did not prevent their charges for suffering heavy losses to long-range fighters and Allied return fire. Defence of the Reich, disbandment ZG 1, ZG 26 and ZG 76 joined the RLV in the autumn, 1943. The resurrection of the Zerstörergeschwader was ordered because the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe still believed the destructive power of the Bf 110 and Me 410 would prove decisive against unescorted American heavy bombers. II./ZG 1 was placed in Austria, the prime operating area of the US Fifteenth Air Force. III./ZG 1 was renamed II./ZG 26, but then immediately refounded in France and joined I./ZG 1 flying maritime operations. III./ZG 1, under the command of Major Karl Boehm-Tettlebach, operated Me 410s armed with the Werfer-Granate 21 air-to-air mortar. On 10 October 1943 III./ZG 1 went into action, leading III./ZG 26, as the Eighth Air Force attacked Münster. The 2. Jagddivision moved north to provide north as part of a 350-fighter strong intercept force. ZG 1 attacked the 14th Bombardment Wing, 3rd Bombardment Division, already shattered by single-engine fighter units. The Zerstörer pilots attacked from the rear while Bf 109 and Fw 190 units attacked head-on. As it appeared the leading element was to be annihilated, the US 56th Fighter Group appeared and broke up the assault. The German units destroyed 30 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, one P-47 Thunderbolt, losing 25 fighters and 12 airmen. Nine of those losses were Zerstörer. It was clear to the Luftwaffe that these aircraft had to be shielded from US escorts. Four days later was the Second Raid on Schweinfurt. The 3. Jagddivision was overwhelmed and so every Zerstörer unit in Germany and Austria was ordered to help. Seven Zerstörer gruppen filed claims (11 nachtjagdgruppen also claimed). The Eighth lost 60 bombers, with another seven scrapped. The RLV lost 38 fighters. II./ZG 1 remained in Austria, the sole representative of the wing in the RLV uppon the renaming of III./ZG 1. By early 1944 it shared Fels-am-Wagram airbase with JG 27. Operations continued into 1944. On 7 January II./ZG 1 attempted to intercept the US Fifteenth's attack on Wiener Neustadt and lost one aircraft to the US 14th Fighter Group without success. On 24 February the Eighth began a three-stage attack on Gotha, Schweinfurt and Rostock. The Fifteenth sent the 5th Bombardment Wing to Steyr. The lack of fighters caused the staff to provide fighters for the withdrawal phase only. II./ZG 1