Wilde Sau

Mismanagement by the Luftwaffe leadership led to stagnant production of much needed aircraft, and indecision regarding aerial doctrine worsened the situation.

RAF Bomber Command began to use a new form of "Window" (or chaff), aluminium strips sized to jam the Lichtenstein B/C radar when dropped.

His proposal, which he had tested in trials secretly, was picked up and expanded by Viktor von Loßberg, by prepared reports from his staff group.

The single-engined fighters were to supplement the ground controlled Himmelbett (four-poster bed) technique, by co-operation with searchlight crews, mostly over the target.

[8][7] After the fighters had reached the combat zone, pilots tried to identify and intercept enemy bombers visually; searchlights were to be used to illuminate the sky.

[7] The week-long Battle of Hamburg in July 1943 proved disastrous for the Luftwaffe, when the first use of Window by Bomber Command knocked out the Himmelbett radar defence system.

[10][11] On the night of 3/4 July 1943, 653 Bomber Command aircraft attacked Cologne and the Wilde Sau squadrons took part in the defense of the city.

During the bombing raids on Berlin (a deception attack) and Operation Hydra on the Peenemünde research facilities on the night of 17/18 August, 64 bombers were shot down.

Those battles also saw the first operational implementation of Schräge Musik, which was two fuselage-mounted autocannon of at least 20 mm calibre, which allowed German Nachtjagdflieger night fighter pilots to shoot upwards from their aircraft.

[14][15] The success continued and the new tactics were improved while German night fighters were able to inflict many losses on the British during the next period in fall to winter 1943.

The dual use of day fighters for Wilde Sau night-fighter operations amplified this effect and the resulting erratic maintenance schedules led to serviceability rates dropping drastically.

With the onset of poorer weather in the autumn of 1943, wastage through accidents and icing soared and German pilots could not implement Wilde Sau as effectively as before.