Night Fighter Over Germany

"The enemy bomber grew larger in my sights and the rear gunner was sprayed by my guns just as he opened fire. The rest was merely a matter of seconds. The bomber fell like a stone out of the sky and exploded on the ground. The nightmare came to an end."In this enthralling memoir, the author recounts his experiences of the war years and traces the story of the ace fighter pilots from the German development of radar to the Battle of Britain.Johnen flew his first operational mission in July 1941, having completed his blind-flying training. In his first couple of years he brought down two enemy planes. The tally went up rapidly once the air war was escalated in spring 1943, when Air Marshal Arthur Harris of the RAF Bomber Command began the campaign dubbed the Battle of the Ruhr.During this phase of the war Johnens successes were achieved against a 710-strong force of bombers. Johnens further successes during Harriss subsequent Berlin offensive led to his promotion as Staffelkapitan (squadron leader) of Nachtjagdgeschwader and a move to Mainz. During a sortie from there, his Bf 110 was hit by return fire and he was forced to land in Switzerland. He and his crew were interned by the authorities. The Germans were deeply worried about leaving a sophisticatedly equipped night fighter and its important air crew in the hands of a foreign government, even if it was a neutral one. After negotiations involving Gring, the prisoners were released.Johnens unit moved to Hungary and by October 1944 his score was standing at 33 aerial kills. His final one came in March the following year, once Johnen had moved back to Germany.

These are the highly evocative wartime memoirs of a young NCO pilot whose operational experience was with Beaufighters and Mosquitoes flying in the long-range night-fighter role. It is not a gung-ho account of daring-do, but a 'warts and all' story of what life was really like in that time of international crisis. No punches are pulled when the author experienced badly designed and dangerous aircraft, such as the Merlin-engined Beaufighter that was almost impossible to fly and killed many pilots during training, nor are the blinding errors made by those staff officers who conceived impossible tasks and operations which these young airmen were ordered to fly and survive. Threaded into a fascinating story of flying with the then leading-edge electronic technology, are the entirely human tales of nights out on the town, when stressed crews could relieve the stress of combat. Some hilarious accounts of wild nights on the ground blend comfortably with the dark skies over Europe and the endless search for the invisible Luftwaffe who were tasked with the destruction of Allied heavy bombers.

These are the highly evocative wartime memoirs of a young NCO pilot who's operational experience was with Beaufighters and Mosquitoes flying in the long-range night-fighter role. It is not a gung-ho account of daring-do, but a 'warts and all' story of what life was really like in that time of international crisis. No punches are pulled when the author experienced badly designed and dangerous aircraft, such as the Merlin-engined Beaufighter that was almost impossible to fly and killed many pilots during training, nor are the blinding errors made by those staff officers who conceived impossible tasks and operations which these young airmen were ordered to fly and survive. Threaded into a fascinating story of flying with the then leading-edge electronic technology, are the entirely human tales of nights out on the town, when stressed crews could relieve the stress of combat. Some hilarious accounts of wild nights on the ground blend comfortably with the dark skies over Europe and the endless search for the invisible Luftwaffe who were tasked with the destruction of Allied heavy bombers.

This new volume from Martin Bowman examines the closing years of the Second World War, as the tide turned against the German and Axis forces. It includes riveting first-hand accounts from German fighter pilots caught up in some of the most dramatic night time conflicts of the latter war years.Viewing Bomber Command's operations through the eyes of the enemy, the reader is offered a fresh and intriguing perspective. Set in context by Bowman's historical narrative, these snippets of pilot testimony work to offer an authentic sense of the times at hand.

Many books on the Luftwaffe in World War II have been published over the years, although the Night Fighter ́s branch has been studied less often. In our Guide to German Night Fighters in World War II, you will be able to know all the types and subtypes of aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in the night defense of Germany. In addition, in a didactic way we will know the history of the German Night Fighters, the units, aces, tactics, types of radars, the camouflages, the armament, etc. We will not forget the use of night fighters made in Germany in other countries such as Italy, Romania or Hungary, or even Japanese night fighters. Finally, we will make a ranking of the German night fighters to know which of them was the best. In this guide, you will find everything you need to learn about German Night Fighters in an easy but deep way.

"Night Fighters examines the historical, technological. tactical, and strategic evolution of limited-visibility aerial combat as the air forces of Great Britain and Germany dueled in the night skies during World War II. The book is based on extensive research and interviews with the key planners and policy makers responsible for their respective national strategies governing the conduct of the nighttime air war, as well as with the airmen who fought the war, which makes it far more detailed than previous works on this subject. The science developed by both nations greatly increased the momentum and lethality of air combat in that conflict. In addition, this arena of World War II combat also produced many technological innovations, the results of which are seen today in everyday military and civilian life."--BOOK JACKET.

When the Luftwaffe entered World War 2, its nightfighter force was virtually nonexistent thanks to its leader, Reichmarschall Hermann Göring, who boasted that bombs would never fall on Germany. By mid-1940 his folly was evident; the first night fighter wing was hastily formed with Bf 110s. Initially capable of detecting targets by visual acquisition only, the force greatly improved its effectiveness with the creation of the 'Giant Würzburg' radar chain. By the end of 1942, the night fighter force controlled some 389 fighters and had destroyed 1,291 RAF bombers in that year alone. Complete with first-hand accounts and detailed colour illustrations, this book profiles the many variations of night fighters, and the men who made ace flying them.

Originaludgave: Geschichte der deutschen Nachtjagd 1917-1945