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Jagdgeschwader Wilde 300 Sau: A Chronicle of a Fighter Geschwader in the Battle for Germany, Vol. 2: September 1944-May 1945

de Jean-Yves Lorant

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The Wilde Sau Geschwader JG 300 played a key role in the aerial defense of the Reich during the last two years of WWII but has never before been the subject of a serious and detailed study until now. This work thus fills a major void in the history of the war in the air. This chronicle has been assembled with the participation of more than 130 veterans and their families, traced and interviewed in the course of more than twenty years research. It sheds new light on flying operations and aerial combat as experienced by German fighter pilots in the battles that took place over Germany. Interspersed with numerous vivid personal accounts, it is a work that has a uniquely human and personal dimension. The authors have undertaken an in-depth comparative study of German, British and American primary sources and archival records, with the chief aim of minimizing errors and inaccuracies and ruling out dubious information. Far from seeking the 'glorify' German or Allied aviators, they have reconstructed as accurately as possible the fates of the actors in this immense human drama and pay them due tribute. This history of JG 300 also deals with those aspects of the air war often neglected in the specialist literature such as the daily routines of the ground personnel and the navigation methods practiced by single seat fighters. Included are comprehensive loss and victory listings, and more than 800 photographs in the two volumes collected from private sources.… (mais)
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(text extract - my translation)

On 24 January 1945, the sky partially cleared over the Eastern Front. At daybreak a start was made on allocating pilots to the various Schwärme. From 09:30 sortie followed sortie as aircraft were dispatched in increasing tempo from Liegnitz, Schönfeld-Seifersdorf and Lüben. Soviet columns pushing through the sector Steinau-Ostrowo-Rawitsch were machine-gunned with varying results by the pilots of JG 300, still hampered by persistent freezing fog. Lt. Friedrich-Wilhelm “Timo” Schenk, at the controls of his Bf 109 G 10 “Red 5”, was leading a Schwarm from 2. Staffel:

Free hunt against all enemy targets. Weather conditions were still relatively poor, horizontal visibility left something to be desired. We were implementing a new tactic. The Schwarmführer no longer flew as number 1, but henceforth as the number 4. In this way he would be better able to direct the Schwarm and would be less likely to lose his bearings should he suffer a loss of engine revs or be hindered by any other factor. We flew towards the enemy positions at about 2,000 meters above ground level. Fog partially shrouded the snow-covered landscape. We quickly reached the village of Trachenberg, about thirty kilometers north of Breslau. This time the Soviet’s presence was evident. In the long main street we saw men on horseback and numerous horsedrawn wagons.
We pressed on, flying away until we were out of sight of the new occupants of Trachenberg. Then we wheeled down and around, spacing out until there was at least 400 meters between each Messerschmitt. Once at tree top height we reduced our throttle settings and executed a wide sweep that brought us directly in towards Trachenberg. As soon as the village appeared ahead of us, we pulled up quickly to 250 meters before thundering down on the main street. In front of us a few seconds later was our target: teams of horsedrawn caravans, horses, soldiers in brownish-gray uniforms drawn up in ranks as if on parade. The horses panicked and bolted while their drivers attempted to bring them under control… and there was instant hell and pandemonium! Just seconds later, we came around on a second firing run. I no longer recall whether we flew a third pass. With our ammunition magazines empty, we streaked off at full power in the direction of Liegnitz. On landing we were refueled and re-armed. We took off on a second sortie...

At 10:30, II./JG 300 put its first Schwarm in the air from Schönfeld-Seifersdorf: five Focke-Wulfs of 5. Staffel and the Gruppenstab flown by Fhj.-Ofw. Richard Löfgen, Maj. Alfred Lindenberger, Ofw. Karl Rusack, Uffz. Walter Beuchel and Uffz. Karl Werner. Leading the Schwarm, Löfgen brought his small force down to 500 meters altitude as they arrived over the front. Having once overflown the Oder, the pilots were unable to discern the slightest sign of enemy activity. Having flown for several minutes over territory that was in theory now in the hands of the Soviets, Ofw. Löfgen throttled back and flew a series of wide weaving curves. The Russians had infiltrated woods and villages everywhere, yet there was nothing to betray their presence. In the skies the enemy air force was nowhere to be seen. Racked by all sorts of doubts, the German pilots knew that they would soon have to turn back, their fuel reserves diminishing rapidly.
Ten minutes later, the Focke-Wulf 190s flew over two wrecked farms that were still burning. Suddenly, just as Ofw. Rusack made out the town of Steinau and the river Oder in the distance, a string of tracers flitted through the air around the German fighters. The gunfire was coming from a wood bisected by a small road. With the target thus revealed, Löfgen swept down towards it in a shallow dive. The forest road was teeming with enemy vehicles, drawn up tightly in columns that stretched back some four kilometers! The Focke-Wulfs moved away widening their sweep towards the east, Löfgen attempting to dupe the Soviets into thinking they had avoided an attack. The Schwarm turned hard to starboard and was now at a height of fifty meters. Gunsights were switched on and the pilots scoured the landscape to pick out the forest road. Sure of their bearings the Sturmböcke bore down on the road spitting long volleys of fire. As they pulled up and wheeled around for a second firing run, several vehicles were already in flames. More fires and a violent explosion were observed after the second pass. Despite a wall of light anti-aircraft fire, the Fw 190s bore down a third time, the stabbing flashes of their exploding shells igniting more fires. Ofw. Karl Rusack (5. Staffel) never forget the spectacle that unfolded beneath him:

In the space of a few seconds we were drawing very dense anti-aircraft fire. We disregarded it. Only our tracers and shells exploding into the enemy tanks and vehicles counted for anything. Numerous columns of black smoke rose into the misty sky. More trucks and tanks that would go no further on German territory. The Soviets were putting up a furious fight. As I came in on my last pass, I could see a Russian soldier standing in a field. He had put his rifle to his shoulder to aim and was about to open fire, if he had not already done so! He had seen our five fighters armed with cannon and machine guns but appeared not to have been at all disconcerted. In that situation, any one of us would have flung himself to the ground... One last time our aircraft shuddered as our guns hammered out their salvos. With a deft touch on the rudder bar I was able for a brief moment to ease the pathetic human silhouette into my sight. A short burst and then I pulled up sharply to avoid a tree. The ground was very close. The Russian had taken to his heels to evade my fire. As I looked over, I was astounded to see that he was now taking pot shots at me. What were we to think of an enemy that acted like this? We landed at Schönfeld-Seifersdorf fifteen minutes later. Two of our aircraft had taken hits from the Russian flak. More of a fright than anything else. My “Red 10” was intact. As I unbuckled my parachute I could see my comrades of the Schwarm on alert line up in turn into the wind. This ballet of sorties lasted up until about 15:00...

At 11:35, seven Focke-Wulfs of 5. Staffel taxiied out from their dispersals: two Schwärme led by Oblt. Heinz-Dieter Gramberg and Uffz. Ernst Schröder. The latter was leading three Fw 190s that were tasked with top cover to ward off any enemy fighter attacks. Gramberg and his three wingmen were slated to attack ground targets. The Focke-Wulfs lifted off at 11:40 and roared through the sky at low altitude towards Steinau. They skirted round this town, passing less than one kilometer to the south of it and a few moments later had crossed the front line. Over the village of Trachenberg, Uffz. Ernst Schröder saw Gramberg’s Schwarm start to orbit at 500 meters altitude. The new Staffelführer of 5./JG 300 had seen vehicles in the streets below and was attempting to identify them. Three hundred meters above, Ernst Schröder and his two wingmen started to circle. Uffz. Schröder later related what happened next:

As we were flying three hundred meters higher than our comrades, we could barely make out any details on the ground. That was not our role in any event. I saw Gramberg’s “Red 2” dive down on the village, followed by his wingmen. It seemed evident that our comrades had identified their targets. Their prinicpal quarry, as I realized a few seconds later, was a Russian truck mounting a quadruple machine gun arrangement. Despite the four Fw 190s bearing down on them, the Soviets immediately opened fire. Our Staffelführer’s aircraft was hit. Gramberg nonetheless managed to pull up his Focke-Wulf some fifty meters or so above the road and to bail out. He was unfortunately far too low. The parachute did not have the time to deploy… Our comrade plunged down and smashed into a house on the outskirts of the village! His Focke-Wulf exploded as it crashed in the center of the village a few hundred meters further off. Meanwhile Gramberg’s wingmen had opened up on the truck with the anti-aircraft flak mount, which now ceased firing. My two comrades and I swept down in turn, all guns blazing at the Soviet vehicles, some of which were now in flames. Our MG 151 and MK 108 cannon just ripped through them in terrifying and spectacular fashion. What I saw in the few seconds that I was over this street left a lasting impression on me.
We broke off the action and set course back to Schönfeld-Seifersdorf. It was self evident that Oberleutnant Gramberg, who was listed missing for a number of hours, had undoubtedly lost his life in the course of this sortie. Nobody could hope to survive such a fall. Gramberg was moreover one of the rare officer-pilots in our Gruppe to make no secret of his openly National Socialist political opinions. He would make blatant attempts to deny the reality of our impending defeat, forcing the mechanics of 5. Staffel to take part in military drill between sorties... in order to maintain good levels of discipline and to prepare them for some final combat or other. He was not greatly missed .

Two further II. Gruppe Schwärme took off at 12:55. Ofw. Rudi Zwesken (6. Staffel) led them once again over Trachenberg, which was visible from a distance in the snow-covered landscape as a result of the fires that had been started on the preceding mission. This last attack mounted by II. Gruppe was a complete success. About twenty motorized and horse-drawn vehicles were destroyed along with two armored cars and one tank. On this occasion the pilots had run in and released 250 kg bombs taken from stocks destined to be dropped by their Schlachtflieger comrades. This last sortie flown by II./JG 300 ended without loss, but at around 16:00 it was learnt that Ofw. August Saarholz (6. Staffel) had just been killed ferrying a Fw 190 A 8 from Breslau to Schönfeld-Seifersdorf.
The third — and perhaps last — II. Gruppe sortie flown that day was mounted at 15:25. Uffz. Ernst Schröder, flying “Red 20”, had to turn back following a malfunctioning BMW regulating unit and returned to Schönfeld-Seifersdorf, where he landed at 15:50.
Throughout the day of 24 January 1945 the pilots of JG 300 flew missions almost continually. At the start of the afternoon, Messerschmitts of I. Gruppe destroyed around ten vehicles and a Soviet observation aircraft near Rawitsch without loss.
III. Gruppe was equally very active over the Wielun-Ostrowo-Krotoschin-Rawitsch sector. Hptm. Fritz Lonzius (11. Staffel) led off a Schwarm at 10:01 — the first of a long series. His wingman, Fw. Hansotto Nehls, never forgot the subsequent turn of events on his first sortie on the Eastern Front:

Airborne from Lüben at the controls of Messerschmitt Bf 109 G 10 “Green 16”. During this sortie we could see large convoys of civilians fleeing ahead of the enemy advance. We quickly realized that Russian army vehicles, including tanks, had infiltrated the refugee columns as a defence against aerial attacks. This was a crude ruse but one to which we had no answer, since we could not for one minute consider opening fire on Russian vehicles which were surrounded by German women and children! At the head of one column, I even saw several women waving pieces of white rag to clearly identify themselves. I cut across this road at right angles at a height of just twenty meters and caught a brief glimpse of enemy soldiers training their weapons in our direction from in among the midst of our civilians. I can still recall my astonishment and even admiration for one man I saw holding the reins of a harness. He was watching over his animals, calmly smoking a pipe as our Messerschmitts thundered overhead. He did not move although he could hardly have had any indications as to what our intentions were! Had he decided he could ignore the threat fom the skies or was he simply demonstrating exceptional coolness? Like a snapshot I can still recall the fleeting glimpse I caught of this untroubled silhouette.
We came into land at Lüben at 11:15. Hauptmann Lonzius immediately gathered us together and questioned us. He wanted to know exactly what each one of us had seen. After listening to what we told him, he immediately ordered another sortie and we were airborne again at 14:30. Shortly having overflown the Oder, we were greeted by Soviet flak. Lonzius led us a few minutes later over the spot where that morning we had flown over the enemy tanks and trucks hidden in among the refugee caravan. This time the road was deserted… as was the entire region over a ten kilometer radius! Finally we saw evidence of the presence of Soviet troops towards the Oder-Lissa, near Steinau. We made low level strafing runs on numerous trucks and tanks before heading back to Lüben, where we touched down at 15:22.

The Messerschmitts of IV./JG 300 flew two sorties (11:05 and 15:15) for no losses during the course of the day. Having flown their offensive sweeps against Red Army columns and vehicles, the pilots of III. and IV./JG 300 returned to Lüben with the actions of the Soviet infantrymen under fire very much in their minds. The fact that they had stood and returned fire at the Messerschmitts with rifles and automatic weapons instead of seeking cover had proved something of a revelation. The Bf 109 G 10 “White 6” of Fhr. Horst Vogt (10. Staffel) was damaged in a collision with a Junkers 52 at Lüben. There was no loss of life.
During the evening, conflicting news about the capture of Steinau by the Soviets circulated around Lüben, Liegnitz and Schönfeld-Seifersdorf, news which served to demoralize the men of JG 300. At Lüben, women working in the kitchens and administrative services started to abandon their posts to join the refugee columns pushing westwards. As the situation descended into chaos, the airfield quickly became untenable. Towards dusk a message from the Wehrmacht announced that Lüben would be directly threatened by the Red Army during the course of the next forty-eight hours. Lt. Willi Rühl (14. Staffel) wrote in his diary:

Talked with the cleaning ladies in our billet. They are all in a fearful panic and wondering how on earth they are going to escape from this place… Everyone is telling the most terrible stories of atrocities committed by the Bolshevik soldiers. The people streaming past on the roads also peddle tales of acts of savagery that are just as alarming. ( )
  FalkeEins | May 22, 2009 |
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The Wilde Sau Geschwader JG 300 played a key role in the aerial defense of the Reich during the last two years of WWII but has never before been the subject of a serious and detailed study until now. This work thus fills a major void in the history of the war in the air. This chronicle has been assembled with the participation of more than 130 veterans and their families, traced and interviewed in the course of more than twenty years research. It sheds new light on flying operations and aerial combat as experienced by German fighter pilots in the battles that took place over Germany. Interspersed with numerous vivid personal accounts, it is a work that has a uniquely human and personal dimension. The authors have undertaken an in-depth comparative study of German, British and American primary sources and archival records, with the chief aim of minimizing errors and inaccuracies and ruling out dubious information. Far from seeking the 'glorify' German or Allied aviators, they have reconstructed as accurately as possible the fates of the actors in this immense human drama and pay them due tribute. This history of JG 300 also deals with those aspects of the air war often neglected in the specialist literature such as the daily routines of the ground personnel and the navigation methods practiced by single seat fighters. Included are comprehensive loss and victory listings, and more than 800 photographs in the two volumes collected from private sources.

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