Luftwaffe Night Fighter Aces 194043

On 10 May 1940, the Wehrmacht launched its assault on the West. One element of the Wests response was the dispatch of RAF Bomber Command heavy bombers at night over German industrial centers. These raids had only limited effectiveness, but so annoyed the enemy that he decided to create a credible night fighter force. Its first few months were fairly chaotic, with constant reorganizations of units, and reassignment of aircraft, but soon enough the first Gruppe was achieving steady victoriesand losing crews at a similarly steady rate. The time it took to set up further groups shows that the night fighter arm, despite the efforts of those in charge, was already short of aircraft and personnel, probably as a result of the growing importance of the Eastern Front and, for some time thereafter, the Mediterranean Front. Fully illustrated, this CI gives a full chronological account of the Night Fighters, covering major campaigns, the biographies of individual aces, and the details of their aircraft. See more