Nachtjagdgeschwader 100 (NJG 100) was a Luftwaffe night fighter wing of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War, active from 1 August 1943 until its dissolution on 8 May 1945 following the unconditional surrender. Unlike most Geschwader, it lacked a Stab and Geschwaderkommodore, consisting instead of two independently operating Gruppen that primarily combated Soviet night raids on the Eastern Front, with a brief exception involving Unternehmen Bodenplatte in the West in 1945. The I. Gruppe was formed on 1 August 1943 at Bryansk, Orscha and related bases from elements of II.(Eis)/Nachtjagdgeschwader 5, with its 1. Staffel drawn from 12./NJG 5, the 2. Staffel newly created at Stalino, and the 3. Staffel assembled at Schatalowka from parts of 10. and 12./Zerstörergeschwader 1; successive Gruppenkommandeure included Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1–5 August 1943), Major Rudolf Schoenert (to 31 December 1943), Major Alois Lechner (to 23 February 1944), Hauptmann Kurt Bonow (acting), Hauptmann Theodor Bellinghausen and finally Hauptmann August Fischer until the end. The II. Gruppe was established in June–July 1944 at Nisch in occupied Serbia from three Staffeln of Nachtjagdgeschwader 200, initially under Hauptmann Ulrich von Meien and then Major Paul Zorner from late 1944; its Staffeln operated from bases including Gross Beckereck, Malacky and Prague-Rusin. Equipped mainly with Junkers Ju 88, Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Dornier Do 217 night fighters (also using Bf 109, Fw 189 and others), the unit’s Geschwaderkennung was W7. It relocated frequently across the Eastern Front—Orscha, Baranovitschi, Hohensalza, Gerdauen, Prowehren, Danzig and Greifswald—before remnants concentrated in northern Germany and Bohemia. Notable Ritterkreuzträger included Leutnant Gustav-Eduard Francsi of I./NJG 100, Hauptmann Alois Lechner of 1./NJG 100 and Feldwebel Heinrich Wilke of II./NJG 100. Throughout its existence NJG 100 remained focused on intercepting Soviet night harassment and transport aircraft, contributing to the defence of Army Group sectors until the final collapse.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1916-1944) was born on 14 August 1916 in Copenhagen to diplomat Gustav Alexander Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Walburga Freiin von Friesen. After schooling in Switzerland, Bavaria and Freiburg, where he obtained his Abitur, he joined the Hitler Youth and completed Reichsarbeitsdienst before entering the 17. Kavallerie-Regiment in Bamberg in 1937. He soon transferred to the Luftwaffe, trained at the Fliegerschule Braunschweig and was commissioned Leutnant in June 1938. As observer and later pilot with Kampfgeschwader 1 Hindenburg and Kampfgeschwader 51 Edelweiss he flew some 150 combat missions in the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain and Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Nord. In late 1941 he volunteered for the Nachtjagd and became Staffelkapitän of 9./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2. His first nocturnal victory came on the night of 6/7 May 1942. Rapid success followed; after 22 confirmed night victories he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 2 October 1942 as Hauptmann. Posted to the Eastern Front as Gruppenkommandeur of IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 5, later redesignated I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 100, he achieved multiple victories including seven in one night near Oryol. Awarded the Eichenlaub on 31 August 1943 after 54 victories, he next commanded II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 and II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2. On 1 January 1944 he was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 and promoted Major, already holding 68 victories. On the night of 21 January 1944, flying a Ju 88 near Berlin, he shot down five British bombers, raising his total to 83 and becoming the Luftwaffe’s leading Nachtjäger. Immediately after the fifth success his aircraft was hit, the left wing caught fire and he ordered his crew to parachute; they survived while he was killed near Lübars by Stendal when his parachute failed to open. Posthumously he received the Schwerter on 23 January 1944 as the 44th recipient, in recognition of his 83 night victories.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_100
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