from II.Sturm/JG 4 on the first two missions the Sturms took part in. thanks to friend Neil page for the translation. herr Chlond was a kind man, sadly passing away a couple of years ago. 5 kills to his credit.
Uffz Kurt Scherer 6 (Sturm)./JG4
"...The sky was full of aeroplanes as far as the eye could see. P-51s dived down onto our close formation but our escorts fought them off. We were getting closer and closer to the bomber stream . The first tracers came flying past my ears. From then on everything happened very quickly. Our formation curved down right into the middle of the bomber stream in a textbook ( schulmässig gerissene Kurve ) manoeuvre. We were flying now in the bomber formation with B-17s in front and behind us. The deadly explosive shells from the first attack formation ( Angriffskeil ) of our Sturmmaschinen drilled into the B-17s that were growing ever bigger. I was amazed at the size of these huge machines, far bigger than I had imagined. But the fate of the four engined bomber growing ever bigger in my gunsight would be decided by my 3 cm cannon...."
Uffz Herbert Chlond 5./JG4
".. My machine was not serviceable on the 11 September and as our Kommandeur , Obstlt von Kornatzki couldn't fly this mission ( for what reason I do not know ) I flew in his aircraft. Although I didn't know it , his plane was fitted with a gun camera. I shot down a B-17 and this kill was recorded, being filmed from the moment I pressed the firing button up to the point where the B-17's rudder and tail fin broke away . I however knew nothing of this until a couple of days later when the film was replayed ... I can still remember how von Kornatzki ordered us that following our first victories we should have the front of the cowling of our aircraft ( Flugzeugnasen ) painted red to put fear into the enemy crews.."
The following day, 12 September, saw another all out effort launched by the three Bomber Divisions of the 8th AF. As a result of the previous days action some fifty pilots of II/JG4 had landed back at airfields other than their own and the unit was ill prepared to meet another major incursion. It was to be a black day for II./JG4. von Kornatzki's machine, Fw 190A-8 'grüne 3' was seen to take hits from the B-17 he was attacking and dropping out of formation , he hit power lines whilst attempting a crash landing. The father of the Sturm idea was dead. His was a loss that was keenly felt by the young and inexperienced pilots to whom he had become a father figure ( Ersatzvater ) . The new Gruppenkommandeur was Major Gerhard Schroeder, formerly of KG51.