by Gordon Raddock Klaus Bretschneider was born on 4 May 1920 at Berlin-Stieglitz. He was posted to 5./JG 300 in July 1943. He obtained his first victory on the night of 5/6 September 1943. By April 1944, he had, as a “Wilde Sau” night fighter flying single-engined interceptors, achieved 14 night victories during 20 combat actions. On 19 July 1944, Bretschneider was appointed Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 300. With II./JG300 becoming the second Sturmgruppe during the summer of 1944, Bretschneider enjoyed similar successes intercepting USAAF four-engined bombers. His best day came on 7 October 1944 when he attacked a group of B-17s. He downed two bombers in one attack and rammed a third. Jean-Yves Lorant presents new eye witness accounts of this incident in his 'Bataille dans le Ciel d'Allemagne' (a two volume history of JG 300 published by Docavia) which provide conclusive evidence that Bretschneider did not bail out following the collision. In fact he was able to nurse his damaged machine in for a wheels-down landing. (Note that most accounts - probably based on Karl Rusack's memoir - report that Bretschneider had to bail out after this action and was later found hanging in his parachute from a tree, on the edge of an 8 metre deep ravine! Hopefully this myth is now corrected). On 18 November 1944 he received the Ritterkreuz for 31 victories. On 24 December 1944, Bretschneider was killed when the Gefechtsverband he was leading was bounced by US fighters sweeping ahead of a large formation of bombers in the area of Kassel. Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8/R8 (W.Nr. 682 204) “Red 1” was hit by a 357th FG Mustang over Hausen, near Oberaula in Hessen and crashed. Klaus Bretschneider had shot down at least 34 enemy aircraft, 14 of them at night. Included in his 20+ day-victories were 17 four-engined heavy bombers. His loss was keenly felt in II./JG 300. Ernst Schroeder has reported that the 'Red 1' Staffel number was never assigned again in II./JG 300 as a mark of respect. Klaus Bretschneider seated on the cockpit canopy of his FW 190 A-8/R8 'Red 1' with his mechanic Obgr.Schmidt. Note the victory stick with 21 marks carved into it.

No	Date	Time	A/c Type	Unit	Location / comments
1.	5/6.9.1943	-	Viermot	5./JG 300
2.	22.9.1943	-	Lancaster	5./JG 300
3.	23.9.1943	-	Viermot	5./JG 300
4.	3.10.1943	-	Halifax	5./JG 300
5.	4.10.1943	-	Lancaster	5./JG 300
6.	16.12.1943	-	Lancaster	5./JG 300
7.	29.12.1943	-	Viermot	5./JG 300
8.	29.1.1944	-	Viermot	5./JG 300
9.	18.3.1944	-	Viermot	6./JG 300
10.	25.3.1944	0:27	Viermot	6./JG 300	N Krefeld, 5000m
11.	25.3.1944	0:41	Viermot	6./JG 300	N Krefeld, 4500m
12.	31.3.1944	0:35	Viermot	6./JG 300	Stuttgart area
13.	23.4.1944	-	Viermot	5./JG 300
14.	23.4.1944	-	Viermot	5./JG 300
15.	20.6.1944	-	B-17	5./JG 300
16.	21.6.1944	-	P-51	5./JG 300
17.	26.6.1944	9:37	B-24	Stab II./JG 300	Tulln area, 6000m
-	26.6.1944	9:42	B-24 e.V.	Stab II./JG 300	Tulln area, 6000m
18.	7.7.1944	9:35	B-24	Stab JG 300	Calbe / Magdeburg area, 6000m
19.	18.7.1944	10:46	P-51	Stab JG 300	Füssen area, 7000m
20.	19.7.1944	11:35	P-38	Stab JG 300	S München, 5500m
21.	20.7.1944	11:10	B-17	5./JG 300	Zwickau area, 6500m
22.	27.7.1944	9:57	B-24	5./JG 300	Székesfehervar, 7200m
23.	6.8.1944	12:19	B-17	5./JG 300	SW Berlin,8700m
24.	22.8.1944	10:05	B-24	5./JG 300	Nagykanisza Mura, 7500m
25.	24.8.1944	12:48	B-24 HSS	5./JG 300	Jindrichuv Hradec area
26.	11.9.1944	12:35	B-24	5./JG 300	Salzgitter, 1500m
27.	12.9.1944	11:31	B-17	5./JG 300	Eberswalde, 8000m
28.	12.9.1944	11:33	B-17 HSS	5./JG 300	Eberswalde, 8000m
29.	27.9.1944	10:52	P-51	5./JG 300	S Eisenach, 7000m
30.	28.9.1944	12:53	B-17	5./JG 300	Hildesheim, 8500m
31.	7.10.1944	12:05	B-17	5./JG 300	Artern area
32.	7.10.1944	12:06	B-17 HSS	5./JG 300	Artern area
33.	7.10.1944	12:07	B-17	5./JG 300	Artern area / rammed
34.	17.12.1944	11:55	B-24	5./JG 300	Prossnitz area

Victories : 34
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (1944)
                Ritterkreuz (18 November 1944)
Units : JG 300