Wilhelm Johnen Wilhelm Johnen ( 9 October 1921 – 7 February 2002 ) was a highly decorated German night fighter pilot in World War II . Johnen is credited with 34 aerial victories claimed in 160 nocturnal and 22 day time combat missions . Career . Johnen was born on 9 October 1921 in Homberg . In June 1941 Leutnant Johnen was posted to 3 . / NJG 1 . He gained his first victory on 26 / 27 March 1942 when , with " Bordfunker " " Gefreiter " Risop , he claimed Wellington bomber X3589 ' KO - F ' of No . 115 Squadron , RAF . He then attacked a Short Stirling but his Bf 110 D - 3 was hit by return fire , killing his Risop and wounding Johnen in the left leg . Johnen baled out and spent a sometime in hospital for burns and his wounded leg . By October , 3 . / NJG 1 was redesignated 1 . / NJG 5 and then in December again redesignated , this time to 5 . / NJG 5 . Lt . Johnen claimed seven victories during 1943 . In January 1944 he added seven victories , including three Lancaster bombers on 27 / 28 January . He downed a further three Lancasters on 15 / 16 February . In March 1944 Johnen was made " Staffelkapitän " of 6 . / NJG 5 . On the night of 27 / 28 April , Johnen shot down a Lancaster four - engine bomber near Strasbourg in eastern France . He and his crew ( " Oberfeldwebel " Mahle and " Leutnant " Kamprath ) then made contact with another Lancaster over Lake Constance . Johnen attacked the Lancaster but his Bf 110 G - 4 rwas badly hit and damaged , setting the port engine alight . Johnen was obliged to land the crippled Bf 110 at the Swiss airfield at Zürich - Dubendorf . Johnen and his crew were interned and repatriated some days later , parallel to much political manoeuvering , as Johnen ' s almost new Bf 110 G - 4 ( WNr . 740055 ) was equipped with the latest SN - 2b airborne intercept radar , ' Lichtenstein ' C - 1 and oblique 20 mm cannon armament . Its landing intact in neutral territory was of major concern to the Germans , who wished details of its equipment to remain secret . In a deal between the German and Swiss authorities it was arranged that the Bf 110 would be destroyed , and in return the Swiss would be sold a number of Bf 109 - Gs . The Bf 110 was duly destroyed on the night of 19 May 1944 and its crew repatriated . Johnen was appointed " Staffelkapitän " of 8 . / NJG 6 in May 1944 and based in Hungary . In two months , Johnen added 11 victories , including four Soviet - flown Mitchell B - 25 bombers . Oberleutnant Johnen was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross in July for 33 victories . In autumn 1944 , Johnen was appointed " Gruppenkommandeur " of III . / NJG 6 , serving until the end of the war . On 15 / 16 March 1945 scored his last kill , a Lancaster over Wurzburg . Johnen was credited with 34 victories in over 200 missions . All his victories were recorded at night . Included in his victory total are 24 four - engine bombers . Post - war , Johnen attended university and gained an Engineering degree . In 1952 he worked with Professor Willy Messerschmitt before taking up construction engineering , successfully running his own business . He also wrote his biography , " " Duel under the Stars " " , one of the first English language books about the Luftwaffe . Johnen died on 7 February 2002 .