Nachtjagdgeschwader 2
Encyclopedia
Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 was a German Luftwaffe night fighter
-wing
of World War II
. NJG 2 was formed on 1 September 1940 in Gilze en Rijen
from II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1
(NJG 1). Stab I./NJG 2 was formed from Stab II./NJG 1,while 1./NJG 2 was formed from 4./NJG1 equipped with the Junkers Ju 88C-1. 2./NJG 2 was raised from 5./NJG 1 with Do 17Z-7/10, and 3./NJG 2 from 6./NJG 1 with the Junkers Ju 88C-2. 4./NJG 2 was formed in November 1940 in Gilze Rijen from elements of 1./Zerstörergeschwader 2 (ZG 2).
III./NJG 2 was formed in March 1942, and in October redesignated II./NJG 2. In July 1943 a new III Gruppe was formed from V./Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 (NJG 6). In October 1944 III Gruppe became IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3
(NJG 3), and the IV./NJG 3 became the new III./NJG 2.
(RAF) bombers over their own airfields.
Luftflotte 3's radio intercepts of Bomber Command
's transmissions helped pinpoint the operational airfields in Eastern England. I./NJG 2 aircraft could then scramble to be over the airfields at the predicted times of the bomber's return.
The technique employed was to mix with the returning bombers, orbit the bases, and either shoot down targets that presented themselves or drop 50 kg bombs across the runways.
Based at Gilze-Rijen in Holland
, operations commenced using just 7 JU 88 C-1
night fighters. Although most missions were carried out using the Junkers Ju 88C-1 and C-2, a few Dornier Do 215B-5
fighter conversions were trialled in the spring of 1941.
The offensive over the UK yielded promising results- some 143 victory claims were made, and over 90 RAF aircraft were indeed lost between October 1940 and the start of 1942. There was also the additional disruption to RAF operations and the psychological effects
on the RAF crews.
By October 1941 however night intruder sorties were curtailed, due to the inadequate number of aircraft available (I Gruppe never had more than 20 JU 88s operational) and the High Command
's perceived lack of results; it was thought shooting down RAF bombers over the German homeland had a far greater morale effect than over the UK.
Among the most successful of the unit's pilots was Uzz
. Heinz Strüning
, who flew 66 intruder missions over England. He recorded his first night victory on 23/24 November - a RAF Vickers Wellington
bomber and by the end of 1941 he had 9 victories. Leutnant Alfons Koster had, by October 1941, some 11 intruder victories. Lt. Hans Hahn
was credited with 12 victories, all over the British Isles
. He was awarded the Knight's Cross
of the Iron Cross In July 1941, but was killed in action in October 1941, colliding with an RAF Airspeed Oxford
trainer he was trying to shoot down.
II./NJG 2 flew more conventional operations at this time, based at Leeuwarden on the Dutch coast.
, and would remain there until February 1942, when it transferred back to Leeuwarden and joined the rest of II./NJG 2.
In November 1941 2./NJG 2 moved to Benghazi
as part of Fliegerführer Afrika
, and returned to Catania later in the month.
The first 'kill' was claimed on 13 December , Obfw Sommer downing a Bristol Beaufighter
over Crete
. On 19 November 1941 the unit escorted Ju 88 bombers raiding shipping off
Malta
, Lt. Laufs shooting down a Hurricane
of No. 126 Squadron
.
Early in 1942 both 2. and 3./NJG 2 was based at Benghazi until March 1942. Various demands for night cover meant from April onwards I./NJG 2 was scattered over the Mediterranean, with detachments based at Benina
, Berca
, Derna, Benghazi, El Quasaba and Crete.
On 1 October, 7./NJG 2 was redesignated as 4./NJG 2. The unit's Leutnant Heinz Strüning was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 October for 24 victories.
night fighters, from the 7th Staffel, with Geschwaderkennung style aircraft code 4R+UR, was landed at RAF Woodbridge
by mistake on July 13, 1944, giving the Allies a working example of the VHF-band Lichtenstein SN-2
airborne intercept radar, and Flensburg radar detector
gear.
By the end of the year NJG 2 were covering the night defence of the industrial Ruhr
area, flying from Düsseldorf
, Kassel
, Gütersloh
, and Köln
. In the final weeks of the conflict, the unit began receiving the night fighter variant of the Junkers Ju 388
- thus making NJG 2 the first and only Luftwaffe detachment to use the nachtjager variant operationally - but given the haphazard and incomplete conditions of training in those final days of war, and the almost total depletion of aviation fuel stocks throughout what remained of the Reich, it is doubtful whether more than a handful of combat missions were flown by this new type. NJG 2 claimed approximately 800 air victories during its period of operations.
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
-wing
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. NJG 2 was formed on 1 September 1940 in Gilze en Rijen
Gilze en Rijen
Gilze en Rijen is a municipality in the southern Netherlands. The municipality contains four villages Rijen, Gilze, Hulten and Molenschot.Rijen grew in the 19th century due to its leather factories.- Population centres :*Rijen...
from II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1
Nachtjagdgeschwader 1
Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 was a German Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 1 was formed on 22 June 1940 in Mönchengladbach.By the end of the war it was the most successful night fighter unit and had claimed some 2,311 victories by day and night, for some 676 aircrew killed in...
(NJG 1). Stab I./NJG 2 was formed from Stab II./NJG 1,while 1./NJG 2 was formed from 4./NJG1 equipped with the Junkers Ju 88C-1. 2./NJG 2 was raised from 5./NJG 1 with Do 17Z-7/10, and 3./NJG 2 from 6./NJG 1 with the Junkers Ju 88C-2. 4./NJG 2 was formed in November 1940 in Gilze Rijen from elements of 1./Zerstörergeschwader 2 (ZG 2).
III./NJG 2 was formed in March 1942, and in October redesignated II./NJG 2. In July 1943 a new III Gruppe was formed from V./Nachtjagdgeschwader 6 (NJG 6). In October 1944 III Gruppe became IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3
Nachtjagdgeschwader 3
Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 was a Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 3 was formed on 29 September 1941 in Stade from Stab./ZG 26.-Kommodore:*Major Johann Schalk, 1 December 1941 – 1 August 1943...
(NJG 3), and the IV./NJG 3 became the new III./NJG 2.
Intruders 1940-41
I./NJG 2's initial role was unlike the other units of the Luftwaffe night fighter arm; as a Fernnachtjagd Gruppe they were tasked with long-range intruder missions over the UK, disrupting night flying training and harassing the returning Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) bombers over their own airfields.
Luftflotte 3's radio intercepts of Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
's transmissions helped pinpoint the operational airfields in Eastern England. I./NJG 2 aircraft could then scramble to be over the airfields at the predicted times of the bomber's return.
The technique employed was to mix with the returning bombers, orbit the bases, and either shoot down targets that presented themselves or drop 50 kg bombs across the runways.
Based at Gilze-Rijen in Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, operations commenced using just 7 JU 88 C-1
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
night fighters. Although most missions were carried out using the Junkers Ju 88C-1 and C-2, a few Dornier Do 215B-5
Dornier Do 215
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Dressel, Joachim and Manfred Griehl. Bombers of the Luftwaffe. London: DAG Publications, 1994. ISBN 1-85409-140-9....
fighter conversions were trialled in the spring of 1941.
The offensive over the UK yielded promising results- some 143 victory claims were made, and over 90 RAF aircraft were indeed lost between October 1940 and the start of 1942. There was also the additional disruption to RAF operations and the psychological effects
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
on the RAF crews.
By October 1941 however night intruder sorties were curtailed, due to the inadequate number of aircraft available (I Gruppe never had more than 20 JU 88s operational) and the High Command
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe
The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe was the air force High Command of the Third Reich.Air Force Commanders-in-Chief* Reich Marshal Hermann Göring * Field Marshal Robert Ritter von Greim -History:...
's perceived lack of results; it was thought shooting down RAF bombers over the German homeland had a far greater morale effect than over the UK.
Among the most successful of the unit's pilots was Uzz
Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
. Heinz Strüning
Heinz Strüning
Heinz Strüning was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Strüning shot down 56 aircraft in 280 missions...
, who flew 66 intruder missions over England. He recorded his first night victory on 23/24 November - a RAF Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
bomber and by the end of 1941 he had 9 victories. Leutnant Alfons Koster had, by October 1941, some 11 intruder victories. Lt. Hans Hahn
Hans Hahn (night fighter pilot)
Hans Hahn was a Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Hans Hahn was killed on 11 October 1941 after his JU...
was credited with 12 victories, all over the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. He was awarded the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
of the Iron Cross In July 1941, but was killed in action in October 1941, colliding with an RAF Airspeed Oxford
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
trainer he was trying to shoot down.
II./NJG 2 flew more conventional operations at this time, based at Leeuwarden on the Dutch coast.
Mediterranean Theatre 1941-42
In November 1941 4./NJG 2 moved to CataniaCatania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
, and would remain there until February 1942, when it transferred back to Leeuwarden and joined the rest of II./NJG 2.
In November 1941 2./NJG 2 moved to Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
as part of Fliegerführer Afrika
Fliegerführer Afrika
Fliegerführer Afrika was part of Luftflotte 2 , one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It acted in the Mediterranean and Libya in North African areas during 1941-1942...
, and returned to Catania later in the month.
The first 'kill' was claimed on 13 December , Obfw Sommer downing a Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
over Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. On 19 November 1941 the unit escorted Ju 88 bombers raiding shipping off
Malta Convoys
The Malta Convoys were a series of Allied supply convoys that sustained the besieged island of Malta during the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War...
Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Lt. Laufs shooting down a Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
of No. 126 Squadron
No. 126 Squadron RAF
No. 126 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed to be a day bomber unit in World War I and reformed as a fighter unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
.
Early in 1942 both 2. and 3./NJG 2 was based at Benghazi until March 1942. Various demands for night cover meant from April onwards I./NJG 2 was scattered over the Mediterranean, with detachments based at Benina
Benina
Benina is a Basic People's Congress administrative division of Benghazi, Libya.It contains the Benina International Airport....
, Berca
Berca
Berca is a commune located in the hillside of Buzău County, Romania, in the valley of the Buzău river. It is an oil and natural gases extraction location....
, Derna, Benghazi, El Quasaba and Crete.
On 1 October, 7./NJG 2 was redesignated as 4./NJG 2. The unit's Leutnant Heinz Strüning was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 October for 24 victories.
1944-45
One of this unit's Ju 88G-1Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
night fighters, from the 7th Staffel, with Geschwaderkennung style aircraft code 4R+UR, was landed at RAF Woodbridge
RAF Woodbridge
Royal Air Force Station Woodbridge, more commonly referred to as RAF Woodbridge, is a former Royal Air Force military airbase situated to the east of Woodbridge in the county of Suffolk, England...
by mistake on July 13, 1944, giving the Allies a working example of the VHF-band Lichtenstein SN-2
Lichtenstein radar
Lichtenstein radar was a German airborne radar in use during World War II. It was available in at least four major revisions, the FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C, FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1, FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 and FuG 228 Lichtenstein SN-3.- FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C :Early FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C...
airborne intercept radar, and Flensburg radar detector
Flensburg radar detector
The FuG 227 Flensburg was a German passive radar receiver developed by Siemens AG and introduced into service in Spring 1944. It used wing-mounted dipole antennae and was sensitive to frequencies of 170-220 MHz...
gear.
By the end of the year NJG 2 were covering the night defence of the industrial Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
area, flying from Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Gütersloh
Gütersloh
Gütersloh is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name and has a population of 96,320 people.- Geography :...
, and Köln
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. In the final weeks of the conflict, the unit began receiving the night fighter variant of the Junkers Ju 388
Junkers Ju 388
The Junkers Ju 388 Störtebeker was a World War II German Luftwaffe multi-role aircraft based on the Ju 88 airframe by way of the Ju 188. It differed from its predecessors in being intended for high altitude operation, with design features such as a pressurized cockpit for its crew...
- thus making NJG 2 the first and only Luftwaffe detachment to use the nachtjager variant operationally - but given the haphazard and incomplete conditions of training in those final days of war, and the almost total depletion of aviation fuel stocks throughout what remained of the Reich, it is doubtful whether more than a handful of combat missions were flown by this new type. NJG 2 claimed approximately 800 air victories during its period of operations.
Kommodore
- Oberstleutnant Karl Hülshoff, 1 November 1941 – 31 December 1943
- Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-WittgensteinHeinrich Prinz zu Sayn-WittgensteinHeinrich Alexander Ludwig Peter Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was a German of aristocratic descent and a Luftwaffe night fighter flying ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat...
, 1 January 1944 – 21 January 1944 - Oberst Günther RaduschGünther RaduschGünther Radusch was a German aircraft pilot, the sixth highest scoring night fighter flying ace in the German Luftwaffe during World War II.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces Günther Radusch is credited with 65 aerial victories...
, 4 February 1944 – 11 November 1944 - Major Paul SemrauPaul SemrauPaul Semrau was a Luftwaffe night fighter flying ace of World War II. Semrau was credited with 46 nocturnal aerial victories, claimed in 350 combat missions.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter acesPaul Semrau joined the long distance night...
, 12 November 1944 – 8 February 1945 - Oberstleutnant Wolfgang Thimmig, 8 February 1945 – 5 May 1945
I. Gruppe
- Hauptmann Karl-Heinrich Heyse, 1 September 1940
- Major Karl Hülshoff, 24 November 1940
- Major Rudolf Jung, 1 November 1941
- Hauptmann Franz Buschmann, December 1943
- Hauptmann Albert Schulz, January 1944
- Hauptmann Wolfgang von Niebelschütz, 31 January 1944
- Hauptmann Ernst Zechlin, 20 February 1944
- Hauptmann Gerhard Rath, 12 May 1944
II. Gruppe
- Major Helmut LentHelmut LentOberst Helmut Lent was a German night-fighter ace in World War II. Lent shot down 110 aircraft, 103 of them at night, far more than the minimum of five enemy aircraft required for the title of "ace".For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter...
, 1 November 1941 - Hauptmann Herbert Bönsch, 2 October 1942
- Hauptmann Dr. Horst PatuschkaHorst PatuschkaDr. Horst Patuschka was a German Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
, 3 December 1942 - Hauptmann Sewing, 7 March 1943
- Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-WittgensteinHeinrich Prinz zu Sayn-WittgensteinHeinrich Alexander Ludwig Peter Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was a German of aristocratic descent and a Luftwaffe night fighter flying ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat...
, December 1943 - Major Paul SemrauPaul SemrauPaul Semrau was a Luftwaffe night fighter flying ace of World War II. Semrau was credited with 46 nocturnal aerial victories, claimed in 350 combat missions.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter acesPaul Semrau joined the long distance night...
, 1 January 1944 - Hauptmann Heinz-Horst Hissbach, 1 November 1944
- Hauptmann Franz Brinkhaus, 15 April 1945
III. Gruppe
- Hauptmann Herbert Bönsch, 3 April 1942
- Major Paul SemrauPaul SemrauPaul Semrau was a Luftwaffe night fighter flying ace of World War II. Semrau was credited with 46 nocturnal aerial victories, claimed in 350 combat missions.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter acesPaul Semrau joined the long distance night...
, August 1943 - Major Berthold Ney, 1 January 1944
- Hauptmann Heinz Ferger, November 1944
- Hauptmann Hans-Hermann Merker, 11 April 1945