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Jagdgeschwader 300 (JG 300) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. JG 300 was formed on June 26, 1943 in Deelen as Stab/Versuchskommando Herrmann, from July 18, 1943 as Stab/JG Herrmann, and then finally redesignated on August 20, 1943 to Stab/JG 300. Its first ''Geschwaderkommodore'' was Oberstleutnant Hajo Herrmann. ==Genesis and ''Wilde Sau''== JG 300 had its origins in April 1943, when Major "Hajo" Herrmann, a decorated bomber pilot advocated the use of single-seat day fighters in a night fighting role to combat the Royal Air Force's (RAF) escalating Night Bomber Offensive. He suggested that single seat fighters could operate in the bombers' general target area using the light of target indicators, massed searchlights and the fires on the ground to spot their targets. These operations were trialed over Berlin during May and June 1943 and codenamed 'Wilde Sau'. Recruiting a group of experienced bomber pilots and former instructors with the requisite blind-flying experience, a test unit was set up on June 26, 1943 in Deelen as Stab/Versuchskommando Herrmann to test Herrmann's theory. Standard Fw 190-A's and Bf 109-G's were used, initially 'borrowed' from their parent day units, principally Jagdgeschwader 1 and Jagdgeschwader 11.〔'Eagle's Wings' Hajo Herrmann,1991〕 Jagdgeschwader 300 employed the Wilde Sau tactic in single engine fighters for the first time on the night of 3/4 July 1943 when 653 RAF aircraft attacked Cologne's industrial area on the east bank of the Rhine. The German fighters, taking advantage of the illumination from searchlights, target indicator flares and ground fires claimed 12 aircraft shot down, but had to share their claims with the anti-aircraft batteries who also claimed the downings. To avoid losses to friendly fire, anti-aircraft batteries were ordered to restrict the height of their flak barrage and the fighters operated above that pre-agreed ceiling.〔(RAF History – Bomber Command 60th Anniversary ), (Campaign Diary: July 1943 ). Accessed 21 July 2008〕 The test unit expanded into JG 300, its I. Gruppe officially formed on August 20, 1943. Sister units JG 301 and JG 302 were also formed on similar lines at this time, collectively brought together as 30. Jagd-Division under Herrmann's command. Special variants of the Bf 109 were later adapted for this night fighter duty; the Bf 109 G-6(N) and Bf 109 G-6(Y). The former was fitted with the FuG 350 "Naxos Z" passive homing detector and the latter with the "Y" interception radio system. Initially however these single seat fighters used no radar or radio aids whatsoever.〔'History of the German Night Fighter Force', G. Aders, 1979〕 Although 30. Jagd-Division was initially far from a fully established Jagdgeschwader the formation process was rapidly sped up with RAF Bomber Command deployment in July 1943 of 'Window'; radar-jamming tin-foil strips which had rendered the Luftwaffe radar control system ineffective. JG 300 and its sister units were the only real interim counter measure while Luftwaffe radar research technology strove to overcome this jamming.〔 JG 300's night operations met with considerable success initially. Its first formal defensive operation on 27/28 July 1943 saw the unit claim four of the 17 bombers downed that night for one loss.〔'The Other Battle'; Hinchcliffe, page 157〕 Some 13 (out of a ''Nachtjagd'' total of 56 claimed) bombers were claimed shot down by JG 300 on the night of 24 August,〔'Luftwaffe night fighter combat claims, 1939-1945' ; J.Foreman, S.W. Parry page 106〕 while a further 12 were claimed downed on 27–28 August. 10 (from a total of 47) were claimed 1 September, and another 18 on 5–6 September.〔'Luftwaffe night fighter combat claims, 1939-1945' ; J.Foreman, S.W. Parry page 110〕 However, the number of night accidents involving single-seat fighters caused by poor weather conditions in the winter of 1943 led to unsustainable losses in pilots and aircraft. Thus by the end of 1943 JG 300 fielded 3 Fw 190 A-6 (Stab), 14 Bf 109 G-6 (I Gruppe), 4 Fw 190 A-6 (II Gruppe) and 1 Bf 109 G-6 (III Gruppe).〔Aders〕 On 1 January 1944 parts of the I./JG 300 was detached and used to form 1./Nachtjagdgruppe 10. By early 1944 the Nachtjagdgeschwaders has been equipped with the advanced and "window-proof" Lichtenstein SN-2 VHF airborne radar, and thus JG 300 gradually evolved into a standard day fighter unit, flying operations against the USAAF 8th and 15th Air Forces over Western Europe as a part of Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich).〔 Night operations were still sometimes flown, as on the 24/25 March 1944, when I. and II./JG 300 claimed 7 RAF bombers of one loss. By this time Oblt. Klaus Bretschneider of 5./JG 300 had, as a “Wilde Sau” night fighter, claimed 14 night victories during 20 combats〔 By May 1944, JG 300 at last had numbers approaching a full establishment of aircraft, with I./JG 300 having 42 (14 operative) Bf 109 G-6 at Bonn Hangelar; II./JG 300 stationed at Dortmund with 25 (13) Fw 190 A-6 and III./ JG 300 with 46 (25 operative) Bf 109 G-6 at Wiesbaden/Erbenheim. Major Walther Dahl was appointed Kommodore of JG 300 on 27 June.〔http://www.luftwaffe.cz/dahl.html〕 JG 300 lost several of its top aces in the summer of 1944. On 28 July 1944, Oblt. Ernst-Erich Hirschfeld (24 claims, 9 at night) of 5. JG 300 was shot down and killed in his Fw 190 A-8 near Erfurt, as was Leut. Gerhard Bärsdorf (7 claims) who collided with his wing man. On 29 July 1944, ''Oberfeldwebel'' Hermann Wischnewski (26 claims) of I./JG 300 shot down two B-17 bombers and a P-51 fighter but then shot down himself and badly injured. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jagdgeschwader 300」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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