bomber and a North American P-51 Mustang escort fighter over the combat area west and south of Verden an der Aller. On 8 April, the USAAF sent 664 heavy bombers to the aircraft factories near Braunschweig and the Luftwaffe airfields in northwestern Germany, among them airfields at Oldenburg, Quakenbrück, Achmer, Rheine and Twente in the Netherlands. The bombers were escorted by 780 fighter aircraft. The Luftwaffe countered this attack of 497 fighter aircraft. At 13:05, IV. Gruppe took off from Salzwedel and intercepted the bombers at 14:00 northwest of Braunschweig. During this encounter, Wessling claimed a B-17 bomber and a B-24 bomber shot down. The next day, the USAAF Eighth Air Force attacked the German aircraft industry and airfields at Marienburg, present-day Malbork, Tutow, Posen, present-day Poznań, Warnemünde and Rostock. The Luftwaffe intercepted the bombers near Rügen over the Baltic Sea. That day, Wessling claimed a B-24 bomber shot down. On 11 April, the USAAF attacked the German aircraft industry in Oschersleben, Bernburg, Sorau, Cottbus and Arnimswalde, present-day Goleniów, with 917 heavy bombers escorted by 819 fighter aircraft. The Gruppe was scrambled at 10:05 with the order to unite with other Luftwaffe units of the 1. Jagd Division (1st Fighter Division) and 3. Jagd Division (3rd Fighter Division) over the Brocken. Between 10:00 and 10:30, the Luftwaffe fighters intercepted the USAAF bombers between Braunschweig and Halberstadt. During this aerial battle, Wessling claimed two bombers shot down. Following this mission, the Luftwaffe fighters were refueled and rearmed and were scrambled a second time at 12:40. The returning bombers were intercepted south of Rostock. During this combat mission, Wessling was credited with a B-17 bomber shot down, his 80th aerial victory in total. Two days later, the USAAF Eighth Air Force attacked the ball-bearing factories of Schweinfurt, the Messerschmitt factory at Augsburg, the Dornier factory at Oberpfaffenhofen and the Luftwaffe Lechfeld Airfield. IV. Gruppe attacked the third wave of bombers near Aschaffenburg in a frontal attack. During this attack, Wessling shot down a B-17 bomber. On 15 April, General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland visited IV. Gruppe at Salzwedel and announced that the Gruppe was to be converted to a Sturmgruppe following the example of Sturmstaffel 1. In consequence, the Sturmgruppe was placed under the command of Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz and 11. Staffel was to be merged with the experimental Sturmstaffel 1 and renamed to 11. Sturmstaffel. Three days later, the USAAF Eighth