Luftwaffe units suffered heavily, JG 11 being no exception. In August 1944 each JG 11 Gruppe was increased to four Staffeln, with a new 4./JG 11 formed from 10. and 11./JG 11. The old 4./JG 11 became the new 8./JG 11 Staffel. Old 7./JG 11 become 10./JG 11 and a new 7./JG 11 was formed from scratch. On 17 December 1944 I./JG 11 was heavily engaged by P-47s over Munstereifel and later by P-38 Lightnings. Four German pilots were wounded with Unteroffizier Liebeck bailing out successfully. Unteroffizier Heyer, flying Black 1 shot down one P-38 before being seriously wounded and bailing out. By December 1944 I./JG 11 were frequently paired with the 'Sturm' Fw 190's of IV./JG 4 in attacking heavy bomber formations over the Moselle River. The other two Gruppen of JG 11 operated under the administrative control of JG 2 engaging the fighters of Eighth and Ninth Air Force. On 23 December I./JG 11 and JG 4 intercepted American bombers near the Trier region. JG 11 claimed 28 B-26s and several escorts while 12 Fw 190s and one P-51 went down. Major Arthur F. Jeffrey of 479 FG was credited with three victories. Fähnrich Kaluza and Oberleutnant Georg Ulrici of I./JG 11 failed to return from operations over Daun and Cochem while Unteroffizier Ehrke and Gefreiter were killed near Gillenfeld. Oberfähnrich Hans–Joachim Wesener was shot down south of Kaisersesch. JG 11's losses included 12 pilots killed, 4 missing and 11 wounded. Later the same day JG 11 scrambled to intercept some seventy B-26 Marauders of 387th and 394th Bombardment Groups heading for Marshalling yards at Mayen. Over Prüm and St. Vith they ran into the fighter escort and several of the JG 11 pilots were killed, including Major Erich Putzka, of the Gruppenstab and Oberfeldwebel Holland, chased by thirty P-47s. Oberfeldwebel Titscher was shot down by a Spitfire over Cologne. Two others were wounded over Munstereifel. The next day American B-17 Flying Fortresses targeted JG 4 and JG 11's airfields. As JG 11 tried to protect its airfields they lost 4 pilots; Unteroffizier Stöhr killed over Gross-Ostheim, Feldwebel Horlacher over Gross-Karben and Leutnant Richter and Feldwebel Schulirsch did not return from the Moselle near Trier. On 25 December there were more losses. Flight Lieutenant Sherk of No. 402 Squadron RCAF intercepted a lone Fw 190A-8 southeast of Düren, which he shot down. This may have been Unteroffizier Wolfgang