When They Killed Giants: The
Luftwaffe's Heavy Bomber Killers
Work in Progress
This book will be heavy with first person content from the Luftwaffe's four engine heavy bomber killers, experts at bringing down the B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-24 Liberators and Avro Lancaster bombers, from both the day and night fighter forces. Specific missions from the
Several of the Allied pilots who were interviewed and had relevant data related to this book are also included, from fighter and bomber pilots to bomber crews. They provide their perspectives on what it was like seeing bombers "fall like rain" as they tried to protect them on their long and lonely missions.
The following link is a collection of both wartime and CGI videos of the Luftwaffe bomber killers in action during World War II.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWQh80o2V-4&feature=related
Some of these stories of bomber combat are covered by the aces who flew the Me-262 jet, such as Georg-Peter Eder, Johannes Steinhoff, Hermann Buchner, Walter Schuck, Adolf Galland, Walter Krupinski, and many others. See their combat stories of flying the jet against the bombers in Me-262 Stormbird. We even have copies of Eder's Abschusse typed and signed from World War II, courtesy of Luftwaffe pilot Oblt. Kurt Schulze, who inherited them from our mutual friend Col. Raymond F. Toliver.
A few of the four engine giant killers interviewed for this very unique project were masters at the craft, and interviewed over the last three decades, although their total scores for victories are higher for all aircraft types. See their short bios in Photos and Friends section. We will also post a list of all the German aces and their victories as an Appendix
The Germans Interviewed*
Others Referenced in the Book
Georg-Peter Eder* Hermann Buchner* Walther Dahl*
36 bomber kills 8 bomber kills 30 Bomber kills
Anton Hackl* Rolf-Gunther Hermichen* Kurt Buhligen*
34 bomber kills 26 bomber kills 24 bomber kills
Werner Schroer* Alfred Grislawski* Adolf Glunz*
26 bomber kills 18 bomber kills 19 bomber kills
Haupt. Martin Becker* Haupt. Heinz Knoke* Obslt. Gunther Radusch*
58 (night) bomber kills 19 bomber kills 57 bomber (night) kills
Below: September 11, 1944. B-17's of the "Bloody Hundredth" attack a target at
Walter Loos* Willi Reschke* Hans-Joachim Jabs*
22 bomber kills 20 bomber kills 24 bomber (night) kills
The German Fighter Pilots' Badge
Herbert Rollwage Gustav Rodel* Herbert Ihlefeld*
44 bomber claims 12 bomber kills 15 bomber kills
Johannes Steinhoff* Oskar Romm* Egon Mayer
6 bomber kills 8 bomber kills 26 bomber kills
Walter Loos and Willi Reschke at the 1999 Reunion
The Me-163B Komet taking off
Baron von Munchausen riding his cannonball, the emblem of JG-400
Siegfried Schubert, who scored two B-17 kills in a single Komet mission. See his story, along with Komet pilot Rolf Glogner, and historians Barrett Tillman and Colin D. Heaton on the History Channel program "Dogfights: Secret Weapons"
Walter Matoni* Heinz Roekker* Helmut Lipfert*
14 bomber kills 64 bomber (63 night) kills 2 bomber kills
Above: Oberstleutnant Heinz Bar with one of his B-17 kills from the 91st Bomb Group in February 1944. This was a head on attack kill in his Fw-190. He shot out the left engines and took a lot of defensive fire. See the wing root damage from the 20mm shells.
Prince Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein Prince Heinrich zur Lippe-Weissenfeld
83 bombers (all night) 51 bombers (night kills)
Martin Drewes* Julius Meimberg*
52 kills, 43 at night 53 kills (4 bombers)
Julius Meimberg on October 12, 2002 with Colin Heaton and Jon Guttman at the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger Treffen
Gerhard Schopfel* Hajo Herrmann* Erich Rudorffer* 4 Bomber Kills 9 bomber kills at night 10 Bomber kills
(Wild Boar Missions)
Below: Replica flying FW-190A8 in Rudorffer's JG-54 markings
Above: Colin with Hajo Herrmann at his home in Dusseldorf 1998
Hajo interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-556xB18SHY
Hajo Herrmann tribute biography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BERpuAZ2iM
Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld was not only a great ace and bomber killer, he also had the distinction of being Hans-Joachim Marseille's first commanding officer in LG-2 on the Channel Coast in 1940.
The Wound Badge in Silver The Wound Badge in Gold
Colin with Gerhard Schopfel in 1999 during his interview for this project.
The German Cross in Gold
Lt.Col. Kneaz (Prince) Leonidas Damianov Maximciuc and Colin Heaton
Luftwaffe Air Combat Video Footage from WW II
and Modern Day Restored Flying Aircraft
A few of these are modern day videos of restored fighters. The rest is wartime footage, all related to our next book we are writing now. This new book in progress deals with the Luftwaffe men who specialized in shooting down Allied four engine bombers, and some were interviewed. Yes, Walter Schuck is also in this book, as is Joe Peterburs and the others!
Me-163B Komet Flies Again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-n_jvDBxB0&feature=related
Restored Me-262/Fw-190/Bf-109 flights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhOTB52hJKU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NffDYm-LKGU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfvQnlYB3IE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5znsPBksi2w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNY1ekm2_qU
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e81_1335372939
Fw-190 and Bf-109 gun camera footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aqJwHdMDK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kcgM_Wl9I8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3sgUL4qBk8&feature=related
Werner Seitz on the Fighters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0YLLBvIBFk
Ground Attack Fw-190s in WW II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajYPzOS5GCk&feature=related
Video link with Willi Reschke interview (in German)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83Czk2gzHSo
Video ink with Hajo Herrmann interviews (in German)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39UdC-g9npg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWQh80o2V-4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi_pjEdGTow&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxqg_ub3xAw&feature=related