Lent completed night fighter training at Ingolstadt in south-western Germany, and was appointed squadron leader, or "Staffelkapitän", of the newly formed 6./NJG 1 on 1 October 1940. The squadron was based at Fliegerhorst Deelen, located north of Arnhem in the Netherlands. On the night 11–12 May 1941, Lent claimed his first nocturnal aerial victories against two Wellington IC bombers from No. 40 Squadron RAF on a mission against Hamburg. BL-H (serial number "R1330)" was shot down at 01:40 near Süderstapel and BL-Z ("R1461") at 02:49 near Nordstrand.