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Second World War
Part of Defence of the Reich
A Handley Page Halifax HX332 of No. 10 Squadron RAF burned out in a Yorkshire field. It was one of 34 aircraft damaged or destroyed by Gisela.
Date 3/4 March 1945 Location England, North Sea and northern Germany Result No German advantage gained
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Casualties and losses
24 aircraft destroyed 10 aircraft damaged	22 aircraft destroyed 10 aircraft damaged

Unternehmen Gisela (Operation or Gisela) was the codename for a German military operation of the Second World War. Gisela was designed as an intruder operation to support the German air defence system in its night battles with RAF Bomber Command during the Defence of the Reich campaign. It was the last major operation launched by the Luftwaffe Nachtjagdgeschwader (Night Fighter Wings) during the conflict.

By March 1945 the Luftwaffe had lost air superiority over all fronts. Western Allied Air Forces held air supremacy over the German Reich and remaining German-occupied territory. German industrial cities were now subjected to intensive bombardment which inflicted enormous damage on the German war effort. The United States Army Air Forces attacked by day, while RAF Bomber Command operated by night.

Allied armies had also reached the pre-war German territorial borders and now occupied some German towns and cities. In the West the defeat in Normandy and the Allied advance across Western Europe had significant consequences for the Luftwaffe's ability to defend Germany from British night attacks. The Kammhuber Line—German air defence system—which had extended through occupied France, Belgium and the Netherlands was now broken and much of its early warning network had been lost. Along with the battlefield reverses was the inability of the Luftwaffe to produce enough experienced night fighter crews who required longer training programs than day pilots. The crippling shortages of fuel at this stage in the war contributed to the collapse of training programs and combat unit effectiveness.

In a desperate attempt to improve the situation and hamper British operations, a number of experienced night fighter pilots had suggested restarting intruder operations over England. In 1940–1941, German night fighters, lacking airborne radar sets and a means to locate them over Germany, had flown to British bomber bases and attempted to destroy RAF bombers as they returned from their missions. Adolf Hitler had ordered a cessation of these activities for propaganda and practical reasons but these operations had met with reasonable success in 1941 and it was felt they may do so again. Hermann Göring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe sanctioned the operation which took place on the night of the 3–4 March 1945. The operation failed to achieve the results hoped for. The results achieved were not sufficiently commensurate with the losses sustained.

Background

Intruder history

German air doctrine had seen little need for the development of an nocturnal night air defence system. Luftwaffe doctrine concentrated on the offensive use of air power. After the Wehrmacht had overrun much of Western Europe in April—June 1940 there appeared little interest in this form of fighting. However, the failure of the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain ended hopes for an early victory and forced the continuance of hostilities with the British Empire. Faced with German domination of the continent, the only weapon the British could use to exert military pressure on Germany was RAF Bomber Command.

Bomber Command had been forced to operate at night since December 1939 and the Battle of the Heligoland Bight when debilitating losses in daylight forced the RAF to abandon operations. The British soon turned to bombing by night. By July 1940 these raids, though inaccurate and wholly ineffective, were causing embarrassment to the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe and the second most powerful man in Germany, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. Göring once boasted "You may call me Meyer" if enemy bombers ever flew over Germany. In July 1940 he directed a new force by set up to combat the raids. He appointed a respected and experienced pilot, Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) Wolfgang Falck to develop the new organisation and consequently Falck founded Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (Night Fighter Wing 1). Within a year four more Geschwader (Wings) were founded; Nachtjagdgeschwader 2, NJG 3, and ], were in existence by April 1941. Lacking specialised night fighter aircraft existing types such as the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter and modified variants of the Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber and Dornier Do 17 light bomber were used in the role.

The Germans quickly developed a series of basic tactics for intercepting enemy intruders. The lack of airborne radar at this stage in the war meant finding and destroying Allied bombers at night was a difficult prospect.

Strategic situation

The Plan

Forces involved

British

German

The operation

Aftermath

References

1. Parry 2004, pp. 194-198.
2. Parry 2004, pp. 199-201.

• Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917-1918. Janes Publishing, London. ISBN 0-354-01247-9
• Balss, Michael (1999). Deutsche Nachtjagd: Materialverluste in Ausbildung un Einsatz, Ergänzungen zu Personalverlusten in Ausbildung und Einsatz. VDM Heinz Nickel, Zweibrücken. ISBN 3-925-480-3-6
• Parry, Simon (2003). Intruders over Britain: The Luftwaffe Night Fighter Offensive 1940 to 1945. Air Research Publications, England. ISBN 1871187168.
• Nauroth, Holger and Held, Werner (1982). The defence of the Reich: Hitler's nightfighter planes and pilots. Arms and Armour. London. ISBN 978-0-85368-414-5
• Hooton, E.R. (1994). Phoenix Triumphant: The Rise and Rise of the Luftwaffe. Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 1-86019-964-X
• Hooton, E.R.. (2010). The Luftwaffe: A Study in Air Power, 1933-1945. Classic Publications, London. ISBN 978-1-906537-18-0

• Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving Germany
• Battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
• Battles of World War II involving Germany
• World War II aerial operations and battles of the Western European Theatre
• Military operations of World War II involving Germany