Heinz Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Heinz Schmidt was a German
former Luftwaffe
fighter ace
and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
during World War II
. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator
credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft
during aerial combat. He is credited with 173 aerial victories achieved in 712 combat missions and was posthumously promoted to Hauptmann
.
and joined the Luftwaffe on 10 November 1938. After he completed his basic training and fighter pilot training he was assigned to the 2nd Staffel of the Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Merseburg
.
From here he was posted to 4./Jagdgeschwader 52
(JG 52) in August 1940. JG 52 at that time was engaged in the Battle of Britain
. For a short time Schmidt was acting Staffelführer
of 5./JG 52 but returned to the 4. Staffel and was promoted to Feldwebel
on 1 April 1941.
Beginning in June 1941 Schmidt participated in Operation Barbarossa
on the Eastern Front
. He was promoted to Oberfeldwebel on 27 August 1941. Schmidt crash landed behind Russian lines in October 1941. He returned to the German lines six days later.
Promoted to Leutnant on 1 February 1942, he received the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe
on 6 July 1942, followed by his promotion to Oberleutnant
on 1 August 1942.
He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
(Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 51 aerial victories on 23 August 1942. Within only three more weeks he was able to claim an additional 51 victories, for which he was honored with the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.
In February 1943 he was again shot down behind Russian lines but returned after a two-day trek across the frozen Sea of Azov
minus one fur-lined flying boot and with a smashed shoulder. He was put in command of 6./JG 52 on 16 August 1943.
Heinz Schmidt is posted as missing in action
after aerial combat near Markor on 5 September 1943. He was reportedly shot down in error by a Hungarian fighter.
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...
former 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....
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...
and recipient of 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...
during 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...
. 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 is credited with 173 aerial victories achieved in 712 combat missions and was posthumously 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...
.
Biography
Heinz Schmidt was born on 20 April 1920 in Bad HomburgBad Homburg
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, Germany, on the southern slope of the Taunus, bordering among others Frankfurt am Main and Oberursel...
and joined the Luftwaffe on 10 November 1938. After he completed his basic training and fighter pilot training he was assigned to the 2nd Staffel of the Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Merseburg
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Merseburg
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Merseburg was a figher pilot training unit of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 10 February 1940 in Merseburg and disbanded on 19 November 1940.-Gruppenkommandeure:*Oberstleutnant Dr...
.
From here he was posted to 4./Jagdgeschwader 52
Jagdgeschwader 52
Jagdgeschwader 52 of the Luftwaffe, was the most successful fighter-wing of all time, with a claimed total of more than 10,000 victories over enemy aircraft during World War II. It was the unit of the top three scoring Fighter aces of all time, Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn and Günther Rall...
(JG 52) in August 1940. JG 52 at that time was engaged in 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...
. For a short time Schmidt was acting Staffelführer
Staffelführer
Staffelführer was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German Schutzstaffel in the early years of that group’s existence...
of 5./JG 52 but returned to the 4. Staffel and was promoted to Feldwebel
Feldwebel
Feldwebel 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...
on 1 April 1941.
Beginning in June 1941 Schmidt participated in Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
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 was promoted to Oberfeldwebel on 27 August 1941. Schmidt crash landed behind Russian lines in October 1941. He returned to the German lines six days later.
Promoted to Leutnant on 1 February 1942, he received the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe
Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe
The 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...
on 6 July 1942, followed by his promotion to Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
on 1 August 1942.
He 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...
(Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 51 aerial victories on 23 August 1942. Within only three more weeks he was able to claim an additional 51 victories, for which he was honored with the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.
In February 1943 he was again shot down behind Russian lines but returned after a two-day trek across the frozen Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
minus one fur-lined flying boot and with a smashed shoulder. He was put in command of 6./JG 52 on 16 August 1943.
Heinz Schmidt is posted as missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
after aerial combat near Markor on 5 September 1943. He was reportedly shot down in error by a Hungarian fighter.
Decorations
| Flugzeugführerabzeichen (Pilots Badge) | |
| 22 October 1940: | Iron Cross Iron Cross The 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.... Second Class |
| 9 November 1940: | Iron Cross First Class |
| 22 August 1941: | Frontflug-Spange für Jäger in Gold Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe The Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft... |
| 6 July 1942: | Honorary Cup of the Luftwaffe Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe The 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... |
| 13 August 1942: | German Cross in Gold German Cross The 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... as Leutnant in the 4./JG 52 |
| 23 August 1942: | 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... as Leutnant (war officer) and pilot in the 6./JG 52 |
| 30 August 1942: | Medaille "Winterschlacht Im Osten 1941/42" Eastern Front Medal The Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942... |
| 15 September 1942: | 124th Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves as Leutnant (war officer) and pilot in the 6./JG 52 |
| 12 December 1942: | Frontflug-Spange für Jäger in Gold mit Anhänger (Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe The Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft... in Gold with pendant for fighters) |
Dates of rank
| 1 December 1939: | 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... |
| 1 October 1940: | Obergefreiter Obergefreiter Obergefreiter is a rank of the German and Swiss militaries which dates from the 19th century.The rank was only used in the German army's heavy artillery branch before 1919 and commonly established with the founding of the Reichswehr... |
| 1 December 1940: | 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... |
| 1 April 1941: | Feldwebel Feldwebel Feldwebel 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... |
| 27 August 1941: | Oberfeldwebel |
| 1 February 1942: | Leutnant |
| 1 August 1942: | Oberleutnant Oberleutnant Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty... |