Gerhard Schöpfel
Encyclopedia
Gerhard Schöpfel was a German
World War II
Luftwaffe
45-victory flying ace
and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. He held the position of Geschwaderkommodore
of fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 26
.
in Thüringen. He was originally a member of the police force but transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1936. Following completion of his flying training, Schöpfel was assigned to I./JG 233 which became I./JG 135 and, finally, I./JG 51. Leutnant Schöpfel was posted to join I./JG 26 in 1939. Oberleutnant Schöpfel took command of 9./JG 26 on its formation on 23 September 1939.
Schöpfel gained his first victory during the Battle of France
, a RAF Hurricane near Courtrai on 19 May 1940. He added to his score over the beaches of Dunkirk during the evacuation of the British Army. He was very successful during the Battle of Britain
, and on 18 August 1940 he shot down four No. 501 Squadron Hawker Hurricanes in one sortie over Canterbury
, England. P/O Bland was killed, and Sgt Kozlowski baled out burnt. The other two victims in this engagement were notable RAF fighter pilots; Sgt. Donald McKay (20 confirmed and 4 damaged victories) who baled out wounded, and P/O Kenneth Lee (7 confirmed and 1 damaged victories), who also baled out wounded. Hauptmann Schöpfel became Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 26 when Göring promoted Adolf Galland
(104 victories, RK-Br) to Kommodore of JG 26 on 22 August 1940. On 11 September 1940 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on achieving 20 victories.
On 1 December 1941 he was promoted to Major and on 6 December 1941 became Kommodore of JG 26 when Galland was promoted General der Jagdfieger. Over Dieppe on 19 August 1942 he shot down two Spitfires for his 41st and 42nd victories. Schöpfel left JG 26 on 10 January 1943 to take up the role of Ia (Operations Officer) at Jafü Brittany. He was to serve as Fighter Operations officer southern Italy from July and Fighter Leader Norway from November. On 1 May 1944, he joined III./JG 54 before being appointed Kommodore of JG 4 on 1 June 1944. On 6 August he was shot down in combat near Schwerin flying Bf 109 G-6 (WNr 440728). He baled out wounded.
Following recovery from his wounds in November 1944 Schöpfel was appointed Fighter Leader Hungary. In February 1945 he commanded the Luftkreigsschule at Gatow
. On 10 April he was appointed Kommodore of JG 6 based in northern Czechoslovakia.
Schöpfel became a prisoner of the Russians and was interned in Soviet prisons for four and a half years finally returning to Germany in December 1949.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
45-victory flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. He held the position of Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 26
Jagdgeschwader 26
Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France the United States but also saw service against Russia. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and...
.
Military career
Gerhard “Gerd” Schöpfel was born on 19 December 1912 at ErfurtErfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
in Thüringen. He was originally a member of the police force but transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1936. Following completion of his flying training, Schöpfel was assigned to I./JG 233 which became I./JG 135 and, finally, I./JG 51. Leutnant Schöpfel was posted to join I./JG 26 in 1939. Oberleutnant Schöpfel took command of 9./JG 26 on its formation on 23 September 1939.
Schöpfel gained his first victory during the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, a RAF Hurricane near Courtrai on 19 May 1940. He added to his score over the beaches of Dunkirk during the evacuation of the British Army. He was very successful during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, and on 18 August 1940 he shot down four No. 501 Squadron Hawker Hurricanes in one sortie over Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, England. P/O Bland was killed, and Sgt Kozlowski baled out burnt. The other two victims in this engagement were notable RAF fighter pilots; Sgt. Donald McKay (20 confirmed and 4 damaged victories) who baled out wounded, and P/O Kenneth Lee (7 confirmed and 1 damaged victories), who also baled out wounded. Hauptmann Schöpfel became Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 26 when Göring promoted Adolf Galland
Adolf Galland
Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western and the Defence of the Reich fronts...
(104 victories, RK-Br) to Kommodore of JG 26 on 22 August 1940. On 11 September 1940 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on achieving 20 victories.
On 1 December 1941 he was promoted to Major and on 6 December 1941 became Kommodore of JG 26 when Galland was promoted General der Jagdfieger. Over Dieppe on 19 August 1942 he shot down two Spitfires for his 41st and 42nd victories. Schöpfel left JG 26 on 10 January 1943 to take up the role of Ia (Operations Officer) at Jafü Brittany. He was to serve as Fighter Operations officer southern Italy from July and Fighter Leader Norway from November. On 1 May 1944, he joined III./JG 54 before being appointed Kommodore of JG 4 on 1 June 1944. On 6 August he was shot down in combat near Schwerin flying Bf 109 G-6 (WNr 440728). He baled out wounded.
Following recovery from his wounds in November 1944 Schöpfel was appointed Fighter Leader Hungary. In February 1945 he commanded the Luftkreigsschule at Gatow
Gatow
Gatow, a district of south-western Berlin is located west of the Havelsee lake and has forested areas within its boundaries. It is within the borough of Spandau. On 31 December 2002, it had 5,532 inhabitants.-History:...
. On 10 April he was appointed Kommodore of JG 6 based in northern Czechoslovakia.
Schöpfel became a prisoner of the Russians and was interned in Soviet prisons for four and a half years finally returning to Germany in December 1949.
Later life
After his release from imprisonment in the Soviet Union, Schöpfel worked as a chauffeur. He later became a merchant and in the early 1960s returned to the aviation field as an executive of Air Lloyd in Bonn. He died on 17 May 2003.Victories
Schöpfel flew 700 missions and claimed 45 victories. His total including three USAAF four-engined bombers. All his victories were scored over the Western Front.| No | Date | Unit | Aircraft Type | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 May 1940 | Hurricane | 9./JG 26 | NW Tournai | Hurricane of 615 Sqn RAF |
| 2 | 29 May 1940 18:10 | Spitfire | 9./JG 26 | W Dunkirk | |
| 3 | 31 May 1940 15:40 | Spitfire | 9./JG 26 | Dunkirk | Spitfire of 609 Sqn RAF |
| 4 | 2 Jun 1940 9:25 | Spitfire | 9./JG 26 | ||
| 5 | 8 Aug 1940 12:35 | Hampden | 9./JG 26 S | Ramsgate | Blenheim of 600 Sqn RAF |
| 6 | 8 Aug 1940 12:34 | Spitfire | 9./JG 26 | W Canterbury | Spitfire of 65 Sqn RAF |
| - | 11 Aug 1940 11:30 | Balloon | 9./JG 26 | S England | |
| 7 | 12 Aug 1940 12:30 | Spitfire | 9./JG 26 | Folkestone | |
| 8 | 14 Aug 1940 13:30 | Hurricane | 9./JG 26 | Folkestone-Dover | |
| 9 | 18 Aug 1940 13:55 | Hurricane | 9./JG 26 | Near Canterbury | Hurricane of 501 Sqn RAF,Sgt Kozlowski baled out |
| 10 | 18 Aug 1940 13:55 | Hurricane | 9./JG 26 | Near Canterbury | Hurricane (N2617) of 501 Sqn RAF, flown by Sgt. DS McKay (20/0/4 victories), baled out, wounded |
| 11 | 18 Aug 1940 13:56 | Hurricane | 9./JG 26 | Near Canterbury | Hurricane (P3059) of 501 Sqn RAF flown by P/O K Lee (7/0/1 victories, baled out, wounded |
| 12 | 18 Aug 1940 13:56 | Hurricane | 9./JG 26 | Near Canterbury | Hurricane of 501 Sqn RAF, P/O JW Bland, Killed. |
| 13 | 22 Aug 1940 20:25 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | SE Dover | Spitfire of 65 Sqn RAF |
| 14 | 28 Aug 1940 10:10 | Defiant | III./JG 26 | E Canterbury | Defiant of 264 Sqn RAF |
| 15 | 31 Aug 1940 10:00 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | Braintree | Spitfire of 56 Sqn RAF |
| 16 | 1 Sep 1940 15:00 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | London | Spitfire of 72 Sqn RAF |
| - | 6 Sep 1940 10:30 | Hurricane | III./JG 26 | Dungeness | UNCONFIRMED Hurricane of 303 Sqn RAF |
| 17 | 7 Sep 1940 18:45 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | London | Spitfire of 603 Sqn RAF |
| 18 | 9 Sep 1940 18:05 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | Thames Estuary | Spitfire of 92 Sqn RAF, P/O WC Watling wounded, |
| 19 | 9 Sep 1940 18:07 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | Thames Estuary | Spitfire of 92 Sqn RAF, P/O CH Saunders wounded, |
| 20 | 9 Sep 1940 18:11 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | Thames Estuary | Spitfire of 92 Sqn RAF |
| - | 11 Sep 1940 17:30 | Blenheim | III./JG 26 | UNCONFIRMED Blenheim of 235 Sqn RAF (2 lost) | |
| 21 | 29 Oct 1940 17:45 | Hurricane | III./JG 26 | Hurricane of 257 Sqn RAF,Sgt.F Surma, bailed out | |
| 22 | 1 Nov 1940 15:35 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | Herne Bay | Spitfire of 92 Sqn RAF |
| 23 | 17 Jun 1941 19:40 | Hurricane | III./JG 26 | ||
| 24 | 23 Jun 1941 20:30 | Blenheim | III./JG 26 | N France | Blenheim of 107 Sqn RAF |
| 25 | 27 Jun 1941 17:05 | Hurricane | III./JG 26 | ||
| 26 | 28 Jun 1941 8:50 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | Audruicq | Spitfire of 306 Sqn RAF |
| 27 | 2 Jul 1941 12:50 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | S Lilliers | |
| 28 | 11 Jul 1941 14:55 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | ||
| 29 | 7 Aug 1941 11:40 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | ||
| 30 | 7 Aug 1941 18:00 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | SW Dunkirk | |
| 31 | 9 Aug 1941 11:45 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | E Marquise | Spitfire of 616 Sqn RAF |
| 32 | 9 Aug 1941 17:59 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | ||
| 33 | 21 Aug 1941 10:18 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | ||
| 34 | 21 Sep 1941 16:30 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | ||
| 35 | 27 Sep 1941 15:30 | Spitfire | III./JG 26 | ||
| 36 | 27 Nov 1941 17:30 | Hurricane | III./JG 26 | 5 km W Boulogne | Hurricane of 607 Sqn RAF |
| 37 | 24 Mar 1942 17:00 | Spitfire | Stab/JG 26 | Pas-de-Calais | Spitfire of 411 Sqn RAF |
| 38 | 28 Mar 1942 18:30 | Spitfire | Stab/JG 26 | Pas-de-Calais | Spitfire of 64 Sqn RAF |
| 39 | 14 Apr 1942 18:33 | Spitfire | Stab/JG 26 | Spitfire of 403 Sqn RAF | |
| 40 | 1 Jun 1942 13:55 | Spitfire | Stab/JG 26 | ||
| 41 | 19 Aug 1942 16:31 | Spitfire | Stab/JG 26 | Off Dieppe | Spitfire of 501 Sqn RAF |
| 42 | 19 Aug 1942 18:30 | Spitfire | Stab/JG 26 | Off Dieppe | Spitfire of 222 Sqn RAF |
| 43 | 8 Nov 1942 | B-17 | Stab/JG 26 | ||
| 44 | 8 Nov 1942 | B-17 | Stab/JG 26 | ||
| 45 | 6 Dec 1942 | B-17 | Stab/JG 26 | B-17 of 305 BG USAAF | |
| - | 20 Dec 1942 | B-17 | Stab/JG 26 | UNCONFIRMED |
Awards
- Ehrenpokal der LuftwaffeEhrenpokal der LuftwaffeThe Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe was a Luftwaffe award established on February 27, 1940 by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Reich Minister of Aviation and Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe. It was officially known as the Ehrenpokal "für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg", or Honor Goblet "For...
(27 August 1940) - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold (9 December 1941) - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939) 2nd and 1st class - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
on 11 September 1944 as HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
and GruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of the III./JG 26 "Schlageter"