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.
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. ISBN978-3-7909-0284-6.
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. ISBN978-3-87341-065-7.
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. ISBN978-3-938845-17-2.
Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN0-8041-1696-2.
erich, schmidt, pilot, erich, schmidtchen, schmidt, november, 1914, august, 1941, luftwaffe, recipient, knight, cross, iron, cross, during, world, erich, schmidtnickname, schmidtchen, born17, november, 1914neuhaus, rennwegdied31, august, 1941, 1941, aged, dubn. 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 SchmidtNickname s Schmidtchen Born17 November 1914Neuhaus am RennwegDied31 August 1941 1941 08 31 aged 26 Dubno UkraineAllegiance Nazi GermanyService wbr branch LuftwaffeYears of service 1941RankOberleutnantUnitJG 53Battles warsWorld War II Battle of Britain Operation BarbarossaAwardsKnight s Cross of the Iron Cross Contents 1 Career 2 Victories 3 Awards 4 Notes 5 References 5 1 Citations 5 2 Bibliography 6 External linksCareer editAfter 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 Molders 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 editNo Date Time Unit amp 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 AAAwards editFlugzeugfuhrerabzeichen 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 edit According to Scherzer as pilot in the 9 Jagdgeschwader 53 9 References editCitations edit Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries website Aces of the Luftwaffe website Weal 2007 p 38 Weal 2007 pg 48 Spick 2006 pp 121 123 Luftwaffe Air Units Single Engined Fighters website Aces of the Luftwaffe website Fellgiebel 2000 p 381 Scherzer 2007 p 669 Bibliography edit Fellgiebel Walther Peer in German 2000 1986 Die Trager des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 1945 Die Inhaber der hochsten 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 Ritterkreuztrager 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 Ritterkreuztrager 1939 1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer Luftwaffe Kriegsmarine Waffen SS Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbundeter Streitkrafte 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 editAces 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 Portals nbsp Aviation nbsp Biography Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Erich Schmidt pilot amp oldid 1211044754, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
