First plane with radar onboard took off
09.08.1941. Luftwaffe, Western09 august 1941. Leeuwarden airfield, Holland. Me-110 with strange antennas on the nose took off.
It was the first flight of the fighter with radar onboard. Me-110 was equipped with “Lichtenstein” radar. Two members of crew were oberleutnant Ludvig Bekker and sergeant Josef Staub.
During that test flight Me-110 has spotted British bomber with radar and has shot it down. It was the beginning of all the radars era.
Posted by Pavel
[...] In terms of the second part of the plan he had three groups of nightfighters. NJG1, commander captain Wolfgang Falk had two groupes: I/NJG1 with commander captain Radush (was formed up from two squadrons of I/ZG1) III/NJG1 with commander major Blumensaadt (was formed up from IV/JG2 and the only group to re-equip from Me-109 to Me-110) NJG2, commander captain Heize had the only group of long-range night fighters: I/NJG2, commander captain Hulshof (was formed up from three squadrons of Ju-88 and Do-17) At the 1st november 1941 was created II/NJG2, commander famous Luftwaffe ace oberleutnant Helmut Lent. It had squadron commanders oberleutnant Shenert, major Egmond zur Lippe Weissenfeld and oberleutnant Ludvig Bekker (the one who was in a crew first to test famous Lihtenshtein radar). These groups of nightfighters were performing very successfull night raids to the British bombers homebases, while intercepting bombers on their way home, especially during landing procedures - when bombers were very nicely seen in landing lights of the airfield and enemy AA wasn’t able to attack. [...]
[...] It had squadron commanders oberleutnant Shenert, major Egmond zur Lippe Weissenfeld and oberleutnant Ludvig Bekker (the one who was in a crew first to test famous Lihtenshtein radar). [...]