In early 1944, Josef Stalin personally instructed the Soviet strategic bomber fleet, the ADD, to initiate a concentrated night bomber offensive against the Finnish capital of Helsinki. The intention was to exert pressure on Finland's government to break its ties with Germany.

When the bombings were opened by two hundred ADD aircraft on the night of February 6/7, Hitler grew greatly concerned. The Luftwaffe was instructed to immediately dispatch the radar ship Togo plus fifteen single-engine Bf 109 night fighters of I./JG 302, which was based at Helsinki-Malmi Airdrome from 13 February 1944.

When 420 Soviet bombers were sent out against Helsinki on the night of February 16/17, the Bf 109 fighters intercepted and claimed two shot down. During the third raid, in which more than six hundred Il-4s, B-25s, Li-2s and TB-3s participated, I./JG 302 brought down four VVS aircraf.

In recognition for these feats, six I./JG 302 pilots, including Oberfeldwebel Dieter Rusche, were awarded with the Finnish Aviator's Award. Through a combination of the night fighters' psychological impact and a highly effective Finnish antiaircraft system, the raids against Helsinki failed to cause any considerable damage.

Instead, the ADD was able to carry out a successful attack against the Estonian capital of Tallinn on the night of March 9/10, wrecking more than half the city's houses and killing more than one thousand people. However, during the ADD's effort against Tallinn on the night of March 22/23, the German defense was alert. Together with AAA artullery, twin-engine fighters of 4./NJG 100 and 1./NJG 200, and possibly also the Bf 109s of I./JG 302, filed a total of twenty-three victory claims during this operation.

Finally on 15 May 1944, I./JG 302 was transferred to Hungary, where Oberfeldwebel Dieter Rusche's first aerial victory was recorded by him on June 9, 1944 when he managed to damage a Liberator so severely that it was forced to leave its combat formation. Three minutes later, in his next attack, he destroyed another Liberator near Regensburg. During the month of July, he knocked down another three Liberators over Hungary and Austria.

Obfw. Dieter Rushe would file his 7th and final abschuss, a B-24 during the USAAF Miesburg Raid on 26 November 1944.

This profile was originally published in 2002 in my second profile book Published by Schiffer "More Luftwaffe Fighters in Color Profile 1939-1945" as profile No 98. It was during the week refined to my latest standard and would be included profile book No 18.