Dietrich Schmidt (pilot)

Dietrich Schmidt (27 June 1919 – 6 March 2002) was a Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Dietrich Schmidt
Born	27 June 1919 Karlsruhe
Died	6 March 2002(2002-03-06) (aged 82) Hofheim
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?–1945
Rank	Hauptmann
Unit	NJG 1
Battles / wars	World War II Defense of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Night fighter career

A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, bombing missions by the Royal Air Force (RAF) shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.^[1] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector, named a Himmelbett (canopy bed), would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.^[2]

Oberleutnant Schmidt was initially posted to 8./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) in September 1941, based at Twente in the Netherlands. He claimed his first victory on the night of 24/25 March 1943, a Handley Page Halifax bomber over Enkhuizen. On 15 June 1943 Schmidt was appointed Staffelkapitän of 8./NJG 1, having claimed five victories by this time.

On the night of 1/2 January 1944, he claimed an Avro Lancaster bomber shot down near Ramsel for his 10th victory. On the night of 14/15 January 1944, Schmidt claimed his 12th aerial victory. The RAF had targeted Braunschweig with 498 bombers that night. Schmidt was credited with the destruction of Lancaster ND357 from No. 156 Squadron.^[3]

He claimed three victories in a single night on 3/4 May, 22/23 May, and 28/29 July. Schmidt was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 27 July for 32 victories. Schmidt transferred as Staffelkapitän to 9./NJG 1 in December 1944. He added five further victories to raise his victory total to 43 by the end of the war. Schmidt was then interned by British troops at Schleswig-Holstein, and released in August 1945.

He attended Heidelberg University obtaining a doctorate in Chemistry, married and fathered three children. Schmidt retired in 1984.

Dietrich Schmidt was credited with 43 victories in 171 missions. All his victories were recorded at night.^{[Note 1]}

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Author Spick lists him with 39 aerial victories, claimed in 171 combat missions.^[4] Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 43 nocturnal victory claims.^[5] Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Schmidt with 40 aerial victories, plus one further unconfirmed claim.^[6]

Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed in Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 and in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Serial No./Squadron No.
– 8. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[6]
1	25 March 1943	01:36	Halifax	northeast of Enkhuizen[7]
2	5 May 1943	01:15	Lancaster	Nordhorn[8]
3?[Note 2]	5 May 1943	02:16?	Wellington[9]
4	14 May 1943	03:44	Lancaster	6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Rühlertwist[10]	Lancaster "DX-X"/No. 57 Squadron[11]
5	13 June 1943	01:30	Lancaster	1 km (0.62 mi) west of Ahaus[12]
6	20 October 1943	20:45	Lancaster[13]
7	3 November 1943	19:46	Halifax	east of Sint-Truiden[14]
8?[Note 3]	26 November 1943	22:54	Lancaster	Emlichheim[15]
9	16 December 1943	18:45	Lancaster	west of Cloppenburg[16]
10	2 January 1944	01:58	Lancaster	Ramsel[17]
11	14 January 1944	05:36	Mosquito	vicinity of Kleve[18]	Mosquito DZ440//No. 109 Squadron[19]
12	14 January 1944	20:35	Lancaster	Kolhorn[20]	Lancaster ND357/No. 156 Squadron[3]
13	16 March 1944	00:56	Lancaster	1 km (0.62 mi) southeast of Langweiler[21]
14	18 March 1944	22:35	Halifax	Kaiserslautern[22]
15	22 March 1944	22:36	Halifax	north-northwest of Paderborn-Minden[23]
16	24 March 1944	23:04	Lancaster	Erfurt[24]
17?[Note 2]	24 March 1944	23:04	Lancaster	Gotha[24]
18	31 March 1944	00:49	Halifax	north of Würzburg[25]
19	23 April 1944	00:21	Lancaster	south of Laon[26]
20	23 April 1944	00:26	Lancaster	southwest of Laon[26]	Stirling EH842/No. 218 Squadron[27][Note 4]
21	27 April 1944	00:47	four-engined bomber	Dijon[29]	Lancaster LL919/No. 619 Squadron[30]
22	4 May 1944	00:03	Lancaster	southwest of Saint-Dizier[31]
23	4 May 1944	00:19	Lancaster	west of Saint-Dizier[31]
24	4 May 1944	00:46	Lancaster	south-southwest of Romilly-sur-Seine[32]
25	22 May 1944	02:01	Lancaster	south of Amsterdam[33]
26	23 May 1944	00:42	Lancaster	5 km (3.1 mi) north of Ibbenbüren[33]
27	23 May 1944	03:13	Lancaster	North Sea[34]
28	23 May 1944	03:48	four-engined bomber	North Sea[34]
29	13 June 1944	01:24	Lancaster	north of Venlo[35]
30	21 July 1944	01:16	Lancaster	50 km (31 mi) west of Duisburg[36]
31	21 July 1944	01:41	Lancaster	30 km (19 mi) northwest of Volkel[37]
32	29 July 1944	01:11	Halifax	west of Hamburg[38]
33	29 July 1944	01:37	Halifax	north of Bruchsal[39]
34	29 July 1944	01:50	four-engined bomber	10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Helgoland[39]
35	13 August 1944	00:47	Lancaster	50 km (31 mi) south of Braunschweig[40]
36	23 September 1944	23:31	Lancaster	southern edge of Zuiderzee[41]
37	6 December 1944	20:14	Lancaster	northwest of Twente[42]
38	18 December 1944	06:36	four-engined bomber	west of Duisburg[43]
– 9. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[6]
39	15 January 1945?[Note 5]	21:15	Lancaster	northeast of Frankfurt-an-der-Oder[44]
40	21 February 1945	01:10	Lancaster[45]
41	21 February 1945	23:18	Lancaster	10 km (6.2 mi) west of Venlo[46]
42	21 February 1945	23:25	Lancaster	25 km (16 mi) southwest of Goch[46]
43	22 March 1945	04:00	Lancaster	Cologne[47]

Awards

• Flugzeugführerabzeichen
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 24 April 1944 as Oberleutnant and pilot^[48]
• German Cross in Gold on 1 October 1944 as Oberleutnant in the 8./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1^[49]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 8./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1^[50][51]

Notes

1. For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces.
2. This claim is not listed in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.^[6]
3. According to Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, this claim was unconfirmed while Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 confirm this claim.^[15][6]
4. According to the website Aircrew Remembered, this claim should be attributed to Otto Fries.^[28]
5. According to Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims on 16 January 1945.^[6]

References

Citations

1. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 9.
2. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 27.
3. Bowman 2016, p. 13.
4. Spick 1996, p. 240.
5. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, pp. 72–244.
6. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1137.
7. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 72.
8. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 78.
9. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 79.
10. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 80.
11. "Lancaster DX-X".
12. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 85.
13. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 123.
14. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 125.
15. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 130.
16. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 132.
17. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 137.
18. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 140.
19. Bowman 2016, p. 12.
20. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 141.
21. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 155.
22. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 156.
23. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 157.
24. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 158.
25. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 161.
26. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 168.
27. Wilson 2008.
28. "Stirling III EH842 HA-M".
29. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 170.
30. Bowman 2016, p. 60.
31. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 173.
32. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 174.
33. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 178.
34. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 179.
35. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 187.
36. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 202.
37. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 203.
38. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 205.
39. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 206.
40. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 208.
41. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 218.
42. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 225.
43. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 226.
44. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 230.
45. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 236.
46. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 237.
47. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 244.
48. Patzwall 2008, p. 182.
49. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 411.
50. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 309.
51. Scherzer 2007, p. 668.

Bibliography

• Bowman, Martin (2016). German Night Fighters Versus Bomber Command 1943–1945. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-4738-4979-2.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (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.
• Foreman, John; Mathews, Johannes; Parry, Simon (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
• MacLean, French L (2007). Luftwaffe Efficiency & Promotion Reports: For the Knight's Cross Winners. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 978-0-7643-2657-8.
• 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.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941–1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
• 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.
• Wilson, Kevin (2008). Men Of Air: The Doomed Youth Of Bomber Command. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-0-297-85704-4.
• Youngs, Kelvin. "23/24.04.1944 No. 218 Squadron Stirling III EH842 HA-M Sq/Ldr. Poulter". Aircrew Remembered. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
• "Britischer Bomber stürzte am 14. Mai 1943 nahe Twist ab" [British Bomber Crashes on 14 May 1943 near Twist]. Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (in German). 6 April 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2019.

External links

• TracesOfWar.com
• Aces of the Luftwaffe