Manfred Meurer (8 September 1919 – 22 January 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 65 aerial victories claimed in 130 combat missions making him the fifth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare. All of his victories were claimed over the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

in Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Bomber Command. Born in Hamburg, Meurer grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Following graduation from school and the compulsory '' Reichsarbeitsdienst'' (Reich Labour Service), he joined the military service in 1938, at first with an anti aircraft artillery regiment before being trained as a pilot. Meurer then served with ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 76 (ZG 76—76th Destroyer Wing), flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter. In October 1941, he transferred to ''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) where he became a night fighter pilot and claimed his first aerial victory on the night of 26/27 March 1942. Meurer was appointed squadron leader of 3. '' Staffel'' (3rd squadron) of NJG 1 in January 1943. Following his 50th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 2 August 1943. The Knight's Cross (german: Ritterkreuz), and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. On 5 August 1943, he was appointed group commander of II. '' Gruppe'' of ''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 5 (NJG 5—5th Night Fighter Wing). Meurer and his crew were killed in action in a mid-air collision with a RAF bomber on the night of 21/22 January 1944.

Early life and career

Meurer, the son of sports editor-in-chief Georg Meurer, was born on 8 September 1919 in Hamburg, at the time a sovereign state of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. After attending school and passing his ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'' (School Leaving Certificate) and compulsory '' Reichsarbeitsdienst'' (Reich Labour Service), he joined the military service of Nazi Germany in 1938. He initially served with ''Flak-Regiment'' 6 (6th anti aircraft artillery regiment) of the '' Luftwaffe'' as a '' Fahnenjunker'' (officer cadet).

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Following the outbreak of war, Meurer was accepted for flight training and was promoted to '' Leutnant'' (second lieutenant) on 1 April 1940. From the ''Heeresaufklärern'' (army aerial reconnaissance), he was posted to II. '' Gruppe'' (2nd group) of ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 76 (ZG 76—76th Destroyer Wing).For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II. In Oktober 1941, he transferred to III. ''Gruppe'' (3rd group) of ''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) where he became a night fighter pilot. There, he was assigned to the 9. '' Staffel'' (9th squadron) of NJG 1.

Night fighter career

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign. By mid-1940, ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

'' (Brigadier General)

Josef Kammhuber Josef Kammhuber (August 19, 1896 – January 25, 1986) was a career officer in the Luftwaffe and post-World War II German Air Force. During World War II, he was the first general of night fighters in the Luftwaffe. Kammhuber created the night ...

had established a night

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a ''Himmelbett'' (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the ''Lichtenstein'' radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942. Meurer was credited with his first aerial victory on 26/27 March 1942, a Vickers Wellington bomber, claimed shot down at 00:10 approximately east of Wichmond. For this, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class () on 17 April 1942. On 30/31 May 1942, he claimed his second victory, a Handley Page Hampden at 02:05 roughly north of

Deventer Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, bu ...

. The Hampden was identified as ''P2116'' from the RAF

No. 14 Operational Training Unit The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...

. He shot down a Handley Page Halifax at 01:54 on 2/3 June 1942 claimed near

Emmerich Emmerich may refer to: Places * Emmerich am Rhein, city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany ** Emmerich Rhine Bridge ** Emmerich station * Emmerich, Wisconsin, unincorporated community in the town of Berlin, Wisconsin, United States Other uses * ...

. At 04:17 on 15/16 August 1942, Meurer claimed a Wellington shot down at Rozendaal. Meurer became an ace on the night of 10/11 September 1942 after having claimed a Wellington shot down at 00:06 in the vicinity west of Bienen. Three nights later, he claimed his sixth victory over an

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

bomber at 03:26 about north of Apeldoorn. On 1/2 October 1942, he claimed another Wellington shot down at 21:47 roughly north-northeast of

Haldern Rees is a town in the district of Kleve in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Rhine, approximately 20 km east of Kleve. The population in 2005 was 22,559. Founded in 1228, Rees is the oldest ...

. Meurer claimed his last aerial victory in 1942 on the night of 15/16 October. The victory was claimed over a Halifax bomber at 22:52 about north of Hellendoorn. Credited with eight victories, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class () on 19 December 1942.

''Staffelkapitän''

On 1 January 1943, Meurer was appointed '' Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 3. ''Staffel'' (3rd squadron) of NJG 1. His first victory of 1943 was claimed on the night of 3/4 January. He shot down a Lancaster at 20:23 about north-northeast of Roermond. The aircraft was Lancaster "U-Uncle" from No. 207 Squadron piloted by Flight Sergeant 'Barry' Chaster. In the attack, four crew members were killed. His 10th aerial victory was over a Halifax claimed at 20:53 on 27/28 January 1943 at Handel, followed by a Stirling claimed at 20:41 on 3/4 February 1943 near south of Amersfoort. On 14/15 February 1943, he claimed three heavy bombers, two Halifax and one Wellington. At 20:05 about east of

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Maastricht. The Wellington was then claimed at 21:06 roughly west of Roermond. Meurer claimed two bombers shot down on 26/27 February 1943. He destroyed a Lancaster at 21:18 about northeast of Roermond, and a Wellington at 21:35 roughly northeast of Eindhoven. On 1/2 March 1942, he was victorious over another Lancaster, claimed at 23:56 approximately southeast of Rotterdam.

Battle of the Ruhr

In March 1943,

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the strategic bombing of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...

, under the command of

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

Sir Arthur Harris, initiated a 5-month long campaign of strategic bombing targeting the industrial centres in the Ruhr Area. This series of bombing attacks, dubbed the Battle of the Ruhr (5 March 1943 – 31 July 1943), caused heavy damage to German industry. The Battle of the Ruhr began with a 442-aircraft attack on

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

on the night of 5/6 March 1943. That night, Meurer shot down a Halifax shot down at 20:57 west of Düsseldorf and, at 21:20, a Wellington northwest of Weeze. On 12/13 March 1943, as RAF Bomber Command targeted the

Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...

factory in Essen, Meurer claimed four aerial victories, two Halifax, one Lancaster, and one Wellington. The first Halifax was shot down at 21:16 northwest of Venlo; the Lancaster at 21:25 approximately east of Bergen; the second Halifax at 21:48 at Grafwegen;and the Wellington at 22:25 roughly northeast of

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

. Credited with 23 aerial victories, Meurer was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe () on 15 March 1943, the German Cross in Gold () on 31 March 1943, and the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

() on 16 April 1943. In May 1943, Meuerer was credited with 14 more aerial victories, which included one on 12/13 May, another the next night, three on 23/24 May, again three on 25/26 May, two on 27/28 May, and four on 29/30 May. The victory on 12/13 May was over a Wellington, claimed at 02:10 roughly east-southeast Eindhoven. On 13/14 May at 02:31, a Halifax was claimed in an unknown location. The three victories claimed on 23/24 May were over a Wellington at 01:55 about northwest of Eindhoven, a second Wellington at 02:12 east of Essen, and a Lancaster at 02:33 in a position southeast of

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

. The three further victories claimed on 25/26 May were over a Wellington at 01:24 at Oostrum, a Lancaster at 01:36 about southeast of Roermond, and a second Lancaster at 02:08 in a position west of Nijmegen. The two victories claimed on 27/28 May were over a Lancaster at 00:38 about north-northeast of Barlo, and a Wellington at 02:12 approximately southeast of

Wanroij Wanroij is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the former municipality of Sint Anthonis, about 9 km west of the town of Boxmeer. Wanroij was a separate municipality until 1994, when it became part of Sint Anthon ...

. On 21/22 June 1943, Bomber command targeted Krefeld, losing 44 aircraft in the attack. That night, Meurer shot down two bombers, one from No. 83 Squadron and another from No. 77 Squadron. Meurer's aircraft was hit by defensive fire of his second opponent, forcing him to bail out. His first victory was a Lancaster shot down at 01:23 about west of Oeffelt, and a Halifax at 01:48 roughly southwest of

Wamel Wamel is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Gelderland. It is part of the West Maas en Waal municipality, about 3 km east of Tiel. Wamel was a separate municipality until 1984, when it merged with Appeltern and Dreumel. The new ...

. Flying a specialized Junkers Ju 88 with GM-1 power boost, Meurer was credited with his 50th aerial victory over

De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

IV ''DZ458'' from No. 139 Squadron on 27/28 July 1943.

''Gruppenkommandeur''

Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1972-004-32, Heinkel He 219 als Nachtjäger

On 2 August 1943, Meurer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (). The presentation was made by Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg, present-day Kętrzyn in Poland on 10/11 August. Five other Luftwaffe officers were presented with awards that day by Hitler, ''Hauptmann'' Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld, ''Hauptmann''

Heinrich Ehrler Heinrich Ehrler (14 September 1917 – 4 April 1945) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 208 enemy aircraft shot down in over 400 combat missions. The majority o ...

, ''Oberleutnant'' Joachim Kirschner, ''Hauptmann''

Werner Schröer Werner Schröer (12 February 1918 – 10 February 1985) was a German World War II fighter ace credited with shooting down 114 enemy aircraft. He served in the Luftwaffe from 1937, initially as a member of the ground staff, until the end of Worl ...

, ''Oberleutnant''

Theodor Weissenberger Theodor Weissenberger (21 December 1914 – 11 June 1950) was a German Luftwaffe military aviation, military aviator during World War II and a fighter ace credited with 208 enemy aircraft shot down in 375 combat missions. The majority of his v ...

were also awarded the Oak Leaves, and ''

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Helmut Lent Helmut Lent (13 June 1918 – 7 October 1944) was a German night-fighter ace in World War II. Lent shot down 110 aircraft, 102 of them at night.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see ''List of German World War II night fi ...

received the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. On 5 August 1943, Meurer was appointed ''

Gruppenkommandeur ''Gruppenkommandeur'' is a Luftwaffe position (not rank), that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. A ''Gruppenkommandeur'' usually has the rank of Major or ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant Colonel), and commands ...

'' (group commander) of II. ''Gruppe'' of ''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 5 (NJG 5—5th Night Fighter Wing), replacing ''Hauptmann''

Rudolf Schoenert Rudolf Schoenert (27 July 1911 – 30 November 1985) was the seventh highest scoring night fighter flying ace in the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Kni ...

who was transferred. On 23/24 August 1943, Meurer claimed a Lancaster at 00:58 over the eastern area of Berlin and a second Lancaster at 01:38 at Fürstenberg/Havel. On the last night of August 1943, he claimed a Stirling bomber destroyed at 01:00 on 1 September in a vicinity west-northwest of Berlin. He returned to NJG 1 on 28 September 1943 as ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of I. ''Gruppe''. He replaced ''Hauptmann''

Hans-Dieter Frank Hans-Dieter Frank (8 July 1919 – 28 September 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviation, military aviator during World War II, a night fighter fighter ace, ace credited with 55 aerial victories claimed in approximately 150 combat missions ...

who was killed in action. I. ''Gruppe'' flew the Heinkel He 219 and Meurer gained five victories flying this type. At 20:05 on 18/19 October 1943, he claimed a Lancaster for his 57th aerial victory at Erichshagen. Near Bühne and Haarbrück on the night of 22/23 October 1943, he claimed a Lancaster shot down at 21:20. At 20:15 on 3/4 November 1943, Meurer claimed a Halifax northeast of Tilburg.

Battle of Berlin and death

In November 1943, Bomber Command initiated the aerial bombing campaign on Berlin. During the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

(18 November 1943 – 31 March 1944), the RAF also targeted other German cities to prevent the concentration of defences. At the start of this campaign, Meurer with his I. ''Gruppe'' were based at Venlo Airfield. Meurer was credited with his 60th aerial victory on 12/13 December 1943 for a claim made at 19:25 over a Mosquito west of Zaltbommel. The Mosquito was ''DZ354'' from No. 105 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer Benjamin Frank Reynolds and Flying Officer John Douglass Phillips, both killed in action. On 16/17 December 1943, he claimed his 61st and 62nd victory. The 61st claim was made at 19:25 over an aircraft of unknown type and position. His 62nd claim was over a Lancaster at an unknown time and location. On the night of 21/22 January 1944, he collided with the Lancaster ''W4852'' LS-B, piloted by Flight Sergeant Robert Butler, roughly east of Magdeburg. His He 219 A-0 (''Werknummer'' 190070—factory number) "G9+BB" crashed and Meurer, his radar operator '' Oberfeldwebel'' Gerhard Scheibe, the first radio operator of the night fighter force to have received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and all seven members of the Lancaster crew, were killed in action. Meurer had been credited with 65 nocturnal victories, including 40 four-engined bombers and two Mosquitos, claimed in 130 combat missions. On 31 January 1944, Meurer was given a military funeral on the Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian

David T. Zabecki David T. Zabecki (born 1947) is an American military historian, author and editor. Zabecki served in the U.S. Army both in the Vietnam War and in United States Army Europe in Germany attaining the rank of major general. Zabecki holds PhDs in eng ...

, Meurer was credited with 65 aerial victories.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see '' List of German World War II night fighter aces'' Foreman, Mathews and Parry, authors of ''Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945'', researched the

German Federal Archives The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv (BArch) (german: Bundesarchiv) are the National Archives of Germany. They were established at the current location in Koblenz in 1952. They are subordinated to the Federal Commissioner for Culture and t ...

and found records for 65 nocturnal victory claims, numerically ranging from 1 to 61, 61, 65, 63 and 64. According to Bowman, Meurer shot down Mosquito IV ''DZ458'' from No. 139 Squadron on 27/28 July 1943. This claim is not documented by Foreman, Mathews and Parry. Mathews and Foreman also published ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', listing Meurer with 62 claims.

Awards

* Iron Cross (1939) ** 2nd Class (17 April 1942) ** 1st Class (19 December 1942) * Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (''Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'') on 15 March 1943 as ''

Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

'' and pilot * German Cross in Gold on 31 March 1943 as ''Oberleutnant'' in the 3./''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 1 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 16 April 1943 as ''Oberleutnant'' and '' Staffelkapitän'' of the 3./''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 1 ** 264th Oak Leaves on 2 August 1943 as '' Hauptmann'' and ''Staffelkapitän'' of the 3./''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 1

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meurer, Manfred 1919 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Hamburg Luftwaffe pilots German World War II flying aces German military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Burials at the Ohlsdorf Cemetery Reich Labour Service members Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany