The air situation in the Luftflotte 6 zone still permits the operation of all bomb-carrying units by day … Nachtschlachtgruppen too were committed with good results in daytime . Given the powerful impact of our airpower, the enemy is again carrying out his planned movements by night, especially his crossing of the Oder. Disruption and, as far possible, destiuction of these nocturnal movements is decisive … in warding off the imminent attempts to break through to Berlin … The Nachtschlacht formations of Lfl. 6 are insufficient for this task …

Lfl. 6 Chief of Staff (6 February 1945)

Luftflotte 6 orders of 1 and 4 February set out the 4. Fliegerdivision’s role as co-operation with the Ninth Army. Among the forces allocated to cover this sector (and, at the time, the sole Nachtschlacht unit) was NSGr. 8.

The Luftflotte's orders for the night of the13/14th included ‘Ju 87 night attack operations in accordance with existing guidelines, given satisfactory weather locally’. Two nights later, NSGr. 8 dispatched 21 Ju 87 sorties against vehicle traffic and crossing points over the Oder in the Lebus - Göritz area. Results were evaluated as ‘good placement of bombs, high enemy losses in men and material to be expected’, the customary form of words, substituting hope for any actual damage assessment. The Gruppe was apparently operating from Neuruppin since it was decided on the 15th, should a move from there become necessary, elements of it should transfer to either Gatow or Werder but next day it was recorded that it had gone to Fürstenwalde. A contingency plan for dispersal of units, put forward on 20 February, provided for NSGr. 8 to be split between Neuruppin and Gatow but a week later II. Flg.Kps. would identify the former—home to 303 aircraft—as one of three airfields close to the front and with intolerable occupancy levels (the others were Garz and Jüterbog-Damm).

Two Ju 87 D-5s were reported damaged during operations on 15 February (W.Nr. 141295 by 40% and 130522 by 25%) with both incidents attributed to human error. NSGr. 8’s recorded activity for the 16/17th was particularly intense: assisted by a Ju 88 target illuminator, 12 Ju 87s bombed the Göritz bridgehead and the two approach roads as well as a Flak emplacement to the south of Göritz itself. Between them they dropped 12 x AB 250 canisters, 48 x SD 70 fragmentation bombs and 4 x LC 50 flares but were unable to see any detailed effects. Also that night, the 1. Staffel mounted 45 sorties, supported by three Ju 88 illuminators, in ‘rolling attacks on the Küstrin-Landsberg road’, reporting some 20 vehicles set ablaze by bombs or strafing and ‘further fires observed’. An airfield near Vietz was attacked but without the attacking crews seeing any effects. Bombs and flares dropped consisted of 49 x AB 250, 17 x SD 70 and 9 x LC 50 and, as per the formula, high losses in men and material were be expected.

The Gruppe’s strength on 17 February was 27 (16) Ju 87 D-5s and 12 of them operated that night against the railway station at Landsberg with 12 x AB 250 and 48 x SD 70, causing a fire to the east of the target. Next day the unit’s move to Werneuchen was declared complete, so this was presumably the base from which 11 aircraft were dispatched that night against supply traffic east of the Oder, concentrating their efforts on the Sonnenburg–Schwerin road and claiming the destruction of two motor vehicles, an explosion and hits on a Flak position south of Küstrin. It appears that one Ju 87 did not attack (only 10 bomb-loads were dropped: 4 x AB 500, 6 x AB 250 and 40 SD 70) but that it returned safely since the unit’s strength was unchanged after this operation. The mission on the night of the 19/20th was directed against Soviet supply traffic in the Sternberg-Zielenzig area as well as attacks on Flak positions. One aircraft broke off its mission with technical problems but the remainder reported placing their bombs very accurately and that the anti-aircraft fire ceased as they left the target area. Although supposedly 40 Ju 87 sorties were flown, the given tally of munitions (12 x AB 500, 48 x SD 70) suggests that only 12 Ju 87s actually bombed.

It seems that some of the promised reinforcements arrived over the next few days as aircraft strength rose from 28 (15) on 20 February to 42 (24) on the 26th but even so 1 March Lfl. 6’s Chief Engineer was warning that spares for the Ju 87 were in short supply, notably tyres, airscrews, radiators, fuel tanks, control-surface parts and hydraulic cylinders for flaps. A single bomb fell on Werneuchen overnight on the 23rd/24th causing 75% damage to a Ju 87 D-5 (W.Nr. 130296) of NSGr. 8. For the night of 24/25 February just two Ju 87s from the 2. Staffel (out of 21 serviceable in the Gruppe) were up ‘road-hunting’ between Küstrin, Landsberg (where an anti-aircraft gun position was bombed), Friedeburg and Soldin. They dropped 1 x AB 250, 1 x SC 250 and 8 x SD 70.

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