Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 Explained

Unit Name:	Nachtjagdgeschwader 3
Dates:	1941 – 1945
Type:	Night Fighter
Role:	Air superiority
Size:	Air Force Wing
Identification Symbol:	Geschwaderkennung of L1 (inherited from LG 1), later D5
Battles:	World War II

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.

Commanding officers

Geschwaderkommodore

• Major Johann Schalk, 29 March 1941 – 1 August 1943
• Oberst Helmut Lent, 1 August 1943 – 7 October 1944
• Oberst Günther Radusch, 12 November 1944 – 8 May 1945

Gruppenkommandeur

I. Gruppe

• Hauptmann Günther Radusch, 7 October 1940 – 2 October 1941
• Hauptmann Hans-Dietrich Knoetzsch, 3 October 1941 – 30 September 1942
• Major Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld, 1 October 1942 – 31 May 1943
• Hauptmann Erhard Peters, 1 June 1943 – 14 August 1943
• Hauptmann Walter Mylius, 15 August 1943 – 13 December 1943
• Hauptmann Paul Szameitat, 14 December 1943 – 2 January 1944
• Major Werner Husemann, 4 January 1944 – 8 May 1945

II. Gruppe

• Hauptmann Günther Radusch, 3 October 1941 – 1 August 1943
• Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 15 August 1943 – November 1943
• Hauptmann Paul Szameitat, December 1943 – 14 December 1943
• Major Klaus Havenstein, 15 December 1943 – September 1944
• Hauptmann Hüschens, September 1944 – February 1945

III. Gruppe

• Oberstleutnant Heinz Nacke, 1 November 1941 – 21 April 1943
• Hauptmann Walter Mylius, 22 April 1943 – 14 August 1943
• Hauptmann Rudolf Sigmund, 15 August 1943 – 4 October 1943
• Major Walter Barthe, 15 October 1943 – 8 May 1945

IV. Gruppe

• Major Erich Simon, 1 November 1942 – 7 October 1943
• Hauptmann Albert Schulz, 8 October 1943 – January 1944
• Hauptmann Franz Buschmann, January 1944 – July 1944
• Hauptmann Heinz Ferger, July 1944 – November 1944
• Major Berthold Ney, November 1944 – 4 March 1945
• Hauptmann Freidrich Tober, 5 March 1945 – 8 May 1945

Surviving aircraft

Two aircraft that served with NJG 3 are displayed together at the Royal Air Force Museum London, one of the two sites of the Royal Air Force Museum. These are Messerschmitt Bf 110 G Werk Nr. 730301, which was surrendered to the British at the end of the war in 1945, and Junkers Ju 88 R-1, Werk Nr. 360043,^[1] which came into British hands in 1943. Both aircraft are almost unique - each is one of only two intact survivors of their type.

Bibliography

• Book: Addison . Paul . Crang . Jeremy . 2006 . Firestorm: The Bombing of Dresden 1945 . London . Pimlico . 978-1-84413-928-6 .
• Book: Aders , Gebhard . 1978 . History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945 . London . Janes . 978-0-354-01247-8 .
• Book: Balss , Michael . 1997 . Deutsche Nachtjagd. Materialverluste in Ausbildung und Einsatz Erganzungen zu Personalverlusten in Ausbildung und Einsatz . de . VDM Heinz Nickel . 978-3-925480-36-2 .
• Book: Bergström , Christer . 2015 . The Battle of Britain: An Epic Conflict Revisited . Oxford, UK . Casemate . 978-1612-00347-4 .
• Book: Boiten , Theo . 1997 . Nachtjagd: the night fighter versus bomber war over the Third Reich, 1939–45 . en . London . Crowood Press . 978-1-86126-086-4 .
• Book: Boiten , Theo . 1999 . Night Airwar: Personal Recollections of the Conflict Over Europe, 1939-45 . en . London . Crowood Press . 978-1-86126-298-1 .
• Book: Boog . Horst . Horst Boog . Krebs . Gerhard . Vogel . Detlef . Germany and the Second World War: Volume VII: The Strategic Air War in Europe and the War in the West and East Asia, 1943-1944/5 . 2006 . Clarendon Press . 978-0-19-822889-9 .
• Book: Bowman , Martin . 2011 . 100 Group (Bomber Support): RAF Bomber Command in World War II . Barnsley, South Yorkshire . Pen and Sword . 978-1-84415-418-0 .
• Book: Bowman , Martin . 2016a . Nuremberg: The Blackest Night in RAF History: 30/31 March 1944 . Barnsley, South Yorkshire . Pen and Sword . 978-1-4738-5211-2 .
• Book: Bowman , Martin . 2016b . Nachtjagd, Defenders of the Reich 1940–1943 . Barnsley, South Yorkshire . . 978-1-4738-4986-0 .
• Book: Bowman . Martin . Davey . Chris . 2013 . Mosquito Bomber/Fighter-Bomber Units 1942–45 . Oxford, UK . . 978-1-4728-0049-7 .
• Book: Caldwell . Donald L. . Muller . Richard R. . Richard R. Muller . 2007 . The Luftwaffe over Germany: Defense of the Reich . London, UK . Greenhill Books . 978-1-85367-712-0 .
• Book: Chorley , W. R. . 1992 . Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: Aircraft and Crew Losses, 1944 . London . Midland Counties Publications . 978-0-904597-91-2 .
• Book: Cooper , Alan . 1992 . Air Battle of the Ruhr . London . Airlife Publishing Limited . 978-1-85310-201-1 .
• Book: Cooper , Alan . 2013 . Bombers Over Berlin: The RAF Offensive November 1943 - March 1944 . London . Pen and Sword . 978-1-78159-065-2 .
• Book: Everitt , Chris . 1985 . The Bomber Command War Diaries: An Operational Reference Book . London . Pen & Sword Aviation . 978-1-78346-360-2 .
• Book: Foreman . John . Parry . Simon . Mathews . Johannes . 2004 . Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945 . Walton on Thames . Red Kite . 978-0-9538061-4-0 .
• Book: Franks . Norman . Norman Franks . 1994 . The Battle of the Airfields: 1 January 1945 . London . Grub St . 978-1-898697-15-2 .
• Book: Hall , R. Cargill . 1998 . Case Studies in Strategic Bombardment . . 978-1-4102-2480-4 .
• Book: Hinchliffe , Peter . Luftkrieg bei Nacht 1939–1945 . Air War at Night 1939–1945 . de . Stuttgart, Germany . Motorbuch Verlag . 1998 . 978-3-613-01861-7.
• Book: Hinchliffe , Peter . 1999 . Schnaufer: Ace of Diamonds . Brimscombe Port, UK . Tempus . 978-0-7524-1690-8 .
• Book: Hooton , E.R. . 1999 . Eagle in Flames: Defeat of the Luftwaffe . Weidenfeld & Nicolson . 978-1-85409-343-1 .
• Book: Mackay . Ron . 2000 . Messerschmitt Bf 110 . Wiltshire . he Crowood Press . 978-1-86126-313-1 .
• Book: Manrho . John . Pütz . Ron . 2004 . Bodenplatte: The Luftwaffe's Last Hope-The Attack on Allied Airfields, New Year's Day 1945 . Ottringham, UK . Hikoki Publications . 978-1-902109-40-4 .
• Book: Mason , Francis . 1969 . Battle Over Britain . London, UK . McWhirter Twins . 978-0-901928-00-9 .
• Book: Middlebrook , Martin . Martin Middlebrook . 1987 . The Nuremberg Raid: 30-31 March 1944 . London . Penguin . 9780140081145 .
• Book: Middlebrook , Martin . Martin Middlebrook . 2006 . The Peenemunde Raid . Barnsley . Pen & Sword . 978-1-84415-336-7 .
• Book: Murray , Williamson . Williamson Murray . 1983 . Strategy for defeat : the Luftwaffe, 1933-1945 . Maxwell AFB, Alabama . Air University Press (US Air Force) . 978-1-58566-010-0 .
• Book: Parker , Danny S . 1998 . To Win The Winter Sky: Air War over the Ardennes, 1944-1945 . Pennsylvania . Combined . 978-0-938289-35-7 .
• Book: Parry , Simon . 2003 . Intruders over Britain: The Luftwaffe Night Fighter Offensive 1940 to 1945 . London . Air Research Publications . 978-1-871187-16-8 .
• Book: Price , Alfred . Alfred Price (author) . 1973 . Battle Over The Reich . Shepperton, Surrey . Ian Allan . 978-0-7110-0481-8 .
• Book: Price , Alfred . Alfred Price (author) . 1991 . Last year of the Luftwaffe, May 1944 - May 1945 . London . Greenhill . 978-1-85367-440-2 .
• Book: Scutts , Jerry . 1998 . German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2 . Oxford, UK . Osprey Publishing . 978-1-85532-696-5.
• Book: Spick , Mike . 1996 . Luftwaffe Fighter Aces . New York . . 978-0-8041-1696-1 .
• Book: Tooze , Adam . 2006 . Adam Tooze . . London, UK . Allen Lane . 978-0-14-100348-1 .
• Book: Weal , John . 2012 . 1999 . Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer Aces of World War 2 . Aircraft of the Aces . 25 . London, UK . . 978-1-85532-753-5 .
• Book: C K . Webster . Charles Webster (historian) . Noble . Frankland . Noble Frankland . Butler . J R M . J. R. M. Butler . 1961 . The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany: 1939–1945 . II . . . London .

Notes and References

1. Web site: INDIVIDUAL HISTORY MESSERSCHMITT Bf110G - 4/R6 W/NR.730301 AIR MINISTRY 34; 8479M MUSEUM ACCESSION NUMBER 78/AF/954 . 13 April 2015 . Simpson, Andrew.