Today In History:  07 October  [1944]   --  Luftwaffe night fighter ace Helmut Lent is fatally injured in landing incident

Luftwaffe night fighter ace Oberstleutnant Helmut Lent is fatally injured when his Junkers Ju 88G-6 night fighter crashes during a landing approach after a routine transit flight. He dies two days later, with his score at 110 kills, 103 of them at night.

Lent's 20th night-time victory was against Wellington 1C X9976 of No. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron. Heading for Berlin, the aircraft came down near Akkrum, with the loss of all six-men of the crew.

PHOTO: A Bf 110C similar to those flown by Lent.

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Photo Attribution:  CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia.