Nachtjagdgeschwader 3

Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3) was a Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 3 was formed on 29 September 1941 in Stade from Stab./Zerstörergeschwader 26. Pilots of NJG 3 claimed approximately 820 aerial victories by day and night.^[1]

Nachtjagdgeschwader 3
Active	1941 – 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	Luftwaffe
Type	Night Fighter
Role	Air superiority
Size	Air Force Wing
Engagements	World War II
Insignia
Identification symbol	Geschwaderkennung of L1 (inherited from LG 1), later D5

Commanding officers

Geschwaderkommodore

• Major Johann Schalk, 29 March 1941 – 1 August 1943^[2]
• Oberst Helmut Lent, 1 August 1943 – 7 October 1944^[2]
• Oberst Günther Radusch, 12 November 1944 – 8 May 1945^[2]

Gruppenkommandeur

Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 from 9./NJG 3

I. Gruppe

• Hauptmann Günther Radusch, 7 October 1940 – 2 October 1941^[2]
• Hauptmann Hans-Dietrich Knoetzsch, 3 October 1941 – 30 September 1942^[2]
• Major Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld, 1 October 1942 – 31 May 1943^[2]
• Hauptmann Erhard Peters, 1 June 1943 – 14 August 1943^[2]
• Hauptmann Walter Mylius, 15 August 1943 – 13 December 1943^[2]
• Hauptmann Paul Szameitat, 14 December 1943 – 2 January 1944^[2]
• Major Werner Husemann, 4 January 1944 – 8 May 1945^[2]

II. Gruppe

• Hauptmann Günther Radusch, 3 October 1941 – 1 August 1943^[2]
• Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, 15 August 1943 – November 1943^[2]
• Hauptmann Paul Szameitat, December 1943 – 14 December 1943^[2]
• Major Klaus Havenstein, 15 December 1943 – September 1944^[2]
• Hauptmann Hüschens, September 1944 – February 1945^[2]

III. Gruppe

• Oberstleutnant Heinz Nacke, 1 November 1941 – 21 April 1943^[2]
• Hauptmann Walter Mylius, 22 April 1943 – 14 August 1943^[2]
• Hauptmann Rudolf Sigmund, 15 August 1943 – 4 October 1943^[2]
• Major Walter Barthe, 15 October 1943 – 8 May 1945^[2]

IV. Gruppe

• Major Erich Simon, 1 November 1942 – 7 October 1943^[2]
• Hauptmann Albert Schulz, 8 October 1943 – January 1944^[2]
• Hauptmann Franz Buschmann, January 1944 – July 1944^[2]
• Hauptmann Heinz Ferger, July 1944 – November 1944^[2]
• Major Berthold Ney, November 1944 – 4 March 1945^[2]
• Hauptmann Freidrich Tober, 5 March 1945 – 8 May 1945^[2]

Surviving aircraft

A Bf 110 G-4, formerly of NJG 3, at the RAF Museum in London.

Ju 88 R-1, Werk Nr. 360043, RAF Museum (2008), formerly of NJG 3

Two aircraft that served with NJG 3 are displayed together at the Royal Air Force Museum London, one of the two sites of the Royal Air Force Museum. These are Messerschmitt Bf 110 G Werk Nr. 730301, which was surrendered to the British at the end of the war in 1945, and Junkers Ju 88 R-1, Werk Nr. 360043,^[3] which came into British hands in 1943. Both aircraft are almost unique - each is one of only two intact survivors of their type.