Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 ( NJG 4 ) was a Luftwaffe night fighter - wing of World War II . Formation . NJG 2 was formed on 18 April 1941 in Metz . I " gruppe " was formed in September 1942 in Florennes from parts of Stab I . / NJG 3 and Stab III . / NJG 4 flying a mix of the Bf 110 , Do 217 , and Ju 88 . In April 1943 2 . / NJG 4 became 12 . / NJG 5 , and a new 2 . / NJG 4 was formed from I . / NJG 4 . II . / NJG 4 was formed in April 1942 in Laupheim from elememnts of 5 . / ZG 26 On 1 January 1943 6 . / NJG 4 became 11 . / NJG 4 , and a new 6 . / NJG4 was formed from II . / NJG4 . On 30 March 1945 , Stab II . , 5 . and 6 . / NJG 4 was disbanded . III . " gruppe " was formed In May 1942 at Mainz - Finthen from elements of NJG 1 . In January 1943 8 . / NJG 4 became 10 . / NJG 4 , and a new 8 . / NJG 4 was formed from III . / NJG 4 . On 30 March 1945 , Stab III . , 8 . and 9 . / NJG 4 was disbanded . IV . " gruppe " was formed in January 1942 at Mainz - Finthen from elements of NJG 4 . On 1 August 1943 IV . / NJG 4 was redesignated I . / NJG 6 . Operations . From its inception to the final days of the war , NJG 4 ' s wartime operations were almost excluseivly targeted towards countering the increasing threat posed by RAF Bomber Command ' s strategic night - bombing offensive . In May 1942 , Lt . Ludwig Meister was transferred to III . / NJG 4 based at Mainz / Finthen from NJG 1 . He would become one of the highest scoring aces of NJG4 , claiming 36 ( of 39 ) victories while with NJG 4 . On the night of 28 / 29 August 1942 , Lt . Meister claimed three victories : a Wellington over Eich , a Stirling four - engined bomber over Airlenbach and another Wellington bomber over Simmern . Lt . Meister transferred to I . / NJG 4 based at Laon / Athies in October 1942 to become Gruppe Adjutant to Hauptman Wilhelm Herget the newly appointed " Gruppenkommandeur " . On 2 January 1944 , ObLt . Meister shot down four RAF Lancaster bombers . " Experte " Hpt . Helmut Bergmann was transferred to 6 . / NJG 4 in May 1944 and on 9 June 1944 received the Ritterkreuz for achieving 30 victories . Bergmann and his crew , were shot down and killed in their Bf 110G - 4 on the night of 6 / 7 August 1944 by a Mosquito of No . 604 Squadron RAF . Heinz Schnaufer was appointed " Geschwaderkommodore " of NJG 4 on 4 November 1944 ; the youngest Geschwaderkommodore in the Luftwaffe , at age 22 . On 21 February 1945 NJG 4 were to score heavily . Operating from Gutersloh in the space of 20 minutes Major Heinz Schnaufer and his crew , using their upward firing cannons , shot down seven Lancasters . On the night four night fighter crews accounted for 28 of the 62 bombers lost out of the 800 despatched . Units of NJG 4 ( along with those of NJG 2 ) participated in Operation Gisela - a mass night - fighter intruder operation over England . Approximately 200 night fighters followed the RAF bomber forces to the UK . The Germans shot down 20 bombers while 3 of the German fighters crashed . NJG 4 were earmarked to continue these intruder operations over the UK as a part of Operation Adelheid through early 1945 . However , before any more such intruder operations could be carried out , NJG 4 was ordered to halt intruder operations on 12 March 1945 .