HISTORY

Müller. This unit’s initial complement of pilots and machines

was established by the simple expedient of siphoning off

elements of I./ JG 300. One of the primary roles of this unit was

to develop tactics with on-board radar systems – the principal

weakness of the wilde Sau fighters through the winter of 1943

had been their ‘blindness’ in inclement weather - but NJGr. 10

was soon largely turned over to combating the RAF’s Mosquito

bombers, the scourge of the Luftwaffe fighter force during the

last two years of the war.

The new 1./ NJGr. 10 was equipped with the latest highaltitude and high speed models of the Bf 109. The Bf 109 G-6/

AS (‘S’ for Sonder or ‘special’) first entered service during

May 1944 These first Erla-refurbished/built aircraft were

manufactured at the Erla VII plant in Antwerp. Peter Schmoll in

“Me 109 Produktion und Einsatz” indicates that Mtt Regensburg

constructed 325 examples of the G-6/AS during 1944. The

variant was powered by the DB 605 AS engine, a stop-gap

development which featured a larger blower taken from the DB

603. The bigger intake required a larger port-side engine bearer

arm which in turn resulted in the new refined cowl shape, the

so-called asymmetrical ‘Ballungen’ ahead of the cockpit. The

G-6 MG cowl ‘bulges’ were dispensed with so that this variant

was essentially ‘Beulenfrei’. It was chiefly developed - aside

from on-going issues with the DB 605 D engine - to fulfill

a high-altitude interceptor role, the so-called “Höhenjäger”.

Other features of the G-6/AS included wider propeller blades,

a clear-vision canopy and in most cases a deeper oil cooler. The

bigger engine also required the larger ‘aufgestockt’ tailfin to

compensate for handling. With a new high-performance engine

and MW 50 power boost the Bf 109 could once again compete

on equal terms with the latest Allied fighters. On paper at least,

these G-6/AS and later G-10 variants now possessed a turn of

speed which enabled them to catch a Mosquito - provided they

10

eduard

were loitering at high altitude along one of the many ‘corridors’

through which the Mosquitos penetrated German air space on

their night raids.

Fw. Fritz Gniffke was one wilde Sau night fighter to join

Müller’s 1./ NJGr.10;

“ ..following two months rest and convalescence

I resumed combat flying during July 1944 and was posted to

Nachtjagdgruppe 10 in Bonn where I met up again with my

old comrade Kurt Welter. By this time he had accumulated 22

victories and in two day sorties on 18 and 19 July had even

managed to add three Mustangs to his tally.. NJGr. 10 flew the

latest model of the Bf 109 - the folding hood no longer featured

the heavy metal framework of previous versions. However even

better for us was the improved supercharger which enabled

higher top speeds and a ceiling of some 14,000 metres - during

a check flight on 3 August 1944 I reached a speed of 680 km/h

at more than 6,000 metres altitude. I had never flown at these

sorts of speeds in a 109! On 13 August 1944 our Staffel moved to

Rheine and on 15 August at 23:30 I was scrambled to intercept

a Mosquito. The controller gave me a vector that took me over

the Ruhr where I orbited at 9,000 metres. I was given constant

changes of heading - our radar posts evidently had their work

cut out trying to pinpoint the English pilot. The night sky

was exceptionally bright - visibility was at least 5 km. After

60 minutes of fruitless orbiting I returned empty-handed to

Rheine. Here I learned that Kurt Welter had just brought down

his first Mosquito following a chase that had taken him north

of Hanover. This feat was of course celebrated in due fashion

as the occasion warranted - certain pilots including even our

Kommandeur Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Müller were soon very much

the worse for wear and took the best part of a day to get over

their hangovers....”

INFO Eduard - November 2019