Gerhard Ferdinand Otto Raht (6 June 1920 – 11 January 1977) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 58 aerial victories claimed in 171 combat missions making him the tenth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare. All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front in Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Bomber Command.
Born in Reinfeld, Schleswig-Holstein, Raht grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Following graduation from school, he joined the military service in 1939 and was trained as a pilot. In early-1941, he transferred to Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) where he became a night fighter pilot and claimed his first aerial victory on the night of 26/27 July 1942. In Oktober 1943, Raht was appointed Staffelkapitän. Following his 34th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 June 1944 and was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe (1st group) of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 (NJG 2—2nd Night Fighter Wing). He claimed his last five aerial victories on 15/16 March 1945 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 15 April 1945.
Raht, who later served as a Hauptmann der Reserve (captain of the reserves) in the German Air Force, died on 11 January 1977 in Reinfeld, Schleswig-Holstein.
Early life and career Gerhard Raht was born on 6 June 1920 in Reinfeld, Schleswig-Holstein near Bad Oldesloe, in Weimar Germany. He was born into a family of carpenters who ran a furniture making business. After attending school and passing his Abitur (School Leaving Certificate) he opted to join the Luftwaffe as a Fahnenjunker (Officer candidate) on 1 October 1939, one month after the German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which began World War II in Europe. On the 1 February 1941, as an officer candidate, he advanced to the rank of Leutnant. In early 1942 he was assigned to 4. Staffel (Squadron) of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3—Night Fighter Wing 3).
World War II
Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign. By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.
NJG 3 was initially based at Stade, defending northern Germany. On 3 April 1942 Raht was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class () for his service. It is not clear whether Raht had claimed any aerial successes prior to the award. 4./NJG 3 received credit for the destruction of three bombers on the night of the 1/2 April 1942, between 00:20 and 01:28. The names of the claiming crews are not listed and the type of enemy aircraft and location is also omitted from German records.
Raht's first official victory was recorded on the night of the 26/27 July 1942 when he shot down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Handley Page Halifax southwest of Pellworm at 01:019. This night, Air Marshal Arthur Harris, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) RAF Bomber Command sent a force of 181 Vickers Wellingtons, 77 Avro Lancaster, 73 Halifax, 39 Short Stirling and 33 Handley Page Hampdens against Hamburg, in one of the first raids against the city, before Operation Gomorrah, exactly a year later. By the date of this first victory, Raht had transferred to 5. Staffel. Raht's second victory occurred on 17 January 1943 when he claimed a Lancaster over Hademarschen at 21:59. The victory was recorded with 4. Staffel, indicating he had returned to his original unit. Raht was promoted to Oberleutnant on 1 February 1943.
Ruhr and Baltic The night war escalated dramatically in 1943. Harris felt that Bomber Command has amassed sufficient resources to attack and destroy the Ruhr where large concentrations of German war industry was located, and particularly the steel producing centres of Germany. Harris had 53 squadrons available, of which 17 were medium bomber units. Harris also had pathfinder units equipped with H2S radar which mapped the terrain and could penetrate through haze and smoke for greater bombing accuracy. Bomber Command also utilised "window" to confound German ground radar in July. The attacks were dubbed the Battle of the Ruhr (March–July 1943). Raht and NJG 3 were heavily involved in countering Bomber Command's operations.
On the night of 10/11 March 1943, Raht claimed his third victory. At 22:12 south of Middelfart, Denmark. This victory report suggests Raht had once again returned to 5. Staffel. He was also the only German night fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe to claim a victory this night. Bomber Command reported the loss of two Lancasters on mine-laying operations this night. The bomber was identified as Lancaster I ED305, KM-S, No. 44 Squadron RAF crashed into Lille Bælt. Pilot Sergeant Brian T. C. Smith, Flight Engineer Sergeant Gordon R. Black RCAF, navigator Flying Officer Robert H. Carr, Bombardier Sergeant Charles H. D. Cook, wireless operator Geoffrey S. Love, air gunners Sergeant Charles V. Brown and Alfred Healey were killed in action. On 13 March Raht was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class () and appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./NJG 3.
On 30 March at 00:50, over Welmbüttel, Raht shot down a Halifax. Raht became a night fighter ace on 21/22 June when he claimed a Stirling west of Antwerp, Belgium, at 01:32. His victim was claimed out of a 705-strong force that bombed Krefeld. 262 Lancaster, 209 Halifax, 117 Stirling, 105 Wellington bombers, supported by 12 de Havilland Mosquitos took part. Bomber Command lost 44; 17 Halifax and exactly nine each of the Lancaster, Stirling, and Wellington types were lost. On the night of 29/30 July 1943 Raht achieved his most successful night to date, downing four bombers. Over Hanover at 23:10 and southeast Heide at 00:23 he claimed an unidentified heavy bomber and a Lancaster to increase his personal telly to 8. Hovering in the same sector he downed a Halifax southeast of Heide at 00:40 and then northeast of the town that Raht caught and shot down another Halifax at 00:52 for his 10th victory. One of the bombers was No. 158 Squadron RAF Halifax II, JD277 NP-G. Flying Officer A. H. Boyle survived but pilot Flight Sergeant N. R. McDonald and five others were killed. The other may have been Halifax II JB956, KN-O of No. 77 Squadron RAF flown by Flight Sergeant George Henry Sutton. All eight men were killed on their 11th operation. Raht was flying a Dornier Do 217 on this operation.
On 17/18 August 1943, Harris ordered Operation Hydra, a series of attacks against the Peenemünde Army Research Center producing V-weapons. Raht scrambled to intercept but only caught one Lancaster with his radar operator east of Flensburg at 02:57. Raht spotted the bomber caught in searchlights and fired off an identification flare to force the anti-aircraft batteries to cease-fire against the bomber. Raht swiftly dispatched the bomber, identified as ED725 PM-P. It belonged to No. 103 Squadron RAF and P. J. O'Donnell and his crew were killed. On 23/24 August Raht claimed his 12th victory southeast of Thomsdorf at 00:58. Raht did not score a victory again until 27/28 September 1943, when he accounted for a Lancaster over Hanover. The report lists Raht as belonging to 4./NJG 3 at this time. Raht claimed his 14th victory northeast of Stendal. The report described the enemy aircraft as a four engine bomber but did not specify the type. The 15th claim was filed that same night, when he reported a Lancaster shot down over Haguenau.
Berlin and North Sea On 18 November 1943 Harris began his Berlin offensive. Stab./NJG 3 under Helmut Lent was based at Stade, I./NJG 3 under Hauptmann Walter Milius, based at Vechta, II./NJG 3 under Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld, at Schleswig, III./NJG 3 under Major Bart, also at Stade, and IV./NJG 3 under Major Simon at Grove, prepared to meet the offensive. II./NJG 3, to which Raht's most recent unit, 4. Staffel, belonged was equipped with an assortment of Junkers Ju 88C, Messerschmitt Bf 110G and Dornier Do 217 night fighters.
Raht's 16th and first success in the defence of Berlin occurred in the early evening of the 1 December 1943, when he claimed a Stirling shot down over the Frisian Islands at 15:54. It was one of only two claims submitted by a German night fighter pilot on this night. The other was reported shot down by a Feldwebel Wielding north of Aschaffenburg at 21:15. Bomber Command sent 19 Stirling and 12 Halifax aircraft to the Frisians and to the east coast of Denmark on mine-laying operations. Two Stirlings were reported missing. Stirling III EH880 of No. 75 Squadron RAF, piloted by Warrant Officer G. J. S. Kerr was one of the missing aircraft. All the crew perished when it crashed after reaching base. It hit a house at the end of the airfield and five children were killed. Stirling III, EF191, WP-H, of No. 90 Squadron RAF also crashed near Esbjerg in Denmark. Sergeant J. L. Blackwood, E. Draper, J. H. Flack, Warrant Officer J. E. Nixon, Flight Sergeant C. E. Quickfall, Sergeants H. E. Steele and R. G. Whitmarsh were killed.
On 28/29 January 1944 Raht scrambled with 4. Staffel and shot down a Halifax and Lancaster at 02:34 and 02:37. The location of these successes are not recorded. Seventeen days later he accounted for victory number 19 northeast of "Hallersleben" (possibly Fallersleben) at 20:03. On this date, Raht was awarded the German Cross in Gold (). Raht reached the 20-mark on 24/25 February 1944 when he shot down a heavy bomber at 22:02 between Metz and Baden-Baden.
Bomber Command switched their effort to Augsburg on 25/26 February 1944. Harris committed 594 bombers, including 461 Lancasters and 123 Halifax bombers supported by 10 Mosquitos. South of Augsburg he accounted for his 21st victory at 22:43. On 15/16 March Raht gained a 22nd victory on 23:12 southwest of Stuttgart. On the night of the 22/23 March Raht achieved two victories at 21:28 near Hanover and two north and northwest of Frankfurt at 21:48 and 21:54 to reach 25. Raht scored again at 22:14, his fourth bomber of the night. North of Berlin scored again on 24/25 March at 22:28 as the Berlin offensive came to an end.
On the night of the 30/31 March 1944, Bomber Command suffered heavy losses on a raid to Nüremberg. The British dispatched 795 aircraft, including 572 Lancasters, 214 Halifaxes and nine Mosquitos. A further 49 Halifax aircraft were sent on minelaying operations in the Heligoland area, 13 Mosquito night fighters were sent to German night-fighter airfields, 34 Mosquitos flew on diversions to Aachen, Cologne and Kassel. 95 bombers were lost: 64 Lancasters and 31 Halifaxes which amounted to 11.9 per cent of the force. It was the largest Bomber Command loss of the war. Some German night fighter pilots scored heavily this night but Hauptmann Raht accounted for just a single claim—a Lancaster—southwest of Bonn at 00:26.
Pointblank and Normandy