Norderney but the pilot bailed out. In another raid that same day light bombers of Royal Air Force (RAF) No. 2 Group bombed Abbeville. With the escorts engaged by other units, I. and II./JG 11 attacked the bombers before their bomb run. Knoke's unit carried bombs, but all the bombs missed. Both Gruppen conducted frontal attacks on for almost an hour with five claims filed without loss. Three Bf 109s of II./JG 11 ran out of fuel and had to do deadstick landings over the Frisians. On 14 May 1943 multiple groups of heavy bombers conducted several missions across the Low Countries. One hundred B-17s and B-24s bombed Kiel U-Boat Base on the Baltic Sea. II./JG 11, again with Jasta Helgoland intercepted, now flying the new Bf 109G-6 variant with underwing 20 mm cannon. Knoke's unit still attempted bombing from above the formation and tried to position entire unit above the formation. But when the leading bombers reached the Germania shipyards located on the port's eastern side inner basin Knoke gave up trying and ordered individual pilots to drop their bombs over the bombers and make a head-on pass on a group of bombers slightly separated from the main formation. A B-17 (42-30003) of 92nd BG was hit and according to Knoke, "the Fortress reared like a stricken animal, before falling in steep spirals to the right". Other bomber crews described it "circling and going down under control with one engine out and a stabilizer missing". It went down near Husum but the crew of 10 survived. This was Knoke's fifth claim in less than three months, making him the first Bf 109 ace of the "Defense of the Reich" campaign. Two other B-17s were shot down, one credited to Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 11 Hauptmann Egon Falkensamer. Following this interception I./JG 11, accompanied by Bf 110s of NJG 3, intercepted and two pilots of I./JG 11 claimed one bomber each. A group of 17 B-24Ds (44th BG) were intercepted by II./JG 11 and III./JG 54, and claimed seven of the B-24s (one credited to Specht) for the loss of five fighters. Five claims were confirmed with 12 bombers damaged. 24 hours later nine B-24 groups attacked the North sea ports of Wilhelmshaven and Emden. The formation attacking Wilhelmshaven had to abort due to poor visibility over the target so instead attacked secondary targets, Heligoland Düne; the base of Jasta Heligoland