Oblt. Martin Becker, 2./NJG 6, Florennes, Belgium, May 1944

With 85 kills Martin Becker was the tenth most successful night fighter pilot of the Luftwaffe. He was special for achieving multiple kills of British four-engine bombers during a single mission, scoring nine (!) four-engine bombers on March 14, 1945, although three of them were achieved by his radio operator Ofw. Karl-Ludwig Johanssen, after Becker’s forward firing cannons either jammed or were out of ammo. A native of Wiesbaden, where Becker was born on April 12, 1916, he joined the army in 1936 and was trained as an aerial observer. In this role he flew in the Battle of France, but shortly after he started his pilot training at the Merseburg flight school. Becker received basic and advanced training for night fighters and was assigned to 11./NJG 4, which was transformed into 2./NJG 6 on April 1, 1943. Johanssen served as Becker’s radio operator from March 1944 and became one of the few ROs to be awarded the Knight’s Cross. Becker scored his first victory on September 23, 1943, by the following month he was already Staffelkapitän of 2./NJG 6 and by December 21 he had achieved ace status. His Bf 109G-4 of unknown serial number bore the spray paint of RLM 76, the silhouette of the aircraft was darkened by irregular spots of RLM 75. His aircraft was armed MG 151/20 cannons.

WNr. 720260, Oblt. Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, CO of IV./NJG 1, Sint Truiden, Belgium, April 1944

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, the most successful night fighter ace of all times, recipient of the Knight Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, flew from the beginning of his military aviation career as a night fighter. In total he shot down 121 enemy aircraft, predominantly four-engine British bombers. During the whole war he was wounded only once and none of his crew members was ever wounded in combat. Schnaufer survived the war and at the end of hostilities he decided to concentrate on the family wine business. He died on June 15, 1950, two days after the car crash in which he collided with a truck in Cestas near Bordeaux in France. Schnaufer, nicknamed “The Night Ghost of St. Trond”, flew this Bf 110G-4 during the spring months of 1944 when he assumed command of IV. Gruppe Nachtjagdgeschwader 1. The aircraft original camouflage of RLM 74 and RLM 75 on the upper surfaces partially showed through the overcoat of RLM 76. The lower and side surfaces remained in the original coat of RLM 76, the starboard wing undersurfaces were painted black. The bottom position weapons were deleted on this aircraft.  

WNr. 110 087, 4./NJG 3, Kjevik, Norway, 1945

The 4./NJG 3 unit was formed in March 1945, out of Nachtjagdstaffel Norwegen, a unit that operated independently from Norway. The purpose of the unit was to intercept allied aircraft over Scandinavia. Besides the Bf110G, the unit also flew the Ju88G and He219. Its last function was on May 8, 1945, evacuating German unit officers from the surrounding areas. Aircraft B4+KA probably did not take part in this final action, because the end of the war found the aircraft still at Kjevik, in Norway. The aircraft carried FuG 220 SN-2b with vertical dipoles, and with an older type of mounting. Originally, the aircraft carried a camouflage scheme of RLM 74 and RLM 75 fields on upper surfaces, and RLM 76 on the undersurfaces, but the uppersurfaces were later oversprayed with RLM 76 (aparto of the nose) and darkened by “snakes” of RLM 71. Starboard wing undesurfaces and engine cowl were oversprayed in black. This aircraft is recorded as crewed by Fw. Kurt Keilig (pilot), Fw. Kurt Schroter (radio operator) and Uffz. Karl Stamminger (mechanic).

Hptm. Wilhelm Johnen, CO of III./NJG 6, Neubiberg, Germany, 1945

Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4 coded 2Z+FR from 7./NJG 6 was one of the aircraft the Allies found at the Neubiberg airbase in the spring of 1945. Even though according to its codes it belonged to 7. Staffel it was actually a personal aircraft of Wilhelm Johnen, III./NJG 6 commanding officer. This airplane is much less known than the other Johnen’s aircraft coded C9+EN in which he performed an emergency landing due to the damaged engine in the night of April 27–28, 1944. Bf 110G-4 2Z+FR was his last aircraft from the later production, equipped with the FuG 220 SN-2D antennae with dipoles fixed at 45 degrees, Eberspächer type exhausts and Schräge Musik cannons. The whole aircraft was oversprayed in RLM 76, upper surfaces were darkened by small patches of RLM 75. According to photos, the aircraft lacked weapons in the bottom of the nose.