US Army’s servicemen inspecting a Ju 87D (“Dora”) likely of the Luftwaffe’s NSGr 9, Nachtschlachtgruppe 9, (Night Harassment Group) crashed somewhere in Northern Italy during the last days of the war, late April 1945. On 23 April 1945 the NSGr 9, based at Villafranca (Verona), reported 21 sorties with Ju 87 and FW 190 against Allied troops in the Viadana-Modena-Mirandola area, Emilia-Romagna, and on 27 April 1945 some planes (five FW 190 and 13 Ju 87 according some sources) attempted to retreat in Austria. Victor Sierra

End of a “night harasser” 

Two German soldiers inspect an crash landed Messerschmitt Bf.109 (Messerschmitt Bf.109E-3, serial number 703) from the 2. (J) / LG 2 NCO Friedrich Möller near Liege(Belgium).The plane made an emergency landing May 10, 1940 due to running out of fuel, returning from a mission. The degree of damage on the German fighter classification was 23%. 
 June 3, 1940 the aircraft was evacuated to the plant in Earl Leypitsige and passed overhaul, after which it was given to the II. / JG 51 (Group 2, the 51th Fighter Squadron) and went on combat missions and testing by Hauptmann Josef Fez.

Bf.109

The crew of a “Dora” (Ju 87D) of the Luftwaffe’s Nachtschlachtgruppe 9 (NSGr 9) somewhere in Italy. The NSGr 9 replaced his Italian-built biplane Fiat CR.42LW with the Stukas, all Ju 87D, from 2 June 1944 at beginning with 17 aircraft, 14 of them came from the Eastern Front. The main role of the NSGr 9’s “Doras” was night harassment missions against Allied troops, artilleries and vehicles deployed in front the Gothic Line. The three Staffeln of the Gruppe, 1 Staffel, 2 Staffel, 3 Staffel, had on the average five aircraft each and, after the arrival of the Stukas, from January 1945 received some FW 190 in configuration close air support. The unit’s main bases was Turin-Caselle (with a detachment at Viterbo), Foiano (Tuscany), Forlì (Romagna, Cavriago (near Reggio Emilia), Piacenza, Bovolone (near Verona) Villafranca (Verona) and Ghedi (near Brescia), all in Northern Italy. From August 1944 to May 1945 the Gruppekommandeure was the August Frost, August 1944-15 December 1944 and the Obstlt Dipl.Ing. Karl Vehmeyer, 14 December 1944-8 May 1945. Ghedi, from April to May 1945, was the last Italian base of the NSGr 9 which during the last days of the war moved in Austria, to Toblach/Schluderns, where was got by the Germany’s surrender. One of the last missions was carried out from Bovolone on the night of 22-23 April 1945 when the Gruppe flew near thirty sorties against Allied targets in the Bologna sector. One the aircraft, of the 2./NSG 9, crew two NCO, Artur Heiland and Werner Lotsch, took-off from Bovolone at 9.30 pm and raided, after 70 minutes of flight, target over the Via Emilia encountering the reaction of AA fire. Another crew (Messerschmidt and Hettling) flew four sorties in the same night, two with the Ju 87D-5 code E8+AK and two with D-3 code E8+LK. The crew Heiland e Lotsch, aircraft D-5 code E8+BK, started again another sortie, from 01.30 am to 02.30 am, dropping incendiary bombs over targets near Bologna. Late in the evening of 23 April 1945 the aircraft E8+BK took-off from Bovolone, last mission from this airfield, raided American troops which passed through the Po river at San Benedetto Po, near Mantua, and landed, at 9.45 pm, at Vicenza where took off, at 05.15 am of 24 April, to Thiene (Vicenza). Victor Sierra