7/8 July 1944
Oblt. Fritz E. Krause: 1./NJGr.10 Mosquito W. Kyritz, 65 km. N.W. Berlin: 7.800 m. 01.55 692 Sqn Mosquito MM147
Fritz Krause's action report for 8 July 1944. He was airborne from Berlin Werneuchen at 00:40 hours, flying a radar-equipped Fw 190 A-6.
"...I was flying over Berlin when I saw a twin-engined aircraft caught in the searchlights; it was heading in a westerly direction. I was then at 8,500 metres altitude. I closed in on the aircraft until I was 700 metres above its level, opened the throttle wide and dived. I came in too low and opened fire from approximately 200 metres beneath and astern the enemy at 01:48 and kept firing as I closed in. Almost instantly my first salvo hit the starboard engine which erupted in a burst of sparks before trailing a thick plume of vapour.
As I had over-shot, I had to break off the attack immediately and found myself on the right, alongside the enemy aircraft whose cockpit and external fuel tanks I saw clearly, and so was able to identify it without doubt as a Mosquito.
I fired off recognition signal flares to draw the attention of the flak and the searchlights to my presence. The enemy 'corkscrewed' in a series of desperate evasive manouevres. Because of the thick white 'fog' of vapour I was able to follow him, although he had already left the searchlight zone in a north-westerly direction.
Following the trail, I managed to attack twice more. On my third pass, I saw a further explosion on the right wing and an even stronger rain of sparks. At 2,000 metres he disappeared, turning at a flat gliding angle under my own machine. I did not see the impact on the ground as this was hidden from my angle of view.
On my return flight, passing Lake Koppeln, I was able to estimate the crash-point as lying some 60-70 kilometres northwest of Berlin. When I returned to base a report had already reached them about the crash of a burning enemy aircraft at 01:55 hours at EE-25 to the west of Kuerytz. My own machine was covered in oil from the damaged Mosquito. I was flying 'white 11' which was a 'Porcupine' equipped with the Neptun J radar and a long-range fuel tank for night-hunting against Mosquitos. One of the crew of the Mosquito, Flight Lieutenant E.V. Saunders, DFC, baled out and was taken prisoner. Three days later, at 01:20 hours on 11 July, 1944, I myself had to parachute to safety over Berlin, shot down by the Berlin flak!..."
