NACHTJAGD OVER THE EASTERN FRONT

Opera dettagliata e riccamente illustrata che documenta le operazioni e le missioni dei caccia notturni della Luftwaffe sul fronte orientale durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, attraverso fonti originali e l’analisi tattiche di combattimento, vittorie e sconfitte.

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With very little written about the topic in the English language, the authors have put a huge amount of work into this project, including very extensive research, as evidenced by the eleven-page sources section!

The book contains 316 pages, 242 photos, 22 maps, 12 profiles by premier aviation artist Claes Sundin, 19 wartime illustrations (including many drawings from NJG 100 pilot Gustav Francsi’s personal diary), more than 50 tables, and much more besides.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Glossary and Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter 1: Background

Chapter 2: Early Night Fighting on The Eastern Front Chapter

3: Mobile Radars

Chapter 4: The Northern Sector

Chapter 5 - Part I: The Central Sector

Chapter 5 - Part II: The Central Sector and Reich Defence

Chapter 6: The Defence of East Prussia and the Baltic States

Chapter 7: The Southern Sector and South-Eastern Europe

Conclusion

Appendix I: Aircraft and Personnel Losses

Appendix II: Aerial Victory Claims

Appendix III: Airfields and Commanders

Appendix IV: Camouflage and Markings

Appendix V: Tactics

Appendix VI: Ground-Attack Missions in 1945

Appendix VII: Eastern Front Night Fighter Aces

Bibliography

Index

Rear Cover Text:

” The story of Luftwaffe night fighter airmen and their operations on the Eastern Front is one that defies the traditional stereotype of the Germans as well-organised and meticulous planners. Instead, it emphasises their successful improvisation in the face of unanticipated problems and a very tough Soviet opponent.

Initially, Luftwaffe night fighting in the East was conducted in an ad hoc fashion, with success dependent on improvisation, and the luck and skill of individual crews. No night fighters were assigned to the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, so for the first year-and-a-half, the Luftwaffe paid scant attention to nocturnal air defence. The number of Soviet night incursions increased dramatically in 1942, and by year’s end the Germans began to organise small, dedicated night fighter units to combat them. 1943 marked the significant expansion of the night fighter force, with the provision of radar trains and the latest Ju 88 and Do 217 night fighters. This enabled it to better combat the constant Soviet supply runs to partisans behind the German front, increasingly heavy bombing attacks, and the almost ever-present ‘night witches’ conducting harassment missions in their pesky single-engine biplanes.

Luftwaffe night fighter units on the Eastern Front were forced to cover thousands of kilometres of frontline and rear areas with a limited number of aircraft and crews. Despite the many challenges they faced, the Luftwaffe personnel engaged in these operations persevered, and several pilots rose to prominence, claiming the same degree of success as their Western comrades-in-arms.”