Back to Start      Die Zeit des Grossen Mordens II./JG 300           Walther Dahl JG 300        

We are pleased to present here some specially commissioned artworks drawn for this site by Thierry Dekker. Thierry's work has been widely published in France. Reproduced here in 1:32 scale (and not shrunk to fit). A sample of Thierry's 1:24 scale artwork here

Pimpf was  the Fw 190 A-8/R8 of 19 year old 'youngster' Matthäus Erhardt, one of the youngest pilots of 5./JG 300 and Bretschneider's wingman. Credited with seven victories including five heavy bombers. The red rear fuselage band on this aircraft was Rot Braun 45, red oxide primer. Here the II Gruppe Rot 23 bar is missing. Also the upper cowl MG 131 guns are removed and the gun-troughs faired over. Erhardt was shot down in this aircraft on 14 January 1945 after himself shooting down a B-17. He baled out but was badly wounded.   

Konrad Bauer; "... Each of us knew that at some point it would be our turn next. It was a rule that no-one spoke about dying and we drowned our fears in drink. Bretschneider had changed in the weeks prior to his death, it was'nt just me who thought so. The look in his eyes, his speech fragmentary and broken, showed his exhaustion.."

Rudi Zwesken , " .. on the 24th December 1944 we were flying in our battle formation towards Magdeburg at around 4000 metres altitude above a solid layer of cloud. Bretschneider had brought us in behind the bombers in the usual fashion when suddenly our machines were rocked by huge blasts as the bursts ( Explosionspilz ) of exploding 8.8 shells from our own flak engulfed us. Bretschneider's machine was caught in one, I saw it myself...then the Mustangs arrived. I reckon about a quarter of the Gruppe were shot down before we could reach cloud cover .".

P372 & P380 Henning & Bethke, Jagdgeschwader JG 300 Wilde Sau

Ltn Klaus Bretschneider's 'unblinkered' Sturmbock, Rauhbautz VII, a Fw 190 A-8/R8, WNr 682204. 5./JG 300 at 24 years old, a fearless and aggressive fighter pilot, he led II./JG 300 in the air through the autumn of 1944. Previously a successful night fighter during II./JG 300's initial employment as a 'Wilde Sau' unit he had shot down 14 British bombers in just 20 sorties. His success continued through some of the hardest air battles of the war. He shot down three B-17 Fortresses on October 7. The third of these was apparently rammed, Bretschneider safely baling out. Awarded Ritterkreuz 18 November 1944. Shot down and killed 24 December 1944. His brother Hans, a Stuka pilot, had lost his life over Malta in 1942.