The German Kamakazis

[Ian Warren]

[Naki]

No comments yet! will add mine...nice compostion there Ian

[Ian Warren]

Thanks Paul ... I did hear of a group and research it found only a few hardened high end ranks approved it , but none actually few them but the new kids ... the boy racers of 1945 ... to me it seems crazy the Germans even planned an attack of this type ...... logic : attack and use guns then when no option then attack , these groups striped the gun ammo replaced with a little more armour then go for it ......

[hasegawa]

German Kamikazes ... not really... but there was something like this...

In March 1945 there was a circular made from the OKL to all fighter groups in Germany. Around 600 pilots have signed in for the mission. In one of the pilot´s memoirs is a copy of this circular.

"Sonderkommando Elbe" was the name of this special group, build up with often enough very young pilots of JG 3, 6, 300, 301 and other units. There was only one flight, but a lot of the aircraft not reached the american formations because of technical problems with the used aircraft, in the main older Variants of the Bf 109G, like the G-6. Most of the Equipment and weapons are removed, only one of the MG 132 remaind. On the 7. April 1945 was the only operation of that group. They are flown from Stendal, Burg, and other "Einsatz-Häfen" of the Luftwaffe. One of the pilots hit two aircraft... B-24´s. He flew his Bf 109 in one from the left side and hit the cockpit of the Bomber , and the crippled fighter crashed after this in another Bomber. The pilot bailed out wounded from his aircraft and survived. A lot of his comrades are not so lucky at this day. From the pilots (120-150, variying sources) only 4 survived. The complete result of this operation is not recognised... Some sources talking of around 40 atempts to ramm and maybe 15 losses of bombers.

[Ian Warren]

Thanks Andreas , they did not consider themselves as Kamakazis , more the idea to crash and survive and to put the thought of a guided aircraft to ram for such an attack , limited writings here , most from the Luftwaffen data book 'Luftwaffe War Diaries' by Mike Spick , i like to dig up more on this group .

[hasegawa]

Well, the "Sturmgruppen" like the IV/JG 3 "Udet" mostly with Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8/R7 or R8 are with thick armour. They are called "Rammbock" (battering ram?) this is the typical aircraft to ram bombers and bail out after this. The "Kommando Elbe" was different. Here the Slogan was "a sortie, from wich your chance to come back is nearly 0" So it was said in the circular.

[Splitpin]

Desperate times Ive read bits and pieces about it. The book "i flew for the fuhrer " by Heinz Knoke mentions it . He (Knoke) said , at the start they would shoot at the aircraft structure , and hope to see chutes.....but as it progressed they were , when they could, firing into the cockpit area , and later thoughts of ramming.