Engagement report
Title
Engagement report
Description
English translation of a German nightfighter combat report for 18 December 1944.
Date
1944-12-18
Temporal Coverage
Coverage
Language
Type
Format
One typewritten page
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SWagnerHW1604744v20005
Transcription
[underlined] SCHMIDT [/underlined]
[underlined] ENGAGEMENT REPORT [/underlined]
Crew – Hptm. SCHMIDT, F.w. KOCH, Gefr. KUHN
Tame Boar operation on 18.12.44 06.36hrs.
5 -10km. West of target DUISBURG Height 5300 metres
20 shots from cannon, 150 shots from machine-guns
[underlined] REPORT OF HAUPTMANN SCHIMDT [/underlined]
On 18.12.44 I took off at 1558 from Essen-Mulheim in Bf 110 GN NM on a Tame Boar operation. I switched on radio link BRUNO. As I reached a height of 5500 metres I saw in the direction east of me flares falling, and flew directly to the target. Above the top of the clouds, illuminated from below, I saw some 4-engined bombers. I settled myself behind an enemy aircraft and opened fire from approximately 100 metres, a little above, aiming at the fuselage. Shortly after, I saw clearly an explosion at the front of the plane and in the middle of the fuselage. After a short distance straight ahead, the enemy plane tilted to the left downwards and levelled up at 1000 metres lower. I followed him and settled behind in attack position and opened fire from approx. 100 m to the fuselage and in the right outer area. The enemy plane tilted to the right and disappeared, diving into the thick cloud area. I could not see fire and impact because I was near the westward side of the target and bombs were falling everywhere. The attack took place at approx. 5000 metres and fire was opened at at [sic] 0633hrs.
[underlined] REPORT OF FELDWEBEL KOCH [/underlined]
On 18.12.44 I took off with my crew at 0558 on a Tame Boar operation. We tuned in to the radio link BRUNO. O radio link ACHMED I heard that the target, already illuminated, could be DUISBURG. AT 0619 I saw an aircraft which led us to the returning bomber stream. At 0630 I obtained another target which we recognised as a 4-engined enemy plane on a homeward course. At 0633 fire was opened and immediately the bomber dived to the left and then pulled upwards (a 'corkscrew' manoeuvre. H. W.) Fire was opened a second time. I did not see the plane on fire, and impact could not be observed because of the thick layer of cloud.
[underlined] REPORT OF GEFREITER KUHN [/underlined]
On 18.12.44. we took off on a Tame Boar operation. At 0630hrs. The wireless operator obtained contact with a 4-engined enemy plane on SN2 (radar. H. W.) At the same time I saw near me an enemy aircraft. We were at the western edge of the target. Our aircraft captain attacked immediately. The bomber dived to the left and levelled again; he tilted over to the right and dived into the clouds. I could not see him burning, nor did I see him burning at impact because the attack took place west of the target and the cloud was thick.
[underlined] COMMENT OF SQUADRON COMMANDER [/underlined]
Hauptmann SCHMIDT clearly observed the hit at the front of the fuselage. It is presumed that the captain of the enemy aircraft was hit, because the movement that the plane immediately made after the first attack is typical of an aircraft not under control. It is certain therefore that the bomber crashed.
(I do not agree with this presumption. The movements described by SCHMIDT are typical of the evasive manoeuvre known as a corkscrew. H. WAGNER)
[underlined] ENGAGEMENT REPORT [/underlined]
Crew – Hptm. SCHMIDT, F.w. KOCH, Gefr. KUHN
Tame Boar operation on 18.12.44 06.36hrs.
5 -10km. West of target DUISBURG Height 5300 metres
20 shots from cannon, 150 shots from machine-guns
[underlined] REPORT OF HAUPTMANN SCHIMDT [/underlined]
On 18.12.44 I took off at 1558 from Essen-Mulheim in Bf 110 GN NM on a Tame Boar operation. I switched on radio link BRUNO. As I reached a height of 5500 metres I saw in the direction east of me flares falling, and flew directly to the target. Above the top of the clouds, illuminated from below, I saw some 4-engined bombers. I settled myself behind an enemy aircraft and opened fire from approximately 100 metres, a little above, aiming at the fuselage. Shortly after, I saw clearly an explosion at the front of the plane and in the middle of the fuselage. After a short distance straight ahead, the enemy plane tilted to the left downwards and levelled up at 1000 metres lower. I followed him and settled behind in attack position and opened fire from approx. 100 m to the fuselage and in the right outer area. The enemy plane tilted to the right and disappeared, diving into the thick cloud area. I could not see fire and impact because I was near the westward side of the target and bombs were falling everywhere. The attack took place at approx. 5000 metres and fire was opened at at [sic] 0633hrs.
[underlined] REPORT OF FELDWEBEL KOCH [/underlined]
On 18.12.44 I took off with my crew at 0558 on a Tame Boar operation. We tuned in to the radio link BRUNO. O radio link ACHMED I heard that the target, already illuminated, could be DUISBURG. AT 0619 I saw an aircraft which led us to the returning bomber stream. At 0630 I obtained another target which we recognised as a 4-engined enemy plane on a homeward course. At 0633 fire was opened and immediately the bomber dived to the left and then pulled upwards (a 'corkscrew' manoeuvre. H. W.) Fire was opened a second time. I did not see the plane on fire, and impact could not be observed because of the thick layer of cloud.
[underlined] REPORT OF GEFREITER KUHN [/underlined]
On 18.12.44. we took off on a Tame Boar operation. At 0630hrs. The wireless operator obtained contact with a 4-engined enemy plane on SN2 (radar. H. W.) At the same time I saw near me an enemy aircraft. We were at the western edge of the target. Our aircraft captain attacked immediately. The bomber dived to the left and levelled again; he tilted over to the right and dived into the clouds. I could not see him burning, nor did I see him burning at impact because the attack took place west of the target and the cloud was thick.
[underlined] COMMENT OF SQUADRON COMMANDER [/underlined]
Hauptmann SCHMIDT clearly observed the hit at the front of the fuselage. It is presumed that the captain of the enemy aircraft was hit, because the movement that the plane immediately made after the first attack is typical of an aircraft not under control. It is certain therefore that the bomber crashed.
(I do not agree with this presumption. The movements described by SCHMIDT are typical of the evasive manoeuvre known as a corkscrew. H. WAGNER)
Collection
Citation
“Engagement report,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/30551.
Item Relations
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