Career
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Bretschneider was posted into the newly raised Jagdgeschwader 300 (JG 300) in July 1943, joining 5 Staffel. Flying "Wilde Sau" single-seat night operations, he claimed his first victory, a Lancaster, on 5–6 September south of Mannheim.
By April 1944 he had 14 night victories.
In July 1944, Bretschneider was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5./JG 300. By this time JG 300 were employed in a more conventional day fighter role, intercepting United States Army Air Forces four-engined bombers.
On 7 October 1944 he downed two bombers in one attack and then rammed a third. He bailed out safely.
On 24 December 1944 Bretschneider was killed whilst leading World War II(Sturm)/JG 300 in attacking four-engined bombers over Kassel, his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8/R8 "Red 1" probably downed by a P-51 Mustang of the 357th Fighter Group.
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