Kommando Nowotny
| Kommando Nowotny | |
|---|---|
| Active | September 1944 – November 1944 |
| Country |
.svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Branch |
 Luftwaffe |
| Type | Fighter Aircraft |
| Role | Air superiority |
| Size | Air Force Gruppe |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Major Walter Nowotny (26 September – 8 November 1944) Major Erich Hohagen (8–19 November 1944) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Me 262 |
Kommando Nowotny was a Luftwaffe fighter Gruppe formed during the last months of World War II for testing and establishing tactics for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, and was created and first commanded by Walter Nowotny, from whom it drew its name.
History
Following the disestablishment of the earlier Erprobungskommando 262 test unit (previously based at Bavaria's Lechfeld Air Base) on 26 September 1944, Kommando Nowotny was formed later the same day in Achmer and Hesepe with Stab/Kommando Nowotny from Stab III./Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26),[1] 1./Kdo Nowotny from 9./ZG 26, 2./Kdo Nowotny from 8./ZG 26 and 3./Kdo Nowotny (new). Thus its strength was 3 Staffeln (that of a typical Gruppe) and a Stab flight.
On 3 October it attained operational status[2] with a complement of about 40 Me 262A-1a jet interceptors. Over the next month and a half the unit operated against allied aircraft, while at the same time trying to establish proper tactics for a jet fighter unit. It also had to deal with many technical problems plaguing the unproven Me 262.
The unit was the first to realise that a dedicated protection-squadron of single piston-engined, single-seat fighters like the Bf 109G and Fw 190 were a necessity for the jets, as the Me 262 could not manoeuvre or accelerate well at low speeds, and thus was a sitting duck for any allied fighters nearby during take-off and landing.
Due to the experimental nature of the unit, and the technical difficulties in operating the jet fighters, the unit had a less than illustrious record. A total of 22 enemy aircraft were claimed for a loss of 26 Me 262s.[3] Shortly after Walter Nowotny's death on 8 November, the unit was redesignated III./Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7) on 19 November, and therefore ceased to exist as an independent unit.
Losses
| W.Nr. | Date | Fate | Pilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 170044 | 4 October 1944 | Engine failure on landing at Hesepe 75% damage | Oberleutnant Alfred Teumer killed in flying accident |
| 170292 | 5 October 1944 | out fuel resulting in an emergency landing on the Autobahn near Braunschweig 10% damage | Oberfeldwebel Helmut Baudach |
| 110405 | 7 October 1944 | shot down during takeoff | Leutnant Gerhard Kobert |
| 110395 | 7 October 1944 | Oberfähnrich Heinz Russel | |
| 170307 | 7 October 1944 | shot down during takeoff | Oberfeldwebel Heinz Arnold |
| 110402 | 12 October 1944 | out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Bramel 10% damage | Feldwebel Helmut Lennartz |
| 110399 | 13 October 1944 | Oberingenieur Karl Leuthner | |
| 110401 | 13 October 1944 | Oberfähnrich Heinz Russel | |
| 170041 | 4 October 1944 | Undercarriage failure during landing at Braunschweig-Waggum | Hauptmann Franz Schall |
| 110388 | 12 October 1944 | out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Steenwyk 15% damage | Oberleutnant Paul Bley |
| 110387 | 29 October 1944 | Leutnant Alfred Schreiber | |
| 110481 | 28 October 1944 | Crashed on takeoff at Achmer 99% damage | Oberleutnant Paul Bley killed in flying accident |
| 110419 | 28 October 1944 | Hauptmann Franz Schall | |
| 110386 | 1 November 1944 | Oberfähnrich Willi Banzhaff | |
| 110368 | 2 November 1944 | Unteroffizier Zöllner | |
| 170278 | 2 November 1944 | Oberfeldwebel Siegfried Göbel | |
| 170310 | 4 November 1944 | Oberfeldwebel Zander | |
| 110403 | 4 November 1944 | Oberfeldwebel Siegfried Göbel | |
| 110483 | 4 November 1944 | Oberfähnrich Willi Banzhaff killed in action | |
| 110389 | 6 November 1944 | unknown 50% damage | Leutnant Spangenberg |
| 170045 | 6 November 1944 | Undercarriage failure at Hesepe | Feldwebel Erich Büttner |
| 110402 | 6 November 1944 | out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Ahlhorn 30% damage | Oberfeldwebel Freutzer |
| 110490 | 6 November 1944 | out fuel resulting in an emergency landing near Bremen 30% damage | Feldwebel Helmut Lennartz |
| 110400 | 8 November 1944 | Crash after aerial combat 100% damage | Major Walter Nowotny killed in action |
| 110404 | 8 November 1944 | Engine flameout at an altitude of 9000m after aerial combat 100% damage (bail out) | Hauptmann Franz Schall |
| 170293 | 8 November 1944 | Blown tire on takeoff 35% damage | Feldwebel Erich Büttner |
References
- ↑ For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
- ↑ Baker, David (1997). Messerschmitt Me 262. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press. p. 82. ISBN 9781861260789.
- ↑ Walter Nowotny, German Luftwaffe Ace of WW2
- Held, Werner. Der Jagdflieger Walter Nowotny Bilder und Dokumente. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag, 1998. ISBN 3-87943-979-6.