 Throughout 1943 , as the Luftwaffe took the fight to the bombers flying unescorted over the Reich , Specht scored regularly . Leading by example , he soon became one of the top Viermot aces shooting down 14 bombers out of his 18 victories that year . This included his 13th victory on 26 July , during Blitz Week , when bombers targeted the Blohm & Voss U Boat yards in Hamburg and the synthetic rubber factories of Continental AG and Nordhafen in Hanover . ; as well a pair on 17 August on the infamous Schweinfurt raid . He was awarded the Ehrenpokal ( Goblet of Honour ) on 23 August , and the German Cross in Gold on 25 November . Specht became increasingly critical of the relatively weak armament of the Bf 109 during this time . Towards the end of 1943 , with longer @-@ ranged fighter @-@ escorts accompanying the Allied bombers , tactics had to change : The single @-@ engined fighters would engage the fighter screen while a Zerstörergruppe would take on the bombers . Coincidentally , for a while Specht ’ s II . / JG 11 was paired up with his old unit , I. / ZG 26 . 
