1 Staffel I Gruppe Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 - 1./NJG3

Profile 0A: Revi 85

Photo 01: A post-war view of a Junkers Ju 88G-6, WNr. 621197 which landed at Gütersloh on 8 May 1945. Although the aircraft is still marked with the operational code B4+FA of NJ-Staffel Norwegen, this unit had been redesignated 4./NJG3 in March 1945.

Photo's 01-02: A Junkers Ju 88 G-1 of the Nachtjagdstaffel Norwegen coded B4+DA. The origins of NJ-Staffel Norwegen can be traced back to November 1943 when a Nachtjagdkommando was attached to 13.(Z)/JG5. In July 1944, this Kommando became Nachtjagdstaffel Finland, but did not become operational until August. In these photographs, taken in October 1944, the aircraft is shown at Kjevik shortly before a flight to Gardermoen where it remained until the end of the war. Unfortunately, details of the badge on the forward fuselage are not known. This aircraft would later be lost when flown by  Kurt Gross KIA 25^th April 1945; shot down over Lista Norway, the day of his one known victory. Remaining crew (all KIA): Uffz Reinhard Johnsen, R/O and Fw Otto Müller, Gunner (Source: SIG Norway). One known victory, a Lancaster of RAF No. 463 Sq. on 25 April, 1945. The bomber crashed at the Satenäs airfield, Sweden. Jager Blatt article.

Photo 01: A post-war view of a abandoned Junkers Ju 88 G-6 4.NJG3 (B4+SA) previously flown by  Staffelkaptain Hptm. Werner Huschens and Ofw Sebastian Falk WNr-623363 Norway 8th May 1945

Photo's 01-02: A similar finish (as to 4R+FB) was applied to this Junkers Ju 88G-1, WNr. 714607, photographed at Fritzlar at the end of the war. The operational markings were D5+KT in black indicating an aircraft of 9./NJG3. The meandering sprayed lines on this machine are only one color, however, and may have been in 81, 83 or 75.

Photo's 01-03: On 9 May 1943, a Junkers Ju 88-R-1 of 10./NJG3 flown by Oblt. Heinrich Schmitt was ordered to intercept a British civil courier aircraft flying from Scotland to Sweden. The German crew, however, decided to defect and after signalling their base that they had engine failure, lost height to avoid German radar and headed for Scotland. As the Ju 88 approached the coast north of Aberdeen, it was detected by British radar and two Spitfires were scrambled to intercept it. The aircraft, W.Nr.360043 and coded D5+EY, was then escorted to Aberdeen and landed at Dyce airfIeld at 16.00 hrs where Oblt. Schmitt and the two members of his crew - Ofw. Paul Rosenberger and Ofw. Erich Kantwill were taken prisoner. The arrival of this aircraft, complete with working Lichtenstein radar equipment, was a valuable gift to British Intelligence and the machine was soon flown to Farnborough where the radar and the aircraft were thoroughly examined and evaluated. The photograph (Photo 01) was taken when the 'Matratzen' aerials for the FuG 202 Lichtenstein Be radar were still in place, but these were later removed (Photo 02) and RAF markings applied. Note, however, that only the German national insignia were overpainted and the fuselage code replaced by a yellow 'P' in a circle. Otherwise, the original Luftwaffe 70/71/65 camouflage and the Englandblitz emblem were retained.

Junkers Ju 88R1 IV./NJG3 (D5+EV) fitted with FuG 202 AI radar landing at Dyce Scotland 1943 IWM HU108212

Photo IWM HU 108219 Junkers Ju 88R-1 D5+EV of IV/NJG 3 fitted with FuG 202 AI radar. The crew of this aircraft defected from Norway to Britain in May 1943, landing at Dyce in Scotland, and delivering their aircraft and its hitherto secret radar into the hands of the RAF. The photo shows the aircraft post-war, after a period of restoration. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205266368

Photo 01: A Junkers Ju 88G-6 of 11./NJG3 taxiing at Grove in early 1945. The unit code '05' has been applied in smaller characters than the remaining letters, while the individual aircraft letter 'A' indicates that this was probably the aircraft flown by the Staffelkapitän.

Profile 00: Junkers Ju 88G-6 of 11./NJG3, Grove, early 1945. In addition to the standard 76 undersurfaces and grey 75 patches on the uppersurface of the wings and the mottled 75/76 on the fuselage, tail surfaces and engine cowlings, the underside of the cowlings on this machine were yellow. The 'OS' of the operational markings on the fuselage sides were black, but the remaining letters were in dark grey and an unreadable Werknummer was carried at the top of the fin in black.

Photo 01: A Junkers Ju 88G-6 with the tactical code D5+KV of 11./NJG3 at Skrystrup in Denmark in 1945, possibly with the undersides of the engine cowlings in yellow. The propeller blades and rudder have been removed to comply with the terms of the surrender.

Photo 01: This Junkers Ju 88G-6 was flown by Major Berthold Ney, the Kommandeur of IV/NJG3, who led this Gruppe from November 1944 to 4 March 1945. During this time, the Nachtjagdunits began to adopt the same system of staff markings as employed since before the war by the single engined fighter units. The aircraft shown here therefore carries a Kommandeur's double chevron on the fuselage as well as the operational code D5+AE. This aircraft was equipped with FuG nOd and FuG 350 'Naxos' and, clearly visible protruding from the upper fuselage over the Balkenkreuz, are the twin barrels of the MG 151/20 'Schrage Musik' installation. These were usually mounted at an angle of 70 degrees so that they fired forwards and upwards, allowing the pilot to position his aircraft beneath his target and open fire in a zero-deflection burst. Before becoming Kommandeur of IV/NJG3 in November 1944, Major Ney had led III./NJG2 since January of that year but details of his victories and awards are believed to be incomplete. Thus although surviving records indicate eight victories, he may have had as many as 19 and possibly received the German Cross in Gold.

Profile 00: Junkers Ju 88G-Gb flown by  Major Berthold Ney, Kommandeur of IV./NJG3, early 1945. The undersurfaces on this aircraft were overall 76, and an unusual feature of the uppersurfaces was that, although the uppersurface of the fuselage and tailplane showed where the fuselage grey 75 had been overs prayed with 76 to leave 75 patches, the uppersurface of the wings are believed to have remained overall 75. In addition to the normal operational markings on the fuselage side, the aircraft was marked with the double chevron of a Kommandeur. All national insignia were in the late-war simplified style, with the outline type crosses on the uppersurfaces of the wing in white.

Junkers Ju 88 G-1 Stab IV./NJG3 (D5+BF) Fritzlar 1945

Photo's 01-02: A similar finish (as to 4R+FB) was applied to this Junkers Ju 88G-1, WNr. 714607, photographed at Fritzlar at the end of the war. The operational markings were D5+KT in black indicating an aircraft of 9./NJG3.The meandering sprayed lines on this machine are only one color, however, and may have been in 81, 83 or 75.

Junkers Ju 88R 10./NJG3 (D5+EY)  Heinrich Schmitt W.Nr 360043 01

Junkers Ju 88G IV./NJG3 (D5+UV) Germany 1945 01

Photo 01: Photographed somewhere in Germany in 1945 was this burned-out Ju 88G-6 of IV./NJG3. The machine carried the operational code D5+UV or +UW and the Hakenkreuz on the tail does not seem to have a white outline. Most interesting, however, is the extent of the repainting on the fuselage. Although the fuselage mottles are very dark and appear as if they may have been applied by brush, they have in fact been created by spray painting, after which a dark patch has been applied adjacent to the Balkenkreuz and upon which is the Geschwader code 'D5' in black.

Date	Pilot Name	Unit	Enemy A/C Type	Height	Time	Location
Wednesday, April 21, 1943	Herbert Koch	11./NJG3	Halifax	500m	00:50	Klagshamm (SW Malmo)
Thursday, November 18, 1943	Herbert Koch	11.NJG3	B-24 Liberator		-	-
Saturday, December 04, 1943	Herbert Koch	11./NJG3	Lancaster	6000m	03:25	Brandenburg-Burg-Odelzberg
Thursday, January 06, 1944	Herbert Koch	11.NJG3	Lancaster		03:44	-
Thursday, January 06, 1944	Herbert Koch	11.NJG3	Lancaster		03:47	-
Tuesday, January 11, 1944	Herbert Koch	11./NJG3	B-17 Fortress		14:15	Hoya-Loningen (assessed)
Saturday, January 22, 1944	Herbert Koch	11.NJG3	Lancaster		-	-
Wednesday, March 15, 1944	Herbert Koch	11./NJG3	Lancaster		23:21	SW Freiburg
Wednesday, March 15, 1944	Herbert Koch	11./NJG3	Lancaster		22:35	SE Selestat
Sunday, April 23, 1944	Herbert Koch	12./NJG3	4-mot. Flzg.	4000m	23:25	15 Ost N/QA-9 (Faborg) 2318-
Thursday, June 22, 1944	Herbert Koch	12./NJG3	4-mot. Flzg.	5500m	01:32	Venlo
Sunday, August 13, 1944	Herbert Koch	1./NJG3	4-mot. Flgz.	3500m	00:40	Vechta
Sunday, August 13, 1944	Herbert Koch	1./NJG3	B-17 Fortress		01:59	Osnabruck
Wednesday, August 16, 1944	Herbert Koch	1./NJG3	4-mot. Flzg.	4400m	23:52	KA-QU
Thursday, August 17, 1944	Herbert Koch	1./NJG3	4-mot. Flgz.	3300m	00:38	TS-TR (St Peter-ording)
Saturday, August 26, 1944	Herbert Koch	12./NJG3	4-mot. Flgz.		23:21	50km NNW Kiel
Thursday, February 08, 1945	Herbert Koch	Stab I./NJG3	Lancaster		21:04	NE Coppenhagen
Wednesday, February 14, 1945	Herbert Koch	Stab I./NJG3	Lancaster		21:45	50km E. Odense
Wednesday, February 14, 1945	Herbert Koch	Stab I./NJG3	Lancaster		21:04	40km NE Moen
Wednesday, February 14, 1945	Herbert Koch	Stab I./NJG3	Lancaster		21:31	75km N. Bornholm
Wednesday, April 11, 1945	Herbert Koch	Stab I./NJG3	Halifax		03:53	NE Anholt
Wednesday, April 25, 1945	Herbert Koch	Stab I./NJG3	Lancaster		01:21	W. Skagen

Date	Pilot Name	Unit	Enemy A/C Type	Location	Height	Time
14-Jan-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III.NJG2	Lancaster			21.19
30-Jan-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III.NJG2	Lancaster			20.35
25-Feb-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III./NJG2	Lancaster	30km SW Metz	5100m	21.15
15-Mar-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III./NJG2	4-mot. Flzg.	Stuttgart	6500m	23.28
22-Mar-44	Berthold Ney	7./NJG1	Lancaster	Raum Minden-Osnabruck	6000m	21.37
24-Mar-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III./NJG2	4-mot. Flzg.	Werneuchen	5800m	22.01
31-Mar-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III./NJG2	4-mot. Flzg.	Gegend vor Becken	5400m	00.39
17-Jun-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III./NJG2	4-mot. Flzg.	15 Ost S/HM (Apeldoorn)	3800m	01.45
29-Jul-44	Berthold Ney	Stab III./NJG2	4-mot. Flzg.	SW Karslruhe	4500m	01.45