major Heinz Wolfgang Schnaufer (middle) with his radio/radar operator lieutenant Rumpelhardt (left) and tail gunner Staff Sergeant Wilhelm Gänsler (right). 

Night Crew

100th mission

Heinkel He.111 of the Luftwaffe’s II./KG26, from January 1941 based in Sicily, at Comiso, in flight over the Mediterranean likely for a mission against Malta. Notice the large 1,000 kg SC 1000 “Herman” bomb beneath the fuselage. The II Gruppe of the Kampfgeschwader 26 was one of the German Air Force’s X Fliegerkorps (Tenth Air Corps) units deployed in Sicily on January 1941 whom took on the place of the Italian Regia Aeronautica’s forces reduced to a bomber Stormo (30th Stormo) and two fighter groups because the commitment in the war against the Greece. At beginning the X Fliegerkorps forces was four Gruppen (plus a Stab) of bombers (Ju 88A and He 111H), at Catania and Comiso, a recce Staffel (Ju 88D-1), at Catania, a Zerstörer Gruppe (Bf 110D-3) at Palermo, and two Stuka Gruppen plus a Stab (Ju 87R-1) at Trapani, soon after reinforced by Jagd Gruppe (Bf 109E-7) and a Nachtjad Gruppe (Bf 110E-3), both at Gela. Victor Sierra