NIGHT FIGHTERS in the Battle of the Bulge

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOS FROM THE 422 SQUADRON'S PILOTS AND CREWS

- WARREN E. THOMPSON

The Battle of the Bulge was the final German offensive campaign on the Western Front in World War II. Hitler’s orders were to split the Allied Forces and halt Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp, and so the action was slated for the densely forested Ardennes region of Belgium. The Germans began their assault on December 16, 1944 with over 400,000 troops, together with 1,400 tanks and other military assets. By January 25, 1945, when the attacks were finally subdued, close to 85,000 Germans were dead and the Allies had lost nearly 20,000 lives during the actions. These staggering final figures show that the Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought in World War II, and the second deadliest campaign in American history!

The campaign launched at the onset of winter, with brutal weather that severely limited tactical reconnaissance. This, combined with Allied overconfidence, gave the Germans the opportunity to build up a significant force to begin the campaign. It was the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron (442nd NFS) that took on the Luftwaffe at night over the Bulge. They scored a total of 17 kills and one enemy plane damaged. It was their stint during this short period that put the total kills at 43 enemy aircraft, making the 442nd the top fighters after dark.

“All Hell Broke Loose”

In early September 1944, the 422nd NFS had just moved their P-61A Black Widows from the air base in Chateaudun, France to the new airbase at Florennes, Belgium (known as A-78), which had recently been captured from the Germans. By early in November, winter weather had started to build up, and on the night of November 26, all hell broke loose. On this particular night, P-61A