in third group and 10 Me 410s of II./ZG 26, each armed with four mortars. They were followed by 24 rocket-armed Bf 110s from ZG 76 from Jagddivision 7. 55 Bf 109s from I./JG 33 provided high cover while 10 fighters from JG 302 supported the interception. The ZG 26 pilots were ordered to attack with rockets from head-on, but this proved difficult. American reports show no B-17 was hit by the 41 Zerstörer. They did use their cannon effective and shot down a number of B-17s. 10 were confirmed. However, P-51 Mustang escort fighters from the 4th Fighter Group descended upon them. The Americans remained upsun until Kogler committed his force. The 357th Fighter Group as also present by accident, having missed the rendezvous with the 2nd Bombardment Division and rushed "to the sound of the guns." The casualty count reached 16 of the 41 Me 410s and Bf 110s engaged along with five Bf 109s and two Fw 190s. The 1st Bombardment Division lost eight bombers to gunfire, three in collisions, and several damaged and dropped out of formation. Four P-51s were lost from the 4th Fighter Group. Highlighting the plight of Zerstorer units further, was the loss of 11 of the 16 III./NJG 5 Bf 110 night fighters with eight pilots killed. the raid cost the Eighth 69 bombers destroyed and six written off, with 11 escorts and three damaged. The American loss rate of 10.2 percent was acceptable at this stage. The Luftwaffe lost 64 fighters (19.2 percent), with eight killed, 36 missing and 23 wounded. The German Wehrmachtbericht singled out Kogler as the "leader of a Zerstörerverband that especially distinguished itself" despite crippling losses. The heavy fighters had been touted as wonder weapons in their new role as bomber-destroyers, and their extreme vulnerability was kept from Hitler and the German public. On 23 April no German twin-engine fighters were seen by the American formations despite large-scale raids on Münster and Braunschweig. By month's end, ZG 26 had relocated to Königsberg in East Prussia. III./ZG 26's war diary observed the mission now would be to "battle enemy formations that penetrate east of Berlin without escort." On 9 April 1944 the 3rd Bombardment Group gave ZG 26 such an opportunity when it flew against targets in East Prussia and Poland. I./ZG 26 had been rendered non-operational, III./ZG 26 had been installing rockets for a ground-attack mission on