In its struggle to blunt the Allies' effective attacks on its communications and production of petroleum and weapons, the Luftwaffe created a special bomber-destroying unit (Gefechtsverband) made up of heavily armed and armored Fw190A8 "Sturmbocks". They were to be escorted by the faster and lighter Bf109s. As "Big Week" came to a close on February 25th of 1944, The 8th and 15th Air Force once again set out for targets deep in Germany, this time the Messerchmitt Flugzeugwerke in Regensburg and Augsburg. Almost 1,000 B24's and B17's launched escorted by P-47's, P-38's and the new P-51 Mustang flown by the 357th FG. In the end the USAAF claimed over 140 Aircraft destroyed in Air to Air Combat, with a staggering 65 Bombers lost. The Messerchmitt plant was nearly destroyed with thousands of aircraft destroyed on the assembly lines.
