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Contemporary WW2 history routinely extolled British ground radar as major high-tech arsenal which defeated Luftwaffe 1940-1941 air offensive against English Isles in famed Battle of Britain. However, WW2 Germany had world's most sophisticated radar network interlinking air - ground - naval installations ranging from north-south Norway to France & east-west from Holland to Baltic Sea. Interestingly, network's naval aspect was series of radar picket ships (such as Nachtjagdleitschiff "Togo" with Würzburg radar) in Baltic Sea to cover blind-spots in northern sector, thus prevent any surprised Soviet air/naval assault. This was similar tactic employed by US Navy during April 1945 invasion of Okinawa-Japan, by which radar picket destroyers were positioned to cover northern air approaches to forestall Japanese aerial kamikaze attacks. Nachtjagdleitschiff "Togo" - www.gyges.dk/Togo.htm
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Map above shows western European long-range & intermediate range ground radar as British and American bombers ran gauntlet of "round the clock" daytime & night-time bombing of Axis military - industrial - urban targets from 1942-1945. Initially in early-1940, Germans had neither organized night-fighting formations, nor specialized aircraft / crew training, thus all night-fighting were undertaken via ad-hoc basis (in other words, solely on combat initiative of the pilot or squadron). Of 3.6 million German civilians killed in WW2, about 600,000 deaths resulted from Allied bombing campaigns. Strategic bombing during World War II - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_bombing_of_Germany#US Bombing Europe
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Himmelbett Zones | Mid-1940 saw formation of NJG1 with Bf-110 Zerstörer (destroyer) twin-engine heavy fighter conversion into night fighter operations, based in Ziese-Holland (in optimal interception area to RAF bombers flying in/out of British Isles). Nevertheless, night interceptions of RAF bomber streams were sporadic until Oct 1940 establishment of 30-square mile Himmelbett zones (also called Kammhuber Line named after Josef Kammhuber : Night Air Division #1 commander). Himmelbett (literally meant 4 corner posts supporting the bed canopy) zones were series of demarcated air sectors by which long-range Würzburg + short range Freya ground radar stations, along with search light / sound detector batteries radio-assisted night fighter pilots to vectored interception points. Himmelbett - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himmelbett
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 Related Model and History : Dornier Do-217 bomber | Murmansk Allied Convoy Interdiction 1943 - UweMilitaria.org/3-Aerial/MurmanskJadger/index.html
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Rollover : Photo clip of Do-217 J-2 on German airdrome (flat grassy airfields common to military airbases and civilian airfields throughout 1930s and 1940s). During Do-217 development in 1941, Werneuchen flight test center recommended aircraft be equipped with Spanner Infrared targeting system and 8 "Schrage Musik" oblique firing cannons (abit of gunnery overkill since usually 3 cannon shots can bring down a bomber). Two versions were produced : Do-217 J-1 equipped with Spanner Infrared, Do-217 J-2 equipped with 2.5-mile range Lichtenstein radar (but weight of radar 3 display tubes and its aerials created drag that reduced airspeed by almost 25 mph). Nevertheless, German technicians continued its radar/radio upgrades with AI radar, FuG X, FuG 16, FuG 25, Pfeil G V, FuB 1.1 and FuG 101. J-series production began in March 1942 with first delivery to 4./NJG1 squadron in same month. Pauke, Pauke! Do 17-217 - www.baermann.biz/pauke/index.php?itemid=59
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Close-up on FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C radar aerials, 4@MG17 heavy machine guns on top, 4@MG151 cannons on bottom, rear slots for shell ejection chutes.
A point in modeling radar aerials as one discovered later on was to use clothing pins, paper stables, and nylon paint brush bristles to mimic proper 1.72nd scale of radar apparatus.
The German Radar | Airborne and Ground Radar | FortuneCity.com
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Do-217 J-1 with BMW 801 radial engines & FuG 212 radar array, note letter "A" painted on nose denoting individual plane code.
Despite its fighter conversion, Do-217 J-series was much criticized by Luftwaffe pilots. Plane was simply too sluggish to handle in tight aerial maneuvers (an absolute prerequisite since night engagements were executed within 500 yards or less, thus fear of aerial collision and avoiding enemy defensive fire was paramount).
Another demerit was its internal bomb bays were converted to carry extra fuel for long-range interceptions, but extra weight exacerbated flight handling problems. With weight circa 29,000 pounds, it was heaviest Luftwaffe aircraft produced.
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 Banking Do-217 J-2 with DB605 in-line engines and all black camouflage underside, symbol of Nachtjagdgeschwader (night fighter squadron) on right.
On 12 May 1942, RLM Technisches Amt at Rechlin, decided to close-out Do-217 production line due to heavy Luftwaffe pilot criticism.
Rechlin-Lärz Airfield | Wiki Also, Feldmarschall Erhard Milch : Luftwaffe General Staff head, ordered all Do-217 be withdrawn from night fighter service as quickly as possible. Bomber conversions to night fighters would shift to Junkers Ju-88C-6 airframe. Junkers Ju 88 | Wiki BTW, Rechlin in Pomerania-Germany was a top WW2 Luftwaffe flight test center. Famed aircrafts such as Me-262, Me-163, etc. were tested at that site. Luftfahrttechnischen Museum Rechlin | LTMR.de Rechlin/Lärz Luftfahrt Museum | Claranet.de |
Nachtjadger's main nemesis was British RAF bomber command, led by Authur Harris (nicknamed Bomber Harris), which bombed military, logistic, and civilian targets throughout WW2.
Authur Harris | Wiki
Color plates show main 4-engine RAF bombers used in long-range night bombing raids:
(Top) Lancaster B1 "JO-Z" No.463 squadron, bomber was shotdown in 25/26 Apr 1945 during RAF night raid on Vallo oil refinery in Norway
Avro Lancaster | Wiki
(Middle) Stirling 1 Srs 2 "OJ-B" No.149 squadron, circa 1942
Short Stirling | Wiki
(bottom) Halifax 1 Srs 1 "MP-L" No.76 Squadron, circa 1941
Handley Page Halifax | Wiki
Harsh truth was that British RAF also executed civilian terror bombing raids as Germans did in WW2. Policy derived from British doctrine of "Area Bombing" since they lacked pinpoint precision night bombing equipment, along with belief that high civilian casualties would undermine German morale and force them to sue for peace (unspoken rule was also vengeance for British civilian casualties from German 1940-1941 bombings). Most notorious terror bombings was 1943 Hamburg raid (circa 60,000 dead) and 1945 Dresden raid (circa 90,000 dead).
Bombing of Hamburg in World War II | Wiki
Bombing of Dresden in World War II | Wiki US Army Airforce followed doctrine of "Precision Bombing", hence operated in daytime raids, generally avoiding civilian terror raids. Nevertheless, American aircrews did participate with British RAF for infamous 1945 Dresden Raid, along with series of terror raids against Japan home islands (such as March 1945 Tokyo firebombing raid which killed circa 130,000 civilians).
Bombing of Tokyo | Wiki
As for "Bomber Harris", in postwar years his own British compatriots assailed against him for mass civilian casualties from his bombing campaigns, adding derision that it betrayed British morale & chivalry. Some went as far as re-nicknaming him "Bloody Harris" (British insult associating with reign of English Catholic Queen Mary I... aka Bloody Mary). Harris, the man himself, was unapologetic, unrepentant, and proclaimed despite the consequences "bombing proved a relatively humane method" to end the war.
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 Evolution of Do-17 airframe into night fighter conversion.
(top) Do-17 Z-2 "5K+FD" Stab III Gruppe KG3 bomber wing (III/KG3), East Prussia 1939 during outbreak of WW2.
East Prussia | Wiki
East Prussia was conquered by Soviets in 1945, majority regions given to Poland, while Russians kept regional capitol Konigsberg (since it was only ice-free port Baltic Sea they had direct control). Even after breakup of 1991 Soviet Union, Russians retained control of this isolated port city (its city limits now surrounded by Poland and Lithuania).
Königsberg | Wiki Battle of Königsberg 1945 | Wiki (middle) Do-17Z-10 Kauz "R4+LK" I/NJG2 squadron Oct 1940 based in Gilze-Rijen/Holland for night intruder missions over English Isles. Gilze-Rijen Air Base | Wiki
(bottom) Do-216B-5 Kauz III "R4+DC" Stab II/NJG 2 squadron, Summer 1942, Leeuwarden-Holland. This was the aircraft flown by Helmut Lent during its combat testing, note forward-firing MG FF cannons in nose and underneath ventral sections.
Leeuwarden | Wiki Helmut Lent | Wiki
Lent would go on to become one of Germany top Nachtjadger Experten (night fighter ace), with 100 night aerial kills, earning him coveted highest grade German Knight Cross award : Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds in July 1944. He was killed in flight accident when his Ju-88 crashed on landing south of Paderborn, central Germany.
Knight's Cross | Wiki
Paderborn | Wiki
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 Complementing Do-217 night fighter force were variety purpose-built night fighters (such as He-219 and Ta-154) and fighter/bomber conversions. Heinkel He 219 | Wiki Focke-Wulf Ta 154 | Wiki
(top) Junkers Ju-88G-7a "2Z+AW" IV/NJG6 squadron with Lichenstein radar, circa 1944-45. Large black mask on tailfin edge attempted to hide this variant by resembling Ju-88c version. Junkers Ju 88 | Wiki
Ju-88 was also a bomber conversion to night fighter as Do-217 and became main bomber conversion adopted throughout WW2. (bottom) Messerschimtt Bf-110G-4 "3C+BR" 7./NJG4 squadron with Lichenstein radar aerials, northwest Germany circa 1943-1944. Messerschmitt Bf 110 | Wiki
This was conversion of twin-engine heavy fighter originally developed for long-range bomber escort during Battle of Britain, but they proved to be just as vulnerable to enemy fighters as bombers they intended to protect. Thus they were converted to light bombers and dickeAuto Jadgers (fat car hunters)...German slang for 4-engine American bombers. A Bf-110G did gain WW2 fame when it wandered into Swiss airspace and was forced to land at Dudendorf airdrome, near Zurich. 28 Apr 1944 Bf-110G Switzerland Incident | UweM |
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