Galland explained what happened next: “We all jumped in a car and took off and reached the wreckage, and it was Nowotny’s plane. After sifting through the wreckage, the only salvageable things found were his left hand and pieces of his Knight’s Cross, Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds decoration. He had simply disintegrated. The hole in the ground was about four meters deep, and the area for about one hundred meters all around was on fire and smoking. I remember the smell of the jet fuel being quite heavy in the air. We heard by radio that Schall was alive. Eder was standing next to me as we looked through the wreckage, and I promoted him on the spot to take over command of the unit. He just looked at me and said: ‘Yes, sir,’ and then turned away.
“Losing Nowotny was a great blow, but we had suffered so many by that time, it was almost expected. Hitler, from what I understand, was upset about his loss, but I don’t think he really said anything about it to me. I was mostly concerned that Hitler might have perceived this as a failure, and killed the entire fighter program.
“Well, that did not happen, and the remains of that unit went to form JG-7, commanded by our friend Johannes Steinhoff who replaced Eder as kommodore for a while.{9} Later, Steinhoff recruited other great aces to command the various groups, and then he joined me in JV-44 and was my recruiting officer for that unit, going to the hospitals, training units, wherever he knew a pilot may be who perhaps might need a job.”{10}
Nowotny was given a formal state funeral in Vienna, and the honor guard consisted of his best friend Leutnant Karl “Quax” Schnörrer, Oberst Gordon Gollob, Major Rudolf Schönert, Hauptmann Heinz Strüning, Major Josef Fözö, and Major Georg Christl. The eulogy was delivered by General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland and Generaloberst Otto Dessloch. Nowotny was buried at the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna.
Nowotny’s death, while tragic for the Luftwaffe, had been preceded by his technical and tactical innovations, which, though too little and too late to save Germany from losing the war, provided much valuable data. The successors to Kommando Nowotny would use that knowledge to great effect. Galland knew he had chosen wisely in Nowotny, who was a daring leader and a very brave pilot. The men whom he chose were like him: free spirits and aggressive hunters, willing to try anything new.
Galland said, “There were several other men who flew in the jet unit, which after Nowotny’s death was re-designated JG-7. Men such as Erich Rudorffer, Theodor Weissenberger, Franz Schall, Walter Schuck, Johannes Steinhoff, Georg-Peter Eder, Heinrich Ehrler, and many others, all of them great aces, rapidly adapted. Eder already had a few bomber kills adding to his impressive score. I also think he was shot down more than any other pilot. I also think he was the most wounded pilot in the Luftwaffe.”{11}
These men were the first unit to write the book that detailed all of the positive and negative qualities of the jet fighter by the crucible of hard combat. Their experiences would define the method by which the doctrine would be written, but as Johannes Steinhoff stated: “Every day presented a new challenge, a new event that made us re-think what we were doing and how to do it better. This was totally new, revolutionary in fact, and men’s lives depended upon each of us doing the right thing, and then doing it better each time.”{12}
CHAPTER 15
Kommando Nowotny Carries On
I know it sounds crazy, but despite our losses, we still wanted to fly more missions, and almost everyone wanted to avenge Nowi.
Nowotny’s body was not yet cold when Kommando Nowotny was involved in a vicious three-day running skirmish November 9–11, as Eder claimed two P-51s. The next day, III./JG-7 was formed and relocated to Lechfeld on November 14 with Major Erich Hohagen in command. November 14 saw one Me 262 damaged when engaged by 1st Lt. Robert Berry in his 82nd Fighter Group P-38. Berry scored the hits and disappeared. There was no loss to a jet recorded for this date or any other until November 20, 1944.{1}
New parts and three replacement jets arrived at Achmer and two more at Lechfeld on November 20, 1944. The next day, Eder shot down a B-17, which was one of the Hell’s Angels of the 303rd Bomb Group (42-102484) flown by 1st Lt. A. F. Chance, which had already been damaged by flak when Eder administered the coup de grace.{2} Eder recalled the event in question:
“We had been following this bomber formation, looking to see if there were any fighters around, as there usually were. I did not see any, and being low on fuel anyway, I saw this one B-17 smoking, and went in. I only had cannons, so it was a quick pass, nothing spectacular, except the explosion.”{3}
On November 23, Leutnant Weber claimed a P-51, with November 24 showing a claim for a P-51 by Oberfeldwebel Göbel and two P-38s claimed by Feldwebel Büttner and Oberfeldwebel Baudach, respectively. Eighth Air Force records confirmed the two Lightnings being lost. On November 25, Eder claimed a P-51 destroyed and a B-17 as a “probable,” which was, in fact, a kill.{4}
The following day, on November 26, Major Rudi Sinner shot down an escort P-38J flown by 1st Lt. Julius Thomas, who bailed out and became a prisoner at Kitzbühl. Leutnant Fritz Müller shot up a 60 Squadron Mosquito with Lt. P. J. Stoffberg and Flight Officer Andrews. Their left engine was smoking and they lost altitude, but managed to land back in Italy from where they had originated. Müller made the claim believing the Mosquito had spiraled in. Oberfeldwebel Hermann Buchner did in fact shoot down an F-5 reconnaissance version of the P-38 flown by 2nd Lt. Irvin J. Rickey, and he bailed out of his recon fighter named Rut (work number 43-28619) over Speehardt and was taken prisoner.{5}
KG-51 lost Oberleutnant Heinz Lehmann in a crash, probably as a result of being shot up by Flight Sergeant Cole, Flying Officer R. Dryland, or Squadron Leader Sweetman flying Tempests from the 2nd Tactical Air Force; all claimed damaged jets. First Lieutenant L. E. Willis of the 50th Fighter Group also claimed a “probable,” and it may have been Lehmann. Kommando Nowotny lost Leutnant Schreiber, who was ironically the first German pilot to score five victories in the Me 262, when he went down during a test flight. Schreiber was killed in a crash while landing at Lechfeld flying Me 262 A-1a (work number 130017). As he came in “hot,” his wheels had caught the edge of a slit trench created for ground crews to dive into during air attacks, causing his Me 262 to cartwheel, break apart, and burn. Given that he called in damage, it is very likely that he was a victim of the American fighters as well.{6}
The last days of November gave Kommando Nowotny more claims, when Lennartz shot down a Spitfire from 683 Squadron, with the pilot, Pilot Officer Courtney being taken prisoner. KG-51 also suffered losses. November 1944 had been a hard month for all concerned. Kommando Nowotny had been proving itself slowly but certainly, and the results would hopefully pay off. Galland was quite pleased with the unit, and despite these setbacks, the knowledge gained was worth the effort. From the time Nowotny took command of the former Kommando Thierfelder, he began to make certain changes that reflected his personality and personal experience. The results up until his death are worth noting.