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Winfried Schmidt

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Winfried Schmidt
Born(1915-02-28)28 February 1915
Cologne, German Empire
Died3 August 1999(1999-08-03) (aged 84)
Frechen, Germany
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branch Luftwaffe
Years of service1935–1945
RankHauptmann (captain)
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Winfried Schmidt (28 February 1915 – 3 August 2009) was a German flying ace of World War II.

Military career

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Schmidt was born on 28 February 1915 in Cologne in the Rhine Province within the German Empire.[1]

Schmidt claimed his first aerial victory on 18 December 1939 during the Battle of the Heligoland Bight. He was credited with shooting down a Vickers Wellington bomber near Langeoog.[2]

On 23 June 1941, Schmidt was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing). He succeeded Oberleutnant Willy Stange who was killed in action the day before, the first day of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.[3] On 11 July, Schmidt was severely wounded in combat near Fastiv. Schmidt had been hit in the lung by the defensive fire of a Tupolev SB tail gunner. His wingman Leutnant Wilhelm Lemke managed to guide him back to the airfield at Polonne. There, he crashed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 8236—factory number). The next day, Schmidt was replaced by Oberleutnant Franz Beyer as commander of 8. Staffel.[4][5]

Later life

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Schmidt died on 2 August 1999 at the age of 84 in Frechen, Germany.[6]

Summary of career

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Aerial victory claims

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Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 19 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 14 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and four on the Western Front.[7]

Chronicle of aerial victories
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[7]
"Phoney War" — 1 September 1939 – 9 May 1940
1 18 December 1939 14:30 Wellington north of Langeoog[8]
north of Wangerooge
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[7]
Battle of France – 10 May – 25 June 1940
2 13 May 1940 10:27 Hurricane west of Ghent[9] 4 7 June 1940 15:00 Blenheim Baie de Somme[10]
3 19 May 1940 16:20 Hurricane Arras[9]
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[7]
Battle of Britain and on the English Channel – 26 June 1940 – 9 June 1941
5 26 August 1940 13:20 Spitfire Ashford[11]
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[7]
Operation Barbarossa – 22 June – 11 July 1941
6 26 June 1941 06:32 SB-3[12] 13 1 July 1941 05:05 PZL.37 Radionow[13]
7 26 June 1941 06:37 SB-3[12] 14 2 July 1941 12:20 V-11 (Il-2)[13]
8 27 June 1941 15:51 DB-3[12] 15 2 July 1941 18:15 I-153 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Polonne[13]
9 27 June 1941 15:55 DB-3[12] 16 6 July 1941 18:05 PZL.37[13]
10 29 June 1941 18:50 DB-3[14] 17 8 July 1941 17:50 SB-2[13]
11 30 June 1941 09:50 DB-3[14] 18 10 July 1941 11:30 SB-3[13]
12 30 June 1941 09:55 DB-3 east of Konzec[14] 19 11 July 1941 06:30 DB-3 Polonne[15]

Awards

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Notes

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  1. ^ According to Scherzer as Oberleutnant of the Reserves.[18]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 198.
  2. ^ Goss 2020, p. 62.
  3. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 135.
  4. ^ Prien & Stemmer 1996, pp. 112–113.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 151.
  6. ^ Dixon 2023, p. 139.
  7. ^ a b c d e Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1146.
  8. ^ Prien et al. 2001a, p. 474.
  9. ^ a b Prien et al. 2001b, p. 174.
  10. ^ Prien et al. 2001b, p. 175.
  11. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 245.
  12. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2003, p. 137.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2003, p. 140.
  14. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 138.
  15. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 141.
  16. ^ Dixon 2023, p. 138.
  17. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 382.
  18. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 672.

Bibliography

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  • Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-864-2.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Goss, Chris (2020). Luftwaffe Aces in the Battle of Britain. Air World. ISBN 978-1-5267-5424-0.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard (1996). Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei der III./Jagdgeschwader 3 in 1940 – 1945 [Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action with the III./Jagdgeschwader 3 in 1940 – 1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-33-5.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001a). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 2—Der "Sitzkrieg"—1.9.1939 bis 9.5.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 2—The "Phoney War"—1 September 1939 to 9 May 1940] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-59-5.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001b). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945 Teil 3—Einsatz in Dänemark und Norwegen 9.4. bis 30.11.1940—Der Feldzug im Westen 10.5. bis 25.6.1940 [Fighter Pilot Association of the German Luftwaffe 1934 to 1945 Part 3—Assignments in Denmark and Norway 9 April to 30 November 1940—The campaign in the West 10 May to 25 June 1940] (in German). Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-61-8.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/I—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26 June 1940 bis 21 June 1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/I—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-63-2.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
  • Roland, Bernard (July–August 2020). "Winfried Schmidt, un as très discret" [Winfried Schmidt, a Very Discrete Ace]. Avions (in French) (235): 66–75. ISSN 1243-8650.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Weal, John (2006). Bf 109 Defence of the Reich Aces. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 68. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-879-3.
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