29th of December 1944 was a black day for all the III/JG54. Besides hauptmann Robert Weiss losses were:
5 pilots from 8th squadron,
6 pilots from 9th squadron,
6 pilots, partially from Stab. squadron, partially from 11th and 12th squadrons.

So how it happened.From the morning group had hard combat activity.

9th and 10th squadron already made one flight against P-51 Mustangs of 4FG (FightersGroup) and Thunderbolts of 353FG from 8th USAF air army when airfield was attacked by Mustangs. Exactly at that moment 12th squadron with commander Hans Dortenmann was taking off. It was low-level dogfight, so shot down pilots weren’t able to use parachutes. It was 3 Mustangs and 4 FW-190D on the ground. On the neighbour airfield 4 Mustangs were down, but 5 pilots from 8th squadron were dead.

Later it was interception of four-engined bombers flight by the 9th squadron under command of Wilhelm Heilmann. They took down several Mustangs but on the way back they’ve meet Spitfires and Tempests of 411st Canadian squadron. Heilmann personally took down one Tempest but when he landed on his airbase, it appeared from 22 total pilots in this flight 6 didn’t return home: Lt. Fritz Bartak, Fenrih Hans-Joachim Schnauzer; Uffz: Emil Reinhardt, Heintz Buch, Joachim Fernau, Heintz Tepler.

Immidiatelly when Heilmann has returned to base, Robert Weiss personally with 8 rookies has took off. Over the Rhine river they’ve meet big group of Spitfires. 6 pilots, besides Weiss has died: Oblt. Ernst Bellaire from Stab. III./JG54; Oblt. Eugene Schreiner, Feldwebel Karl Kreizel and Gerhard Neersen, Uffz. Werner Rupp from 11th squadron; Uffz. Adam Seibert from 12th squadron. 2 pilots survived: Oberfeldwebel Wilhelm Philipp from 11th squadron and Uffz. Gunter Zessin from 12th squadron were heavily wounded but were able to jump out.

Several days later it was announced that JG54 “Grunherz” (Green Heart) was the most resultative Grouppe on the Western front. Robert Weiss was awarded with Knighthood Crest and Oak Leafs post-mortem.

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