very truthful words Martin. I have pointed this out in the past, but the German LW night fighter force lost more a/c during December 1944 than any other month of the war. due in large part that any non-ace was issued the edict "go out and make a nuisance of yourself on night ground attack missions" and this they did including several known aces.

Imagine what the Allies/Germans faced in the beginning phases of the Ardenne battles with low visibilities, frozen ice fog, snow, whiteouts on the ground and then the expectations of the order to go behind the lines aerially and bomb cross roads and supporting rail jcts. and look for anything that bore headlights and blast it off the roads ~ at night in hideous weather where most of the ground attack ops were flown within feet off the ground. Now wonder many Bf 110G-4 and Ju 88G crews never stood a chance trying to ID the enemy but many times their own troops, hit with AA from both sides or trying to level out and bank high to avoid the inevitable collisions with buildings and trees/hillsides. and if it wasn't bad enough night after night trying to find the area, getting back in the same lousy weather, find an airfield to land on before you run out of fuel or maybe worse expose yourself to an intruding Mossie night fighter when your eyes were pointed straight ahead trying to focus on getting home.

hard to imagine, as you said Martin our main focus has always been the great land battles of the time in December /January

E ~