Günther Schack
Encyclopedia
Günther Schack was a German
World War II
fighter ace
who served in the Luftwaffe
from 1939 until the end of World War II
in 1945. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator
credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft
during aerial combat. He claimed 174 enemy aircraft shot down, all of them on the Russian front
. He survived being shot down 15 times during his 780 combat missions. After the war he lived secluded in the Eifel
Mountains, and devoted himself to philosophical research.
, a small town in Eastern Prussia, on 12 November 1917 as the son of Dr. Willy Schack and his wife, Dorothea (maiden name: Nietzki). He studied at the University of Stuttgart
and at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule
in Aachen
. In 1937, when he first tried to join the Luftwaffe, he was categorised as wehruntauglich (unsuited for military service) because of a sports injury earlier in his life.
on 2 September 1939. After being trained as a fighter pilot, Gefreiter
(Private) Schack was posted to 7th Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51
(JG 51—7th Squadron of the 51st Fighter Wing) on 18 March 1941.For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
Schack claimed his first aerial victory in combat on 23 July 1941 on the Eastern front
. He achieved his third aerial victory after 100 combat missions on 10 November 1941. He flew his 250th combat mission on 30 July 1942. when he claimed his 5th aerial victory. He had been promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier
(Corporal). In November, his unit returned to Jesau in East Prussia to re-equip onto the new Fw190A fighter, whereupon his career started to take off.
He returned to the Eastern front, serving in the 7th Staffel of JG 51. On 17 December 1942, on his first mission back at the front, Schack shot down five Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2
bombers within minutes of each other. On 29 January 1943 Schack almost repeated this when his Schwarm (flight of four aircraft), on a Junkers Ju 87
escort mission, encountered eight Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2
flying in a line astern crossing the German lines at Novosil
. Within five minutes all eight were shot down including four by Schack. . He was promoted to Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) on 1 January 1943, and after his 48th aerial victory (on 1st April 1943), he was ordered back to Germany to serve as a flight instructor with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost.
He returned to the front in mid-July 1943, this time posted to 8./JG51, now back on the Me109G. Part of III./JG51, it was based at Bryansk
covering the northern pincer attack for the Battle of Kursk
. He claimed 10 victories in July and a further 40 in August. Flying out of Konotop
on 1 September, he flew four missions, and had to belly-land after each one. He reached his century mark in aerial combat on 3 September 1943, and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
on 26 October for 116 victories. On 9 December 1943, he was made Staffelkapitän
(squadron leader) of 9./JG 51.
1944 saw the German forces pushed inexorably out of Russia and III./JG51 covered the retreat of Army Group Centre, moving from Orsha
to Terespol
then back to Minsk and Kaunus, with Günther scoring consistently. Leutnant Schack was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
(Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 20 April 1944 for 133 aerial victories. Schack was then promoted to Hauptmann
(Captain) on 1 July 1944 and scored his 150th victory on 13 August. On 16 December 1944, he became a Gruppenkommandeur
(Group Commander), in charge of I./JG 51. By now, the Gruppe had been forced back to the Baltic coast in East Prussia. On 12 April he had to bale out following aerial combat, and suffered serious burns. Soon after the Gruppe was disbanded, in late April, and on 1 May 1945, he was named the final commander of the 4th Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3
"Udet". By the end of the war, he had scored 174 victories in 780 aerial combats, and was shot down 15 times (taking to his parachute four times).
Schack was once shot down by Lieutenant
Hollis "Bud" Nowlin of the 357th Fighter Group
over East Prussia
. Nowlin and Schack met again first in Germany and then again in the fall of 1991 at the 357th Fighter Group reunion in Georgia
.
, where he lived as a vegetarian, cultivating his own vegetables. During this time, he tried to deal with his trauma of the war and to develop and propagate his own philosophy of life: the "Homokratie".
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
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...
fighter ace
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
who served in the 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....
from 1939 until the end of 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...
in 1945. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
during aerial combat. He claimed 174 enemy aircraft shot down, all of them on the Russian front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. He survived being shot down 15 times during his 780 combat missions. After the war he lived secluded in the Eifel
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
Mountains, and devoted himself to philosophical research.
Early life
Günther Schack was born in BartensteinBartoszyce
Bartoszyce is a town on the Łyna River in northeastern Poland with 25,621 inhabitants . It is the capital of Bartoszyce County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.-History:...
, a small town in Eastern Prussia, on 12 November 1917 as the son of Dr. Willy Schack and his wife, Dorothea (maiden name: Nietzki). He studied at the University of Stuttgart
University of Stuttgart
The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....
and at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule
RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen University is a research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with roughly 33,000 students enrolled in 101 study programs....
in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. In 1937, when he first tried to join the Luftwaffe, he was categorised as wehruntauglich (unsuited for military service) because of a sports injury earlier in his life.
Military career
Günther Schack resubmitted an application as a volunteer and was accepted into the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
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....
on 2 September 1939. After being trained as a fighter pilot, Gefreiter
Gefreiter
Gefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...
(Private) Schack was posted to 7th Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51
Jagdgeschwader 51
Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II, named after the fighter ace Werner Mölders in 1942. JG 51's pilots won more Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes than any other Jagdgeschwader, and flew combat from 1939 in all major theatres of war. Flying Bf 109s and then...
(JG 51—7th Squadron of the 51st Fighter Wing) on 18 March 1941.For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
Luftwaffe Organization
Between 1933 and 1945, the organization of the Luftwaffe underwent several changes. Originally, the German military high command decided to use an organizational structure similar to the army and navy, treating the branch as a strategic weapon of war...
Schack claimed his first aerial victory in combat on 23 July 1941 on the Eastern front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. He achieved his third aerial victory after 100 combat missions on 10 November 1941. He flew his 250th combat mission on 30 July 1942. when he claimed his 5th aerial victory. He had been promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
(Corporal). In November, his unit returned to Jesau in East Prussia to re-equip onto the new Fw190A fighter, whereupon his career started to take off.
He returned to the Eastern front, serving in the 7th Staffel of JG 51. On 17 December 1942, on his first mission back at the front, Schack shot down five Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2
Petlyakov Pe-2
The Petlyakov Pe-2 was a Soviet dive bomber aircraft used during World War II. It was regarded as one of the best ground attack aircraft of the war and it was extremely successful in the roles of heavy fighter, reconnaissance and night fighter...
bombers within minutes of each other. On 29 January 1943 Schack almost repeated this when his Schwarm (flight of four aircraft), on a Junkers Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
escort mission, encountered eight Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2
Petlyakov Pe-2
The Petlyakov Pe-2 was a Soviet dive bomber aircraft used during World War II. It was regarded as one of the best ground attack aircraft of the war and it was extremely successful in the roles of heavy fighter, reconnaissance and night fighter...
flying in a line astern crossing the German lines at Novosil
Novosil
Novosil is a town and the administrative center of Novosilsky District of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Zusha River east of Oryol. Population:...
. Within five minutes all eight were shot down including four by Schack. . He was promoted to Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) on 1 January 1943, and after his 48th aerial victory (on 1st April 1943), he was ordered back to Germany to serve as a flight instructor with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost.
He returned to the front in mid-July 1943, this time posted to 8./JG51, now back on the Me109G. Part of III./JG51, it was based at Bryansk
Bryansk
Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: -History:The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk...
covering the northern pincer attack for the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
. He claimed 10 victories in July and a further 40 in August. Flying out of Konotop
Konotop
Konotop is a city in northern Ukraine within the Sumy Oblast. Konotop is the center of the Konotop Raion , and is located about 129 km from Sumy, the Oblast capital. It is host to Konotop air base.-History:...
on 1 September, he flew four missions, and had to belly-land after each one. He reached his century mark in aerial combat on 3 September 1943, and was awarded 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...
on 26 October for 116 victories. On 9 December 1943, he was made Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
(squadron leader) of 9./JG 51.
1944 saw the German forces pushed inexorably out of Russia and III./JG51 covered the retreat of Army Group Centre, moving from Orsha
Orsha
Orsha is a city in Belarus in Vitebsk voblast on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers.-Facts:*Location: *Population: 125,000 *Phone code: +375 216*Postal codes: 211030, 211381–211394, 211396–211398-History:...
to Terespol
Terespol
Terespol is a town in eastern Poland on the border with Belarus. It lies on the border river Bug, directly opposite the city of Brest, Belarus...
then back to Minsk and Kaunus, with Günther scoring consistently. Leutnant Schack was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
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...
(Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 20 April 1944 for 133 aerial victories. Schack was then promoted to Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann 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...
(Captain) on 1 July 1944 and scored his 150th victory on 13 August. On 16 December 1944, he became a Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur 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...
(Group Commander), in charge of I./JG 51. By now, the Gruppe had been forced back to the Baltic coast in East Prussia. On 12 April he had to bale out following aerial combat, and suffered serious burns. Soon after the Gruppe was disbanded, in late April, and on 1 May 1945, he was named the final commander of the 4th Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3 Udet was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet in 1942.-Campaign in the West :...
"Udet". By the end of the war, he had scored 174 victories in 780 aerial combats, and was shot down 15 times (taking to his parachute four times).
Schack was once shot down by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Hollis "Bud" Nowlin of the 357th Fighter Group
357th Fighter Group
The 357th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The 357th operated P-51 Mustang aircraft as part of the U.S. Eighth Air Force and its members were known unofficially as "The Yoxford Boys" after a village near their base...
over East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. Nowlin and Schack met again first in Germany and then again in the fall of 1991 at the 357th Fighter Group reunion in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
Later life
After the war Günther Schack worked as a Sales Manager in his uncle's manufacturing company. In 1968, he resigned from his job, left his wife and his three children and began a new life in an isolated cottage in the mountain area of EifelEifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....
, where he lived as a vegetarian, cultivating his own vegetables. During this time, he tried to deal with his trauma of the war and to develop and propagate his own philosophy of life: the "Homokratie".
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...
(16 January 1943) - 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 on 26 February 1943 as FeldwebelFeldwebelFeldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually translated as sergeant being rated OR-6 in the NATO rank comparison scale, equivalent to the British Army Sergeant and the US Army...
in the III./JG 51 - 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 Cross with Oak LeavesKnight'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...
- Knight's Cross on 29 October 1943 as Leutnant (war officer) and pilot in the 9./JG 51 "Mölders"
- 460th Oak Leaves on 20 April 1944 as Leutnant (war officer) and StaffelkapitänStaffelkapitänStaffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
of the 9./JG 51 "Mölders"
Works
- Schack, Günther (1995). Betet für die Juden, betet für die Christen. Nideggen. ISBN 3-9800329-3-0.
- Schack, Günther (1975). Die Homokratie im Erdkreis.
- Schack, Günther (1975). Die Homokratie im Lebenskreis.
- Schack, Günther (1975). Die Homokratie im Völkerkreis.