Erich Schmidt (pilot)

Erich "Schmidtchen" Schmidt (17 November 1914 – 31 August 1941) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.

Erich Schmidt
Nickname(s)	"Schmidtchen"
Born	17 November 1914 Neuhaus am Rennweg
Died	31 August 1941(1941-08-31) (aged 26) Dubno, Ukraine
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?-1941
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	JG 53
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Career

After completing his flight training, at the start of the war in September 1939, Leutnant Schmidt was in the 2nd Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 (2./JG 53).^[1] Transferred to 9th Staffel (9./JG 53) in the following February, he had no success in the French campaign, and his first victory was on 12 August 1940 when he shot down a Spitfire over the Isle of Wight. He was far more successful in the Battle of Britain however, and he had 17 victories by end of November 1940,^[2] when he was transferred briefly to the Stab (HQ) flight of III./JG 53 as Gruppe-Adjutant.^[3]

But he was back with 9./JG 53 for the invasion of Russia Operation Barbarossa. With his unit covering the advance of Hoth's panzers on the northern side of Army Group Centre, on the opening day of the campaign (22 June 1941) he shot down four Russian aircraft, and his 30th victory was an I-16 fighter on 4 July. For that score he was awarded the Knight's Cross by the newly promoted General of Fighters Werner Mölders on 23 July. His unit was constantly on the move, leap-frogging forward to airbases often only cleared of enemy a day or two before. Barely staying a few days to a week at a time, their mission was to protect the ground troops from enemy bombers as the blitzkrieg stormed eastward past Minsk, Vitebsk, Smolensk, toward Moscow.

On 26 July he shot down 5 DB-3 bombers, 3 in the morning and 2 more in the afternoon. He shot down his final three victories on 29 August taking his total to 47. But on 31 August 1941, returning from a freie Jagd (free hunt), he was himself shot down after being hit by Soviet anti-aircraft fire east of Velikiye Luki.^[4] Baling out behind enemy lines, he was never seen again.^[5] At the time he was the top-scoring pilot of III/JG 53, and was posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant.

Victories

No	Date	Time	Unit & Airfield	Gruppe Kommandeur[6]	Location	Claimed Aircraft	Source / Comments[7]
1	12 August 1940	12:37	9./JG 53 - Brest	Hptm Harro Harder	Isle of Wight	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
2	31 August 1940	20:42	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet, Calais	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Dover	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
3	5 September 1940	16:35	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	?	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
4	9 September 1940	18:55	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near London	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
5	15 September 1940	12:44	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	S of London	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
6	15 September 1940	13:08	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	10 km S of London : 4000m	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
7	15 September 1940	15:36	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	?	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
8	17 September 1940	16:41	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	?	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
9	27 September 1940	13:33	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	London	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
10	30 September 1940	14:33	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Hastings	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
11	2 October 1940	11:06	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Thames Estuary	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
12	2 October 1940	11:10	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Thames Estuary	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
13	5 October 1940	12:33	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Thames Estuary	Hurricane	OKL, Prien/Bock
14	7 October 1940	14:20	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Mayfield	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
15	10 October 1940	11:30	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Thames Estuary : 4500m	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
16	1 November 1940	12:45	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Tunbridge Wells : 5000m	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
17	30 November 1940	11:30	9./JG 53 - Le Touquet	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	N of Dover : 5000m	Spitfire	OKL, Prien/Bock
18	22 June 1941	7:15	9./JG 53 - Suwalki	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Grodno	I-16	Prien/Bock
19	22 June 1941	11:35	9./JG 53 - Suwalki	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia	DJ-6	Prien/Bock
20	22 June 1941	18:25	9./JG 53 - Suwalki	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia	I-16	Prien/Bock
21	22 June 1941	20:45	9./JG 53 - Suwalki	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia	DJ-6	Prien/Bock
22	25 June 1941	8:33	9./JG 53 - Vilnius	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia	SB-3	Prien/Bock
23	25 June 1941	11:30	9./JG 53 - Vilnius	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia-Minsk	SB-3	Prien/Bock
24	26 June 1941	7:28	9./JG 53 - Vilnius	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia-Minsk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
25	26 June 1941	7:41	9./JG 53 - Vilnius	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia-Minsk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
26	27 June 1941	5:08	9./JG 53 - Vilnius	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia-Minsk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
27	27 June 1941	14:57	9./JG 53 - Vilnius	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia-Minsk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
28	27 June 1941	18:34	9./JG 53 - Vilnius	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	Byelorussia-Minsk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
29	2 July 1941	20:09	9./JG 53 - Molodeczno	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	N of Minsk	I-153	Prien/Bock
30	4 July 1941	12:21	9./JG 53 - Molodeczno	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	N of Minsk	I-16	Prien/Bock
31	14 July 1941	18:05	9./JG 53 - Vitebsk	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	twd Smolensk	I-17 (MiG-3)	Prien/Bock
32	26 July 1941	9:35	9./JG 53 - Demidov	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Smolensk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
33	26 July 1941	10:10	9./JG 53 - Demidov	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Smolensk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
34	26 July 1941	10:12	9./JG 53 - Demidov	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Smolensk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
35	26 July 1941	18:28	9./JG 53 - Demidov	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Smolensk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
36	26 July 1941	18:32	9./JG 53 - Demidov	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Smolensk	DB-3	Prien/Bock
37	2 August 1941	13:45	9./JG 53 - Moschna	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	twd Velikiye Luki	I-18 (MiG-3)	Prien/Bock
38	5 August 1941	10:41	9./JG 53 - Moschna	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	twd Velikiye Luki	I-18 (MiG-3)	Prien/Bock
39	5 August 1941	10:46	9./JG 53 - Moschna	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	twd Velikiye Luki	I-18 (MiG-3)	Prien/Bock
40	7 August 1941	10:22	9./JG 53 - Surasch	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	twd Velikiye Luki	I-16	Prien/Bock
41	19 August 1941	13:05	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Velikiye Luki	I-16	Prien/Bock
42	23 August 1941	17:00	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Velikiye Luki	I-18 (MiG-3)	Prien/Bock
43	25 August 1941	14:55	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	near Toropets	Il-2	Prien/Bock
44	27 August 1941	16:25	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	?	I-153	Prien/Bock
45	29 August 1941	15:35	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	?	I-16	Prien/Bock
46	29 August 1941	15:44	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	?	I-18 (MiG-3)	Prien/Bock
47	29 August 1941	15:46	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	?	I-18 (MiG-3)	Prien/Bock
†	31 August 1941	-	9./JG 53 - Maklok	Hptm Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke	E of Velikiye Luki	AA

Awards

• Flugzeugführerabzeichen
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 July 1941 as Leutnant and pilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 53^{[8][Note 1]}

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 53.^[9]

References

Citations

1. Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries website.
2. Aces of the Luftwaffe website.
3. Weal 2007, p. 38.
4. Weal 2007, pg. 48.
5. Spick 2006, pp. 121, 123.
6. Luftwaffe Air Units: Single–Engined Fighters website.
7. Aces of the Luftwaffe website.
8. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 381.
9. Scherzer 2007, p. 669.

Bibliography

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.
• Weal, John (1996). Bf 109D/E Aces 1939-41. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-85532-487-3.
• Weal, John (2001). Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-84176-084-6.
• Weal, John (2007). Jagdgeschwader 53 "Pik-As". Aviation Elite Units. Vol. 25. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-204-2.

External links

• Aces of the Luftwaffe
• "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries" (PDF). Erich Schmidt. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-03. Retrieved 29 December 2012
• "Luftwaffe Fighter Claims". Erich Schmidt. Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 7 January 2013
• "Luftwaffe Air Units: Single–Engined Fighters". Jagdgeschwader 53. Retrieved 7 January 2013