This text is a continuation of an abridged translation of the book Luftwaffe'45. Letzte Fluge und Projekte”by a colleague of NF68 who has translated many interesting topics related to the German Air Force. The illustrations are taken from the original book, the literary processing of the translation from German was done by the author of these lines.
The technical problems encountered in the development of new weapons such as the Bachem BP 20 "Natter", jet fighters such as HeS 11, Hütter 8-211 or DFS 228, and the Lippisch L11 with more powerful engines such as BMW and Jumo were are still far from elimination. Until January 20, 1945, it was established that aircraft of the Me 262 A-1a type could be produced in an amount equal to no more than 50% of the planned. Meanwhile, as a result of enemy actions, 14 Ta-152 fighters were lost. Due to the loss of the Focke-Wulf aircraft manufacturer in Posen, further production of the FW-190 D-9 fighters was greatly reduced. At the same time, the shortage of aviation fuel was more and more affected, so they had to rely only on an insignificant reserve stock. For example, this concerned aviation kerosene J2, necessary for the Me-262 type aircraft. But an even greater catastrophe was impending, especially for aircraft of the Me-262 A-1a type in southern Germany, since they could not fly due to severe frost. In addition, the Luftwaffe could only use a relatively small number of jet aircraft to fight enemy bombers. On January 25, 1945, Reichsmarschall Goering ordered the monthly production of 24 two-seat Do-335 aircraft in the long-range reconnaissance aircraft version and 120 Si 204D aircraft each in the short-range and night reconnaissance versions.
Remains of Do 335.
Meanwhile, the aircraft and other factories at Posen were lost, which meant a decrease in the production of automatic cannons of the MK-108 type, as well as various materials and drawing equipment used in the production. The same was true for the production in Upper Silesia of automatic cannons of the MG-151 type and of the gyroscopic sights of the EZ 42 type produced in Posen. At the end of January 1945, problems also affected the just started production of Panterblitz anti-tank missiles. By the end of January 1945, only 2,500 of these missiles had been fired, but the generals whose aviation units were engaged in the fight against enemy tanks demanded at least 80,000 of these missiles for the current fight against Soviet tanks alone. However, the lack of supplies of fuses for these missiles prevented further missile production from continuing. But that was not all, since other small and big problems arose in the production of aviation equipment. For example, by January 27, 1945, during flights of aircraft of the He-162 type, low efficiency of horizontal rudders and roll rudders was revealed, which arose due to too large loads in the horizontal and vertical control systems, therefore all production of these aircraft was suspended at the end of January 1945. Due to the further westward advance of the Red Army, flight tests of aircraft of the Ar-234 B-2 type had to be moved from Sagan to Alt-Lönnewitz. The termination of the supply of engines of the DB-603 LA type did not allow the start of production of the Ta-152 C type fighters, and the production of the Do-335 type aircraft also had to be stopped. At the Heinkel-Süd aircraft plant near Vienna (Wien), the production of He-219 A-7 fighters was reduced by 50%, and the released materials were decided to be used for the production of He 162 fighters. Projects of fighters with jet engines, for example, HeS, Me P 1110 and an all-weather jet fighter of the Ju EF 128 type, as well as fighters with high performance characteristics, on which piston engines of the Jumo-213 and Jumo-222 types were installed, it was impossible to produce. Attempts to organize the production of powerful engines of the Jumo-222 type had to be stopped even earlier.
As for the production of a 4-engine jet bomber of the He P 1068 type (later designation He 343), presumably, in addition to prototypes, it was also not possible to organize. At the end of February 1945, the production of blades for jet engine compressors of the Jumo 004 type ceased at the factories in Wismare, at the factories of the Arado company in Warnemünde, Malchin (Malchin-e, Tutow-e and Greifawald). on high performance characteristics of aircraft such as FW-190 F, in the final phase of the war in the daytime, these aircraft were rarely used. At the end of the war, the enemy struck round the clock at German airfields, located on an ever-smaller space due to the movement of opponents deep into Germany. In early 1945, the FW-190 F-8 aircraft were a dangerous weapon under the control of experienced pilots, armed with two MG-131 machine guns mounted in the fuselage behind the engine and two MG-151 automatic cannons mounted in the wing roots. Part of the weapons from these aircraft, to improve the performance characteristics, was dismantled. Over time, it was found that At airfields, FW-190 aircraft are easy targets for the enemy, after which some of the German aircraft intended to fight enemy tanks were used to strike at allied aircraft with fragmentation bombs in containers.
The system for dropping German fragmentation bombs consisted of locks and bomb racks ETC 501, ETC 502 or ETC 503, suspended under the fuselage, and locks and bomb racks installed under the wings of the ETC 50 or ETC 71 type, which made it possible to use all available means against enemy aircraft. Small fragmentation and cumulative bombs dropped from containers have proven to be very effective against both stationary and mobile targets. Fighting large formations of enemy aircraft with these bombs made it possible to use the great potential of this weapon. When attacking enemy aircraft, it was possible to use all the formations of attack aircraft, but due to a lack of aviation fuel, only a small number of these aircraft participated in the battles, which were also used for reconnaissance and observation of meteorological conditions. Only at the beginning of 1945, the SG 4 assault aviation squadron managed to use more than 100 FW-190 F aircraft simultaneously against enemy formations, attacking the enemy at a minimum altitude, as a result of which the enemy's advance was slowed down. The presence of a large number of enemy fighters led to the fact that in some cases, even on approach, a large number of FW-190 F-8 and FW-190 F-9 aircraft were lost. Among the assault aviation squadrons numbered from 1 to 10, the SG 4 squadron was the most frequently used fighter-bombers of the FW-190 type.
Scoped FW-190.
Only the SG 1 assault squadron had up to 115 aircraft in service at certain times. At the beginning of 1945, the SG 10 assault squadron had more than 70 aircraft. Almost all significant attacks by enemy troops were carried out as part of formations. At the same time, German aircraft gathered in groups on the approach and on departure from targets, and the attacks themselves were often carried out by separate aircraft. During February 1945, the supplies of everything necessary for waging the war in the West began to decline noticeably in favor of the Eastern Front, but these measures did not give a noticeable result, since the last reserves had already been exhausted. This led to the fact that army formations and SS troops, meeting the first columns that came in their way, carrying out supplies of supplies and materials necessary for the troops, took everything that could be useful for conducting hostilities and this led to the fact that armored vehicles often did not receive everything you need. On January 10, 1945, a squadron of SG 4 attack aircraft, armed with aircraft of the FW-190 type, consisted of a squadron headquarters and three air groups.
FW-190 or F-9 from F-9 II / SG 4.
In addition, the Reich air fleet included Night Attack Groups (NSGr.) 1, 2 and 20. Since January 1945, aviation formations were deployed along the line of the Eastern Front, intended to deliver strikes from a minimum height. The Reich air fleet included the 3rd air group of the SG 3 assault squadron and a group of night attack aircraft, which were armed with obsolete low-speed aircraft of the Ar-65 Go-145 type. The 4th Air Fleet included the SG 2, SG 10 and Group 4 / SG 9 assault squadrons. Most of these formations used aircraft such as FW-190 and Ju-87. Assault Air Groups 1 and 2 had a total of 66 FW-190 aircraft. The crews of the 3 / SG 2 air group still flew Ju-87 D, while the SG 10 squadron used the FW-190 A and FW-190 F. In the far north, the SG 10 squadron could still use 33 Ju-87 aircraft. The 6th Air Fleet consisted of SG 1 and SG assault squadrons with two groups each, and the SG 77 assault squadron had 3 groups. The NSGr 4 squadron, which had 60 aircraft of the Ju-87 and Si-204 D types, was specially intended for night use. On January 11, 1945, Soviet tanks in East Prussia were already in front of Gumbinnen and Goldap.
Until the end of January 1945, large formations of Soviet troops that occupied the entire territory between Königsberg and Lötzen strove to advance further west. The Red Army also sought to encircle Graudenz and Thorn, for which it advanced towards Elbing with the clear intention of occupying Wartheland. Until January 22, 1945, the Red Army advanced westward between Polish Lodz (German Litzmannstadt) and Czestochowa (Tschenstochau). Next in line were Brieg, Breslau and Steinau. By January 25, in view of the threat of further advance of the Red Army in a westerly direction, the Wehrmacht had to blow up the airfields at Kornau and Rostken. On the same day, German airfields were attacked by enemy aircraft.
During the delivery of air strikes against the formations of the Red Army, some of the crews were lost. On February 2, 1945, during an attack by Soviet units, 5 armored personnel carriers, 151 trucks, 3 special vehicles with boilers, many anti-aircraft guns, an ammunition depot and a fuel depot were lost. In addition, German aircraft managed to burn 160 enemy vehicles, also achieving numerous hits on the advancing tanks. The daily losses of 232 FW-190 aircraft involved in striking the enemy amounted to only 4 FW-190. The next day, February 3, the 6th Luftwaffe Air Fleet could use not only 165 Me-109 fighters and 144 FW-190 fighters, but also 139 FW-190 attack aircraft to strike at the advancing enemy.
FW-190 I./SG winter 1944-1945
For these strikes, the 1st Fighter Air Division used all available combat-ready aircraft. The commander of the German assault force was able to use not only the 14th squadron SG 151 based in Staaken with 17 aircraft of the FW-190 type and the 15th squadron based in Doberitz with 19 aircraft of the Ju-87 type, but also the air group 2 / SG 151, which was armed with aircraft of the FW-190 type. Not only FW-190s, but also aircraft capable of carrying unguided anti-tank missiles, inflicted restraining strikes with dropped ammunition. A part of the SG 3 assault aviation squadron was then assigned to the 6th Air Fleet, while the 3 / SG assault group was part of the 1st Air Fleet and fought in the encircled enemies of Courland. The 1st and 2nd air groups of the SG 4 assault squadron were based at Rosenborn airfield from February 6, 1945, and the 3rd air group of this squadron was based at Weisselndorf airfield.
All assault aviation squadrons were subordinated to the 6th Air Fleet. The 3rd Aviation Group of the SG 5 squadron then received the designation 3 / KG 200. The SG 9 squadron was engaged exclusively in striking enemy tanks, successfully using primarily the Panzerblitz and Panterschreck unguided anti-tank missiles. In the battles in southeastern Hungary, the 10th Assault Aviation Squadron was part of the 4th Air Fleet. The headquarters and the 1st and 2nd aviation groups of the SG 10 squadron were located in Tötrascöny, the 3rd aviation group of the same squadron was based in Papa (Papa). The SG 77 assault aviation squadron was also used in the area of responsibility of the 6th Air Fleet.
From the beginning of 1945, the reserve 10th air fleet received an SG 151 assault aviation squadron, which was striking enemy forces on the Western and Eastern fronts. From February 13, 1945, the situation at Glogau an der Oder became more complicated, heavy fighting began. Not least thanks to the Luftwaffe, German troops were able to hold their positions until April 2, 1945. In February 1945, the situation became more complicated in the Posen area. From the end of January, the Red Army concentrated a powerful grouping of troops there, eventually managing to surround the city. Between 19 and 23 February 1945, the defending German troops, based on the fortress of Posen, successfully repulsed the attacks of the Soviet troops, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Meanwhile, powerful formations of Soviet tanks managed to break through the German defenses on the Oder. Three weeks earlier, the Red Army in the area between Küstrin and Frankfurt / Oder had managed to capture bridgeheads on the west bank and begin the transfer of reinforcements.
The main direction of the attacks of the Soviet units was the section of the territory located north of Fürsteberg. North of Stettin, another powerful group of Red Army troops was concentrated. Despite this, German forces were initially able to hold a foothold on the east bank at Altdamm. Due to the significant advantage of the Soviet troops in tanks and artillery, the support of the German troops from the air was crucial. It was quickly established that the small bombs dropped from containers SD-4HL and SD 10 were especially effective for such purposes. The SC 50 bombs were also partially used, since there were no other types of dropped ammunition. The 1st Aviation Division destroyed 74 enemy tanks in early March and damaged 39 more. On the first day of the fighting, 3 / SG 1 commander Major K. Schepper (Karl Schepper) made his 800th sortie. A few weeks later on April 28, 1945, he became the 850th Reich soldier awarded with oak leaves for the Iron Cross. In Lower Silesia in Lauban (Lauban), German troops managed to achieve victory in the confrontation with the formations of the Red Army. In early March 1945, the 7th Soviet Guards Tank Corps was partially destroyed there. Success in these battles was also achieved due to the air support of the German troops.
Meanwhile, in the period from March 6 to 12, 1945, a powerful group of Soviet troops advanced in the direction of Stolpmünde and Danzig, and only thanks to the extraordinary exertion of all forces, the German troops were able to stop the enemy formations in front of the ultimate goal of their offensive. Oberfeldwebel Mischke from Air Group 3 / SG 1 fired on nine enemy tanks during two sorties. During the next four aerial battles, he fought with a full bomb load. On March 18, 1945 Mishke achieved 5 more victories. From March 23, 1945, the 4th Aviation Division attacked not only important targets on enemy bridgeheads and troop concentrations: units subordinated to the SG 1 aviation squadron intensified their attacks on important enemy railway lines, paying special attention to the destruction of steam locomotives.
In mid-March, the Luftwaffe carried out another important operation. We are talking about dropping containers with ammunition and equipment suspended on ETC holders under the fuselages of FW-190 aircraft to the surrounded German formations. These containers were first dropped at Klessin under the Reitweiner Sporn. In the first such operation on the Oder, out of 39 dropped containers, 21 containers reached their target. In the second such operation, 7 FW-190 aircraft with containers suspended under the fuselages flew to Küstrin, but due to bad weather, only 5 aircraft left the city declared as a fortress. On March 21, 1945, the crews of the aviation group 3 / SG 10 received a very unusual order, according to which containers were to be suspended on their FW-190s, with the help of which it was planned to supply ammunition and the necessary equipment to the surrounded Budapest. According to the reports of the pilots, all the containers were dropped by them in the place indicated by the command. The next day, a large number of German aircraft were to deliver a massive strike from low altitudes against Soviet formations. In addition to air groups 3 / JG 1 and 3 / JG 6, two air groups from fighter squadrons JG 51 and JG 52 took part in this raid. At the same time, the JG 77 fighter squadron alone used 72 aircraft. In all assault aviation squadrons, up to the 1 / SG 1 air group, ETC bomb racks were installed under the wings on all FW-190 aircraft, which allowed these aircraft to carry dropped weapons.
During 73 sorties, the pilots of assault air groups 1 / SG and 2 / SG on their FW-190s in the Görlitz area attacked enemy forces, as a result of which they managed to achieve at least two hits by SD 500 bombs on the bridge on the Neise River (Neise), and four more hits on other ground targets. The pilots of the 1 / SG 1 air group struck other targets using 500 SD, 500 and AB 250 bombs.
The process of hanging the AB 500 bomb.
During this period, to combat armored enemy targets, SD 70 bombs came to the fore, which turned out to be an effective weapon against enemy aircraft. According to the reports of the pilots of the aviation group 3 / SG 1, when striking low-flying Soviet fighters with air bombs, the chances of causing damage to the enemy were the highest.
At Leebschütz-Neuestadt (Leebschütz-Neuestadt) air group 1 / SG 4, numbering 69 aircraft, struck at enemy tank formations. At the same time, the attack of seven FW-190 F-8 aircraft from the 8th assault squadron of the SG 6 squadron was unsuccessful due to the opposition of Soviet fighters. Beginning on March 28, 1945, daytime sorties for the FW-190 F-8 and FW-190 F-9 aircraft became even more dangerous due to the increased opposition of enemy fighters. So, on that day, several Me-109 and FW-190 aircraft were shot down.
At Kolberg, the entire aviation group was lost, after which all combat-ready aircraft of the FW-190 type began to be used on the Western Front. The technical staff, fortunately, managed to evacuate the encircled city at night in a Ju-52 transport aircraft. By March 28, 1945, the most powerful assault squadrons were on the front line of Army Group Center and Army Group Weichsel. The 8th Aviation Corps there was subordinate to the SG 2 Assault Aviation Squadron, whose headquarters and the entire 1st Aviation Group were based in Großenheim. Aviation group 3 / SG 2 was based in Kamenz, and in Dresden-Klotsche - the headquarters of the SG 4 assault squadron and the 2nd air group of this squadron.
The 3rd Aviation Corps provided air support to Army Group Weichsel, including units of the assault aviation squadrons SG 1, 3, 9, 77 and 151. Of these units, the headquarters squadron of the aviation group 1 / SG was temporarily reinforced by group 5 / SG 151, based at the airfield in Fürstenwalde (Fürstenwalde). Group 2 of Squadron SG 1 was based at Werneuchen, Squadron SG 9 was based at Schönefeld, the entire headquarters of Squadron SG 77 and the groups included in this squadron, as well as one squadron of anti-tank attack aircraft were based at Altenow, Cottbus (Cottbus) and Gatow (Gatow). Air support for the 3rd Panzer Army was provided by the 1st Aviation Division and part of the SG 3 assault squadron. In addition, the crews of the 2nd group with subordinate aircraft of group 13 / SG 151, based in Finow, provided support to the ground forces. The entire group 3 / SG 3 was then based in Oranienburg.
During the battle in Silesia, some of the pilots flying the anti-tank version of the FW-190 attack aircraft provided especially significant air support, hitting enemy troops from low altitudes with small fragmentation bombs in AB 250 containers. In March 1945, only aircraft 1 The 1st Aviation Division on the Eastern Front flew 2,190 sorties, with the crews announcing the destruction of 172 enemy tanks and more than 250 trucks. Another 70 enemy tanks were damaged. In addition, applications were submitted to destroy 110 Soviet aircraft and damage another 21 enemy aircraft. In March 1945, the 4th Aviation Division included SG 1, 3, and 77 assault aviation squadrons, with a total of 123 combat-ready aircraft. Only the pilots of the SG 1 squadron dropped 1,295.6 tons of bombs and dropped containers with a total weight of 36.25 tons on the enemy, managing to hit some enemy tanks and vehicles and achieving 26 hits on bridges.
At the beginning of April 1945, the SG 2 squadron was armed with 89 Ju-89 and FW-190 aircraft. In addition, this squadron included 91 aircraft of the FW-190 A-8 and FW-190 F-8 types. The headquarters of the SG 3 squadron and its 2nd group had in total a little more than 40 aircraft of the FW-190 F-8 type. Three more groups of the SG 77 squadron had 99 combat-ready aircraft. But due to the lack of aviation fuel, these squadrons could not be fully used to strike at the enemy, and some of the aircraft stood idle on the outskirts of airfields. On April 8, 1945, the 8th Air Corps used 55 attack aircraft to attack the enemy, which managed to destroy at least 25 trucks. But all these blows were like a drop of water falling on a hot stone. During these raids, about 40 Soviet Aviakobra fighters managed to push back the German aircraft.
The next day, near Ratibor, 17 FW-190s attacked the enemy from low altitude. On April 10, German pilots were able to use only part of the aircraft directly against enemy ground units, as they themselves. in turn, they were subjected to massive attacks by Soviet "aerocobras", but nevertheless, the attack aircraft nevertheless completed part of the task assigned to them. On April 11, 1945, 17 FW-190 attack aircraft successfully struck the railroad tracks and the bridge at Rathstock. In addition to the conventional AC 500 bombs, in this case, 5 SC 500 bombs containing a mixture of trialene, as well as 16 SD 70 bombs were dropped. On April 16, Soviet anti-aircraft artillery shot down 2 FW-190 F-8 aircraft attacking Soviet positions. 16 single-engine attack aircraft without any support from fighters took off on April 17 to help their ground forces, which were in a difficult situation near Breslau. Another 30 aircraft attacked the Soviet bridgehead at Zentendorf, while 131 aircraft at that time struck at the successfully breached Soviet units at Weißwasser. On April 18, 552 German fighters and attack aircraft shot down at least 27 enemy aircraft on the Eastern Front, hitting 29 tanks, 8 self-propelled guns, 3 armored personnel carriers, 125 trucks and at least 4 pontoon bridges. At the same time, 28 pilots did not return to the airfield (23 of them were missing). 24 hours later, 250 attack aircraft of the 6th Air Fleet struck at the enemy, mainly aircraft of the FW-190 F-8 type and a relatively small number of Ju-87s, which were accompanied by 135 Me-109s from the fighter squadrons of JG 4, 52 and 77. On April 23, 108 German attack aircraft took to the air, 20 of them struck at the forward units of Soviet troops in the Weißenburg-Bautzen-Dresden area.
Also, strikes with the use of onboard weapons and bombs were inflicted on the enemy's infantry, some pilots at Bautzen and Dresden sent their planes to Soviet tanks. On the Autobahn near Radeberg, German aircraft managed to destroy three enemy tanks. An additional 62 attack aircraft struck Soviet artillery in the Cottbus-Finsterwalde-Lübben area and attacked the enemy airfield near Bronkow with bombs, dropping 59.5 tons of bombs, as a result of which 11 aircraft were destroyed and more were damaged. In addition to striking enemy troops, attack aircraft were involved in meteorological and conventional reconnaissance, while one German pilot managed to accidentally shoot down a single U-2 biplane. According to reports from the returning pilots, Soviet units lost many vehicles, a pontoon bridge and one anti-aircraft gun. In the zone of responsibility of Army Group Center, 175 German aircraft took part in the attacks of the enemy troops. In addition, attacks on the enemy were carried out in the areas near Brunn (Brno) (Brünn / Brno), Hoyerswerda, Schönftenberg (Senftenberg) and Ratibor (Ratibor). In the area of Cottbus and Bautzen, 31 Me-262 jet fighters inflicted strikes on ground targets.
In Army Group West's area of responsibility, between Ulm and Passau, German fighters carrying bombs at low altitude attacked advancing Allied columns. Due to the reduction in the length of the front lines, the allies could more and more concentrate anti-aircraft artillery near the forward, thereby gaining the opportunity to better protect their forward formations with mobile air defense weapons. These well-camouflaged anti-aircraft batteries caused numerous losses of the FW-190 F. In part, the Allied night fighters also created an increasingly significant threat to the German attack aircraft. But at the same time, the use of their own lighting bombs at night attracted enemy night fighters. Sometimes the crews of German aircraft Ju-88 and Ju-188 dropped the Düppel radar jammers in the area of their aviation. On April 24, the 8th Aviation Corps included SG 2 and SG 77 assault squadrons, which included 4 groups each, and the 3rd Aviation Division also included SG 4 and SG 9 squadrons with three groups in each and one anti-tank attack aircraft squadron. Thanks to special missiles, the FW-190 aircraft managed to inflict significant losses on the enemy in tanks. Despite the large numerical superiority of the enemy, the German pilots who supported General Schörner's ground forces were able to provide him with effective assistance. On the last nights of April 1945, the SG 1 assault squadron was based at the Gatow airfield, relocating from the northeast to Berlin. Every night, the squadron's planes regularly flew 20 flights over the burning capital, but due to the power of the enemy, their activities could not have a decisive effect.
Pilots III./SG200
On April 28, 1945, the command of the 6th Air Fleet concentrated its efforts on supporting its own ground forces defending the capital of the Reich. Here, having a supply of aviation gasoline, it was possible to use all aircraft, including jet ones. After the last fuel depot was lost, Colonel General Desloch, as representative of the Luftwaffe High Command, informed the 6th Air Fleet Commander, General Ritter von Greim, that fuel supplies should no longer be expected.
On April 30, 1945, only 18 attack aircraft were deployed against enemy forces in the Wischau area, destroying 4 trucks and 5 tractors of the Red Army. In the Bautzen-Sagan-Görlitz area, in addition to the FW-190 F attack aircraft, four jet aircraft took part in the attacks of enemy troops from low altitudes in addition to the FW-190 F attack aircraft. At the end of April, air group 2 / SG 10 was redeployed to Wels, air group 3 / SG 2 in Milowitz, located 35 km north of Prague. Together with jet aircraft based in the Prague area, attack aircraft from these air groups on May 2, 1945, intervened in the bloody battles of the ground forces. On May 1, the FW-190 F-8 attack aircraft from the 2 / KG 200 air group, taking off from the airfield at Blankensee, near Lübeck, dropped containers with ammunition and equipment to the troops defending the capital of the Reich.
FW-190 D-9 as a fighter-bomber.
During the flight, the parachute of the VB 250 transport container, suspended under the plane of the commander of the 3 / KG 200 group, Major H. Wiedebrandt (Helmut Wiedebrandt), spontaneously opened. After the latter wrapped around the tail, the plane became uncontrollable and fell to the ground, the pilot was killed. After that, the headquarters group decided to stop the operation and the planes returned back to the airfield at Blankensee. Despite the difficult situation, the Luftwaffe on May 3, 1945 still had the opportunity to use attack aircraft, however, their effectiveness was noticeably limited by the lack of aviation fuel and the amount of ammunition dropped. The 4th German Air Fleet supported the troops of Army Groups South and Southwest, using the SG 10 assault squadron for these purposes. The first group of the SG 9 squadron was based in Budwels, the second group of this squadron was based in Welze (Wels) along with aircraft designed to combat enemy tanks. Air group 1 / SG 2 was based in Graz-Thalerhof. These squadrons, organizationally part of the Weiß air force group, operated in a sector of territory in the direction of the Alps, supporting the troops of the 16th army. The Rudel Air Force Group consisted of the 3 / NSGr 4 Night Attack Air Group and the 2 / SG 77 Air Group. The Rudel Air Force formations were based at Niemens-Süd. Air group 2 / SG 2 and the 10th anti-tank squadron were also based there. Colonel H. Rudel (Hans-Ulrich Rudel) was the most effective pilot of the German Air Force in the fight against enemy tanks. On December 29, 1944, he, the only one among all the military, received the highest award for bravery in the form of golden oak leaves to the knight's cross of the iron cross. Its attack aircraft were defended by Fighter Air Group 2 / JG 6. The command of the Luftwaffe West was renamed Nordalpen on May 1, but it also included the remnants of pre-existing night attack units and the remnants of the defeated JG 27, 53 and 300 fighter squadrons. In the final phase of the war, these units more and more inflicted attacks on the enemy from low altitudes. At the direction of Reich President Dönitz on May 6, 1945, the German armed forces ceased military operations against the Western Allies, but hostilities continued against the Red Army. German aircraft continued to fight until the end of the war.
However, the general situation of well-equipped airfields near the Czech capital by the end of the war deteriorated significantly, and most of the aircraft were blown up by German troops, since by this time there was almost no aviation fuel. German pilots managed to break through to the Americans and surrendered to them, thus saving themselves from the tyranny of the Czech population.
