Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt

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Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt (born September 15, 1920 in Kreuztal , Westphalia ; missing since September 7, 1942 near El Alamein , Egypt ) was a highly decorated German fighter pilot in World War II .

Life

The son of the Westphalian factory owner Arno Stahlschmidt was born on September 15, 1920 in Kreuztal and first attended elementary school in his birthplace Kreuztal and later switched to high school in Weidenau / Sieg , where he graduated from high school in April 1939. Then he came to the Reich Labor Service in Eichelsachsen near Gleiwitz .

Influenced by the education of young people in the Third Reich and the start of the war in 1939, Stahlschmidt decided to pursue a career as a professional soldier. He joined the air force and completed basic training as a fighter pilot in Salzwedel . He was then transferred to Wroclaw for further pilot training and then to the Air Force War School in Vienna-Schwechat .

After completing his training, Stahlschmidt came to the Balkans as an ensign in Jagdgeschwader 27 , where the later Nazi pilot idol Hans-Joachim Marseille also served. In April 1941 Stahlschmidt (meanwhile Oberfähnrich ) was relocated with most of JG 27 to the German Africa Corps in North Africa . With his type Bf 109 fighter , he flew his first attack on an ammunition freighter off the coast of Tobruk on June 2, 1941, and then took part with the squadron in air and ground battles in Libya and Egypt . In mid-June, he achieved his first aerial victory over the Halfaya Pass and he was appointed lieutenant .

After further combat missions Stahlschmidt was awarded the Iron Cross II. And I. Class and in October 1941 group adjutant. In November 1941 he returned to the cockpit of his machine when every pilot was needed with the start of the British offensive. In February 1942 he was the first fighter pilot in Africa to be awarded the front flight clasp for fighter pilots in gold with 200 enemy flights . On February 22, 1942, he survived being shot down and was rescued by a German raid . A few days later he was shot down again in an attack on Gobi and was taken prisoner in Poland. After being transferred to a South African unit, he managed to escape on February 27, and after 60 km he reached German troops again.

Thanks to his many kills, Stahlschmidt became one of the most successful fighter pilots in the German Africa Corps, along with Lieutenant Marseille. In June 1942 he was appointed captain of the 2nd squadron of JG 27 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on August 28 after his 40th victory in the air .

Shortly before his 22nd birthday, Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt was reported missing on September 7, 1942, after 59 aerial victories and over 400 enemy flights, during a mission south of El Alamein and was promoted retrospectively to lieutenant. On January 3, 1944, he was posthumously awarded the oak leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .

literature

  • Sims Sims: The Greatest Aces . Harper & Row, 1967, p. 137
  • Gordon Williamson: Knight's Cross with Diamonds Recipients: 1941-1945 . Osprey Publishing, 2006, p. 13, ISBN 1841766445
  • Ernst Obermeier: The Luftwaffe Knight's Cross bearers 1939–1945; Volume 1: The fighter pilots .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 716.
personal data
SURNAME Stahlschmidt, Hans-Arnold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German fighter pilot in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH September 15, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Kreuztal , Westphalia
DATE OF DEATH after September 7, 1942
Place of death El Alamein , Egypt