|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
| Navigation Menus |
|
Military Art Index |
Aviation Art Index |
Naval Art Index |
Artists Index |
Aviation History Archive |
Naval History Archive |
|
| HALF PRICE AND FREE PRINT SPECIAL OFFERS | ||||||
|
|
NJG3 |
|
Name : NJG3 Founded : 29th September 1941 Country : Germany |
Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3) was a Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 3 was formed on 29 September 1941 in Stade from Stab./Zerstörergeschwader 26. 1./NJG3 operated in the Mediterranean area between Feb 1941 and Oct 1941 (Feb 1941 - May 1941 Sicily, Argos [X. Fliegerkorps]; May 1941 - Aug 1941 Benghazi [Fl. Fü. Afrika], Aug 1941 - Oct 1941 Derna [Fl. Fü. Afrika]). 2./NJG3 operated in the Smolensk area from Feb 1942 - Mar 1942 (Luftwaffenkommando Ost), and was stationed at Wittmundhafen Mar 1942 to Apr 1944 (1. NJ-Div., from May 1942 2. JD). 3./NJG3 was detached at Kastrup/Copenhagen, at least between Aug 1943 and Mar 1944 (2. JD). 4./NJG3 was detached at Westerland from Sep 1941 to 21 Jan 1944 (1. NJ-Div., from May 1942 2. JD). Another detachment operated from Mainz-Finthen in late 1941 (1. NJ-Div.). 7./NJG3 was detached at Lüneburg from Nov 1941 to Apr 1943, Kastrup/Copenhagen Apr 1943 to Nov 1943, and Nordholz Nov 1943 to Apr 1944. 8./NJG3 was detached at Lüneburg from Apr 1943 to Apr 1944. Other detachments were based at Ingolstadt and Wunstorf. (All under 1. NJ-Div., later 2. JD) Known aircraft that the squadron had shot down 31 December 1944: 1 Short Stirling , LJ 914 620 Sqn. Crew unknown. Near Lister (this is most likely by NJS Norwegen) 22 February 1945: 1 Short Stirling Mk IV. LK 566. 190 Sqn. Crew killed. Near Tvedestrand 25 February 1945: 1 Handley Page Halifax MK III. NA 103. 298 Sqn. Crew killed. Near Arendal 25 February 1945: 1 Short Stirling MK IV. LJ 925. 196 Sqn. 3 Bailed out, 3 killed. Near Arendal 30 March 1945: 1 Short Stirling MK IV. LK 119. 161 Sqn. Crew Killed. Near Tvedestrand 30 March 1945: 1 Short Stirling MK IV. LK 332. 299 Sqn. Crew Killed. Risör 30 March 1945: 1 Short Stirling MK IV. LJ 888. 196 Sqn. Crew Killed. Arendal |
Known Service Details : | |||||||
Pilot or Aircrew | Rank | Start of Service | End of Service | Known Dates | Aircraft | Airframes | Notes |
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Feldwebel | unknown | unknown | 19th August 1942 | ||||
Feldwebel | unknown | unknown | 08th January 1943 | ||||
Hauptmann | unknown | unknown | 09th October 1943 | ||||
unknown | unknown | 04th March 1945 | |||||
unknown | July 1943 | ||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
December 1942 | April 1944 | ||||||
| Pilots and Aircrew for : NJG3 | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Albrecht, Siegfried Click the name above to see a profile of Albrecht, Siegfried
| Albrecht, Siegfried KIC 26/27 December, 1944 when his Ju 88 crashed at Malonne Belgium, cause not given. Buried Lommel, Block 54/544. Remaining crew (dispositions not given): Fw Walter Berger, Uffz heinz Haake and Uffz Hans Roch. | |
| Altner, Herbert Click the name above to see a profile of Altner, Herbert | Altner, Herbert German night-fighter Ace who claimed at least 25 victories with NJ3, NJ5 and finally with 10./NJG11. He has two recorded victories with NJG3, on 19th August 1942 and 19th February 1943, before he scored the bulk of his victories with NJG5, beginning with a Flying Fortress on 9th October 1943. By 7th February 1945 when he claimed his last victory with NJG5, he had racked up a score of 24. On 3rd April 1945 he was flying Me262B-1a/U1 111980 Red 12 of 10./NJG11 when he claimed his final victory - a Mosquito over Berlin. | |
| Baader, Ernst Click the name above to see a profile of Baader, Ernst | Baader, Ernst | |
| Becker, Martin Click the name above to see a profile of Becker, Martin
| Becker, Martin | |
| Bergmann, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Bergmann, Helmut
| Bergmann, Helmut | |
| Borchers, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Borchers, Walter
| Borchers, Walter | |
| Briegleb, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Briegleb, Walter | Briegleb, Walter Born April 30th 1923. Luftwaffe pilot flying Ju88s NJG2, NJG3. Received Iron Cross Second Class and First Class and the German Cross in Gold. The 10./NJG 3 Captain Olt. Walter Briegleb had 25 victories including the following Lancaster : Lancaster Mark III, PB 118 'Q' from 1654 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF Wigsley near Lincoln was on a night exercise practice bombing over the Bassingham ranges between Lincoln and Newark close to the A46 Fosse Way. This crew had never been on 'Ops'. They saw one aircraft shot down in flames. The rear gunner then saw a Ju 88 who kept following the Lancaster until he gave the aircraft a burst of fire to put him off. Complying with instructions known as 'Scram' the pilot of the Lancaster headed in a Westerly direction. Five minutes later the mid upper gunner spotted another Ju88 but evaded any damage. Not long after, over Worksop, the Lancaster was hit on the starboard engine inner, the attacker for some reason or other could not be seen, after a second burst of fire the aircraft was out of control. The Skipper gave the order to bale out in the vicinity of Warsop Windmill. The blazing aircraft plunged, fortunately, into a field near the railway embankment at Sookholme, near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Six of the seven crew survived, the mid upper gunner (believed to be Flt Sgt Joseph William Camm RAFVR (1452103)) was killed, landing in the Spion Kop region. The Ranby family cared for them. Eddy Moss, deceased, a Gents Hairdresser on Sherwood Street was an A.R.P. Warden at the time and saw the Lancaster coming down in flames. Lancaster PB118 was one of two claims in Operation Gisella (a Luftwaffe night-fighter intruder sortie) by Oberleutnant Walter Briegleb during the night of 3/4 March 1945. He claimed to have shot down a 4-engined aircraft at 00:36 hours South of Waddington, and another 4-engined plane at 00:56 hours 40 km (25 NM) W of Lincoln - PB118 was probably the latter. During the Autumn OF 1944 Briegleb flew the ju 88 G-6: 4R+BR out of Kassel-Rothwestern, Germany. | |
| Doring, Arnold Click the name above to see a profile of Doring, Arnold | Doring, Arnold | |
| Drewes, Martin Click the name above to see a profile of Drewes, Martin
| Drewes, Martin One of the great Luftwaffe night fighter pilots; between 1941-45 he completed 235 combat missions flying the Me110, and with 52 aerial victories was one of the highest scoring night fighter Aces. After serving as a Destroyer pilot with II./ZG76, he was posted to Iraq, where he shot down a Gloster Gladiator, before transferring to night fighters. In March 1944 he was promoted to Kommandeur III./NJG1, a post he held until the end of the was. Martin Drewes flew total of 235 missions, and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. | |
| Eckardt, Reinhold Click the name above to see a profile of Eckardt, Reinhold
| Eckardt, Reinhold | |
| Frank, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Frank, Rudolf | Frank, Rudolf | |
| Hoffmann, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Hoffmann, Werner
| Hoffmann, Werner Born in 1918, Werner Hoffman began flying gliders in 1932 before joining the Luftwaffe in 1936, being awarded his pilots badge in June 1938. A month later, he was with 7./JG234 which, at the beginning of May 1939, became one of the first Destroyer units, I./ZG52. He was assigned to 4./ZG2 and took part in the Battle of France, scoring his first victory, a Spitfire, over Dunkirk. After being wounded, he served as a Staffelkapitan with Erganzungs Zerstorer Gruppe in Denmark, before retraining as a night fighter. Becoming Staffelkpitan of 5./NJG3, he took part in the Channel Dash operations. Hoffmann claimed two twin engine RAF bombers during the 1,000 bomber raid on the night of 25th - 26th June 1942, his first victories at night. In July 1943 he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./NJG5. By the end of 1943, his victory total had increased to 18, but on 20th January 1944 his aircraft was damaged by a Lancaster bomber and he was forced to bale out. At the end of January 1944, he shot down three Halifaxes one night, followed by two Lancasters the following night. With further victories over four-engined bombers at night, his tally grew until the night of 16th - 17th March 1945, when his Ju88 was shot down by a Mosquito night fighter, thought to have been the 239 Sqn Mosquito of British Ace Dennis Hughes. He flew almost 200 missions, scoring 51 night and 1 day victories. Awarded the Knight's Cross in 1943, he was nominated for the Oak Leaves. Werner Hoffman passed away on 8th July 2011. | |
| Holler, Kurt Click the name above to see a profile of Holler, Kurt
| Holler, Kurt | |
| Husemann, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Husemann, Werner
| Husemann, Werner | |
| Jabs, Hans-Joachim Click the name above to see a profile of Jabs, Hans-Joachim
| Jabs, Hans-Joachim After seeing combat as a pilot in Czechoslovakia and the great air battles over France and Belgium, Hans-Joachim Jabs flew the Messerschmitt Me110 Zerstorer throughout the Battle of Britain with II./ZG76 Sharks Gruppe. During this time he shot down eight Spitfires and four Hurricanes and was awarded the Knights Cross in October 1940. Hans-Joachim Jabs retrained as a night fighter pilot, briefly returning to daylight operations to escort the German capital ships on the famous Channel Dash. He became Kommandeur of IV./NJG1, and from March 1944, Kommodore. He was awarded Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross in March 1944. In April 1944 he acheived two remarkable day victories, both over Spitfires. Hans-Joachim Jabs flew 710 missions and scored 22 day and 28 night victories. Born 14th November 1917, died 26th October 2003. Born in Lubeck Germany in 1917, Han-Joachim Jabs, one of the highest scoring Bf- 110 aces to survive the War, joined the Luftwaffe in late 1936. He was originally trained as a Bf-109 pilot, but in March of 1940 he was transferred to ZG-76 which flew the Bf- 100, twin-engine fighter. Jabs honed his fighter pilot skills during the Battle of France, during which he downed four French fighters and two Spitfires, making him an ace. As the Battle of Britain commenced, most Bf-110s were initially assigned the role of escort for German bombers. Pitted against large numbers of Hurricanes and Spitfires flown by well-trained pilots of the RAF, many of these Zerstorer pilots would not survive the Battle of Britain. Hans-Joachim Jabs was an exception. He was one of the few German Bf-110 aces to attain numerous victories against Hurricanes and Spitfires during the Battle of Britain, during which he downed eight Spitfires and four Hurricanes. Downing the superior-performing Spitfires and Hurricanes in the twin-engine Bf-110 was considered by fellow Zerstorer pilots as the ultimate achievement of a fighter pilot. However, by mid 1941 it was very clear that the Bf-110 needed to be withdrawn from front-line daytime fighter service. Many 110s were retrofitted for the night fighter role, where the aircraft would not encounter fighter opposition. Jabs was retrained in late 1941, and he joined NJG-3 in the defense of Hamburg from the RAF night bombing attacks. He did participate in a daylight mission to provide air cover for the famed Channel Dash of the Prinz Eugen and several other capital ships. Jabs had few good scoring opportunities until he was transferred to NJG-1 operating in Holland. This unit was equipped with a later variant of the 110 with better radar and with heavier armament. Jabs night fighter score began to mount, with most of his victims being RAF bombers. By January of 1944 he had attained a total of 44 victories. He was promoted to Kommodore of NJG-1, but continued to fly missions with the men under his command. Major Heinz Schnaufer, the top-scoring night fighter ace of all-time, with 121 victories, served for a while under Jabs' command. While preparing to return from a mission on April 29, 1944, Jabs' 110 was jumped by several Spitfires. Turning into the enemy and firing with his long range cannons, Jabs bagged one the Spitfires, and temporarily sent the others scurrying. The Spitfires regrouped and once again Jabs turned into them and downed one of his pursuers. The ace's 110 had taken quite a few hits and Jabs now desperately tried to return to his base. He was able to land the badly shot-up aircraft and seek cover before the remaining Spitfires strafed his Zerstorer into a burning piece of rubble. Jabs' final victories came on the night of February 21, 1945, when he downed two Lancasters. Jabs total of fifty aerial victories, which included twenty-two daytime victories and twenty-eight night fighter victories were all attained in the Bf-110. Following the end of the War, Jabs began a new life as a businessman and public servant. Jabs married in 1940 and has two sons. He died 23th October 2003. | |
| Koster, Alfons Click the name above to see a profile of Koster, Alfons | Koster, Alfons | |
| Krause, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Krause, Hans | Krause, Hans | |
| Kuhne, Alfred Click the name above to see a profile of Kuhne, Alfred | Kuhne, Alfred | |
| Lent, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Lent, Helmut
| Lent, Helmut | |
| Lippe-Weissenfeld, Egmont Prinz zur Click the name above to see a profile of Lippe-Weissenfeld, Egmont Prinz zur
| Lippe-Weissenfeld, Egmont Prinz zur | |
| Peters, Erhard Click the name above to see a profile of Peters, Erhard | Peters, Erhard | |
| Radusch, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Radusch, Gunther
| Radusch, Gunther | |
| Raht, Gerhard Click the name above to see a profile of Raht, Gerhard | Raht, Gerhard | |
| Rauh, Hubert Click the name above to see a profile of Rauh, Hubert
| Rauh, Hubert | |
| Sayn-Wittgenstein, Heinrich zu Click the name above to see a profile of Sayn-Wittgenstein, Heinrich zu
| Sayn-Wittgenstein, Heinrich zu | |
| Schmale, Wilhelm Click the name above to see a profile of Schmale, Wilhelm | Schmale, Wilhelm | |
| Sigmund, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Sigmund, Rudolf | Sigmund, Rudolf | |
| Szameitat, Paul Click the name above to see a profile of Szameitat, Paul | Szameitat, Paul | |
| Zorner, Paul Click the name above to see a profile of Zorner, Paul
| Zorner, Paul Originally a transport pilot, Paul Zorner flew in North Africa, the Mediterranean and southern Russia before retraining as a nightfighter pilot, joining II./NJG2 in 1942 flying the Ju88. In December he took command of 2./NJG3 operating first the Do217 and then the Me110. At the beginning of 1943 he was squadron commander of 3./NJG3 and then 8./NJG3, which he led until April 1944, when he took command of III./NJG5, re-equipping with the Ju88G-6. In October 1944 he was promoted to become Kommander of II./NJG100. Paul Zorner was credited with 59 victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. | |
| Aircraft for : NJG3 | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with NJG3. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Do217 
Manufacturer : Dornier | Do217 Full profile not yet available. | |
Me110 
Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Production Began : 1938 | Me110 The Bf-110 grew out of Herman Gorings specifications for a multipurpose aircraft capable of penetrating deep into enemy airspace to clear the sky of enemy fighters in advance of German bomber formations. The aircraft would also be utilized as a long range interceptor, and as a ground support and ground attack bomber. The Bf-110 prototype first flew in 1936. The prototype was under powered with its Daimier Benz DB 600A engines. Several months passed before a go ahead was given for large scale production which commenced in 1938. Utilizing improved DB 601 engines, the early production 110s were as fast as any single engine fighter at that time, and had superior fire power. Their biggest apparent weakness was in the areas of armor protection for the crew, and in terms of maneuverability when compared to single seat fighters. The 110 was produced in large numbers and in many different variants. The 110D was the long range model. An additional belly tank was fitted to that aircraft, with several later variants having the more traditional drop tanks. The first serious test for the Bf-110 came during the Battle of Britain. About 300 Bf-110s were involved. They became easy prey for Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and Bf-109s were often required to assist the 110s in their own defense. On August 15, 1940, which became known as Black Tuesday, the Bf-110s were ravaged by the RAF, and for the month over 100 aircraft were lost. On the Eastern Front the Bf-110 performed admirably in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa. With the Soviet Air Force weakened in the first several weeks of the attack, 110s were effectively utilized in a ground attack role. Ultimately, the Luftwaffe re-equipped a significant number of its 110s as night fighters. The aircraft performed well in this role because it was a good gun platform with sufficient speed to overtake the RAF night bombers. Such night missions were typically carried out with no Allied fighter escort, so the 110 night fighters would not have to engage or elude Allied fighters in this role. | |
Return to Aviation Directory Search Home
|
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
Died : 26 / 12 / 1944