FW-190D-9 to protect Me-262

7th of October 1944 9/JG54 (commander Wilhelm Heilmann) and 12/JG54 (commander Hans Dortenmann) flying FW-190D-9 “Dora-9″ were moved to Hesepe and Achmer airfields accordingly. They were covering Kommando Nowotny operations there.

It was done beacuse of extreme Me-262 vulnerability during take-off and landing processes. On the 7th of October USAF’s P-51s has shot down two Me-262 immediately after take-off from Achmer airfield and one Me-262 was destroyed during its take-off rolling.

Source: Willi Heilmann “Alert In the West: A Luftwaffe Pilot on the Western Front”