Nachtjagdgeschwader 3

Nachtjagdgeschwader 3
Active	1941 – 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Luftwaffe
Type	Night Fighter
Role	Air superiority
Size	Air Force Wing
Engagements	World War II
Insignia
Identification symbol	Geschwaderkennung of L1 (inherited from LG 1), later D5

Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3) was a Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 3 was formed on 29 September 1941 in Stade from Stab./Zerstörergeschwader 26.

Commanding officers

Kommodore

• Major Johann Schalk, 1 December 1941 – 1 August 1943
• Oberst Helmut Lent, 1 August 1943 – 7 October 1944
• Oberst Günther Radusch, 12 November 1944 – 8 May 1945

Gruppenkommandeure

Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 from 9./NJG 3

• Hauptmann Günther Radusch, 7 October 1940 – 2 October 1941
• Major Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld, 1 October 1942 – 31 May 1943
• Hauptmann Paul Szameitat, 14 December 1943 – 2 January 1944
• Major Werner Husemann, 4 January 1944 – 8 May 1945
• Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 15 August 1943 – November 1943
• Oberstleutnant Heinz Nacke, 1 November 1941 – 21 April 1943
• Hauptmann Rudolf Sigmund, 15 August 1943 – 4 October 1943

Surviving aircraft

Two aircraft that served with NJG 3 are displayed together at the Royal Air Force Museum London, one of the two sites of the Royal Air Force Museum. These are Messerschmitt Bf 110 G Werk Nr. 730301, which was surrendered to the British at the end of the war in 1945, and Junkers Ju 88 R-1, Werk Nr. 360043,^[1] which came into British hands in 1943. Both aircraft are almost unique - each is one of only two intact survivors of their type.

References

Citations

1. Simpson, Andrew. "INDIVIDUAL HISTORY MESSERSCHMITT Bf110G - 4/R6 W/NR.730301 AIR MINISTRY 34; 8479M MUSEUM ACCESSION NUMBER 78/AF/954" (PDF). Retrieved 13 April 2015.

Bibliography

• Hinchliffe, Peter (1998). Luftkrieg bei Nacht 1939–1945 [Air War at Night 1939–1945] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01861-7.