During this day, 3 March 1945, 33 aircraft from III./JG 3 were airborne. Their missions for the day were fighter-sweeps in the airspace over Pytitz and providing escort for fighter-bombers, as well as conducting low-level attacks against enemy convoys in the Freienwalde area.

During the Gruppe's first mission of the morning a pilot from the 9. Staffel claimed a Yak-9 shot down. They also conducted two low-level attacks on an airfield near Pytitz, effectively destroyed fourteen Russian P-39 Airacobras stationed there.

One of the claims filed during that attack was made by Fw. Kurt-Hermann Claussen for his fourth confirmed victory. During this day's fighting III./JG 3 did not report any losses.

Kurt-Hermann Claussen was an accomplished pilot. After receiving his pilot's badge, he was assigned to 7./JG 103 as a flying instructor. During that period he nevertheless managed to shoot down two B-17s.

After posting to JG 3 on 19 February he claimed a Soviet bomber, and on 11 March two Il-2 Sturmoviks for his 5th and 6th victories, his last of the war.

On 13 April he flew his last combat mission, volunteering for a suicide mission with Einsatzstab Freiheit Sondereinsatz (Operations Staff "Freedom" Special Mission). This desperate mission required pilots to sacrifice themselves by crashing their bomb-laden planes into the bridges over the Oder River.

This was an all-out effort to stop the Red Army advance toward the capital Berlin. However, while taxiing his Bf 109 K-4 'Black Chevron 1' prior to take-off the aircraft's landing gear sank into a filled-in waterlogged bomb crater. This effectively ended his mission and thus ensured Fw. Kurt-Hermann Claussen would survive the war.

This is a typical Mtt. GmbH-produced K-4 from the 332xxx production block camouflaged in RLM 75 and RLM 81 (dark green version). The sub-contracted tail assembly was painted a basecoat of RLM 75 followed with large hard-edge patches of dark green (variant of RLM 81?) applied with a stencil.

No unit crests or personal insignia are present except for the name "Marlie" painted in small white script under the cockpit, presumably that of his spouse or female companion.

This profile and caption is included in my new Profile Book No 16 as Profile no 101.