Soldbuch 12/NJG1

It is about time for another Soldbuch presentation I think and this time it is one of a radio operator in a night fighter squadron that got shot in ground combat at the end of the war in Northern Germany.

Friedhelm Bleidiek (°1925) was a "Bordfunker" (radio operator) in a night fighter airplane, this was highly technological warfare in WW2 and training crew members for night fighters took a long time.
Uffz Anwarter Friedhelm Bleidiek for example spend after his basic training 14 months in various radio operators schools, followed by 7 months in pilot school before he was sent to an active night fighter squadron were he followed further training.
Finally in mid August 1944 he is assigned to a night fighter squadron with which he will fly his first night fighting operations.
He flew his operations with 12/NJG1 in Bf110 night fighters equipped with Lichtenstein radar systems.
His unit was one of the most successful night fighter units, at the time he joined them his Staffel operated from an airbase in Belgium, Sint Truiden; in September 1944 when most of Belgium was liberated they moved to an airbase in Dortmund.
It were busy times for 12/NJG1 that defended the Ruhr area against RAF bomber attacks, in October 1944 he is awarded the proficiency badge for radio operators (awarded after completing five missions), in February 1945 he is awarded an EKII, which makes me presume he flew at least in one mission that managed to shoot down a RAF bomber.
This late in the war the RAF was attacking the night fighters with their own specialized night fighter squadrons.
When in early April 1945 the Ruhr is occupied by the allies 12/NJG1 moves to Hunsum, an airbase in Northern Germany.
The end of Nazi Germany is near and even highly trained experts like Friedhelm Bleidiek are thrown in to combat to halt the allied advance, on April 6 1945 he returns all his specialist flight gear and is assigned to an unknown WH unit.
Ten days later he is admitted to a field hospital in Hagenau with a bullet wound, the wound must be serious because the last entry in his Soldbuch is in November 1945 and they still list him as being in need of medical attention.

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An image I found online of a Bf110 night fighter with a Lichtenstein radar system.

Very cool SB Peter. That for sharing and the great job of breathing life into them though your interpretations.

You show some very good examples of these. timothy

To spend two years educating a man on a piece of highly technical equipment, only to turn him into a rifle target where he gets shot in less than two weeks. What an amazing waste of time and resources.

nirvana said:

To spend two years educating a man on a piece of highly technical equipment, only to turn him into a rifle target where he gets shot in less than two weeks. What an amazing waste of time and resources.

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Yes indeed.

As always, great SB and post Peter, thanks. Was the Bf.110 a successful aircraft as a night fighter?

nirvana said:

To spend two years educating a man on a piece of highly technical equipment, only to turn him into a rifle target where he gets shot in less than two weeks. What an amazing waste of time and resources.

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A good example of how desperate Nazi Germany was in April 1945, the dead struggle of the Nazi regime did cost a lot of people their lives, this absolute unnecessary slaughter continued until the last day of the war.

Hambone said:

Was the Bf.110 a successful aircraft as a night fighter?

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Yes it was but not anymore in the period he started operational flights, they were often more the hunted then the hunter.
Nevertheless during the night of August 12/13, exactly on the day he arrived with his operational unit, they shot down 13 RAF bombers.