (St.Kpt. of 8./ shot down by Oblt. Schaus of 4./NJG4 during the 22-23 May 1944 raid on shot down, and crews of IV./NJG1 four. A novice crew NJG1) achieved three Abschussbeteiligungen on 22-23 May 1944 my scope from starboard and I take over, but after our turn Orléans (Coll. Philippe Canonne, 2 photos). (Coll. Kurt Schönfeld). he’s too far away for me to be able to hold him. I should have of 8./NJG2, Lt. Josef Förster and his BF Uffz. Heinz waited a bit. I ask for assistance from the box again. Now I’ve Wickardt in Ju88 G-1 4R+OS, was less fortunate, as suddenly got two boxes responding to my request with course corrections. It seems everyone wants a share of the kill. Hering absolutely Wickardt recorded in his Flugbuch: ‘5th operational sortie, Radio beacon Ludwig, Dortmund, 1 air combat, 2 attacks’. Three He219 wants to get its 100th. Finally I pick him up again. The SN2 is wonderfully free of interference. It’s not difficult work. Dieter sees him A-0 crews of I./NJG1, flying from Venlo aerodrome, claimed three Lancasters destroyed on the homeward route. These were the Hptm. ahead at 1,000 m range: it’s already quite light in the east. My pilot tries his luck again with the Schräge Musik, he scores hits, but to Modrow/Uffz. Schneider team in G9+EK, Hptm. Strüning and his BF Oblt. Apel in G9+EL, and the Oblt. Baake/Uffz. Bettaque team in no effect. So again from behind. Two bursts. We draw off a bit. There’s a light smoldering up front in the cockpit, otherwise nothing. G9+RK. Rolf Bettaque recorded in his Flugbuch about his 40th Feindflug: ‘Take off Venlo 00.30 hrs, 1 Abschuss in Truthahn. Lancaster. Wilhelm (Fw. Schlosser, BS, author’s note) wants to have a shot. The light grows larger and larger. Finally the bomber is burning Landed Leeuwarden 03.55 after 205 mins sortie on last drops of fuel, distance travelled 1230 km. 5th Abschuss’. brightly in the cockpit and crashes in flames on the sea in Planquadrat EH, where the light soon goes out.’ The victorious crew returned In return, Bf110 G-4 G9+FY of 11./NJG1 was shot down in return fire from a ‘heavy’ to the west of Emmerich, its crew being killed, to their home base Leeuwarden at 04.08 hrs; their three Abschüsse were all anerkannt on 19 August 1944. and a 239 Squadron Mosquito crew claimed an Me110 (probably a Bf110 G-4 of 5./NJG5 that hit the ground near Kohlstädt) destroyed 13 Lancasters from the Brauschweig force failed to return, all being shot down by NJG3 (including two by Obstlt. Lent), 5./JG302 in the Dortmund area. In addition, JG300 lost three aircraft and two pilots in take-off and landing accidents. 10 Nachtjäger of the I. and III./NJG1, the latter Gruppe claiming five Abschüsse. A sixth Viermot Abschuss by III./NJG1, submitted by Oblt. Prues at 02.02 Jagdkorps were reported as total losses and two fighters as severely damaged during the night’s operations, whilst personnel losses were hrs, was subsequently denied to the claimant. Nine aircraft of the Braunschweig raid returned with fighter damage, seven of which were reported as four killed, two missing and five injured. badly shot up. The I. Jagdkorps reported 13 ‘certain’ claims and four ‘probables’ against the Braunschweig raid. In return, gunners of 257 heavy Flak batteries of the 4., 7., 8., 14. and 22. Flak divisions, plus the 2. and 8. Flak Brigades hurled a massive 32,181 Flak the Braunschweig force claimed a single-engined fighter destroyed, one Ju88 probably shot down and a ‘Bf109’ damaged. In addition, shells into the skies over Braunschweig and Dortmund, claiming 13 bombers destroyed. (16 Dortmund raiders and 27 aircraft of the a Bf110 G-4 of 3./NJG3 was shot down at Hoogeveen by a 169 Squadron Mosquito, two of the crew being injured. Braunschweig raid returned with varying degrees of Flak damage). Only three Abschüsse, all Dortmund raiders, were eventually Meanwhile, to counter the two Dortmund forces, elements of NJG1, 2 and 5 were ordered by the controller of 1. JD at 23.26 hrs to credited to the Flak: fly to beacon Hase (based at Harderwijk), whilst this controller proceeded to report on the progress of these raiders, the spearhead of which was then said to be ‘half-way between England and the Frisian Islands’. At 23.36 hrs, the 1. JD controller ordered his fighters to -75 Sqn Lancaster ND768: hit by 3. & 4./schw. Flak Abt. 466, 1., 2., 5. & 6. schw. Flak Batt. 333 (o), z.b.V. Battr. 10.409, 2. & 4./schw. Flak Abt. 221 (o) and 2./schw. Flak Abt. remain over the IJsselmeer. III./NJG2 was sent up from Volkel between 23.37-46 hrs for ungeführte Zahme Sau with orders to fly toFF 416 (Eisb.), exploded over Dortmund at 00.48 hrs. Ludwig, north of Osnabrück. Four crews of II./NJG1 were scrambled from Deelen at around 23.45 hrs to take up waiting positions in -419 Sqn Lancaster KB717: coned by 2./Flakscheinw. Abt. 581 (o), hit by 4. & 6./schw. Flak Abt. 244 (o) and 1., 2., 4. & 5./schw. Flak Abt. 401, crashed at Genhülsen at 01.23 hrs. Himmelbett Räume in western and central Holland, whereas another six crews of this Gruppe became airborne shortly before midnight -12 Sqn Lancaster NE134: hit by 1. & 2./schw. Flak Abt. 447 and impacted at Appeldorn at 01.25 hrs. for ungeführte Zahme Sau sorties. At 00.12 hrs the controller of 3. JD instructed his fighters of NJG1 and 2 to ‘make immediately for a force of bombers coming in just south of Amsterdam’, which was the second and southerly wave bound for Dortmund. This attempt The Flak barrage over Dortmund almost caused the demise of Ju88 4R+LP of 6./NJG2, in the hands of Hptm. Bruno Kamsties, a failed almost completely, only two bombers being shot down by I./NJG1 before the spearhead of the combined Dortmund raid crossed former experienced bomber pilot engaged in his very first NachtjagdEinsatz .