Franz Schieß Explained

Franz Schieß
Birth Date:21 February 1921
Birth Place:St. Pölten, Austria
Death Place:Gulf of Naples, off Ischia, Fascist Italy
Nickname:"Nawratil"
Branch:Army
Serviceyears:Army (1938–40)
Luftwaffe (1940–43)
Rank:Hauptmann
Commands:8./JG 53
Unit:JG 53
Battles:World War II
Awards:Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Franz Schieß (21 February 1921 – 2 September 1943) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace. He claimed 67 victories in 657 missions, (14 on the Eastern Front, and 53 against the Western Allies) whilst flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Career

Schieß, also known as Franz Schiehs, was born on 25 February 1921 in Wörth, part of Sankt Pölten, in Lower Austria. During the Polish campaign, he saw service in the Army before transferring to the Luftwaffe and undergoing fighter pilot training in 1940. Schieß was posted to the Geschwaderstab (Headquarters) of Jagdgeschwader 53,[1] based on the Channel front in March 1941, then served, from December 1941, as Geschwader Adjutant.[2] Staying there for nearly two years, he established a close friendship with the Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn.

On 22 June 1941, the opening day of Operation Barbarossa, Schieß scored his first victories destroying an Polikarpov I-153 biplane fighter and an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber. The members of his Staffel called him "Nawratil", after his radio call sign name. After achieving 14 kills on the Eastern Front he was withdrawn in August, along with the rest of JG 53.

Malta and North Africa

The ground personnel of JG 53 began their relocation to Sicily in late November 1941. The Geschwaderstab followed on 13 December via Mannheim-Sandhofen, Munich-Riem, Naples, finally arriving at Comiso Airfield on 15 December. Operating from Sicily, Schieß flew sorties over Malta scoring 11 victories. Throughout 1942, and re-equipped with the new Bf 109G-2, he outscored his Geschwaderkommodore. In November, the Stab flight itself transferred to Tunisia, where Schieß continued his success, gaining a further 13 victories, including a B-17 four-engined bomber on 29 January 1943 (36th v.)

Leutnant Schieß was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 23 January 1943 as a member of Stab/JG 53.

Squadron leader

On 16 February 1943, the now Oberleutnant Schieß was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8. Staffel of JG 53. He succeeded Oberleutnant Jürgen Harder who had been transferred. He was regarded as one of the most enthusiastic and aggressive pilots in the Mediterranean theatre, and often flew the escort missions for the Ju 52 transports as they tried to evacuate personnel out of Africa. On 18 April he shot down a Spitfire (for his 43rd victory), but nevertheless 24 heavy-laden transports were shot down and a further 35 damaged, in what became known as the "Palm Sunday Massacre".

Even when his unit was evacuated back to Sicily after the fall of Tunis in April 1943, he still flew over to Tunisia each day doing combat missions before returning to Sicily each night, writing home of "wonderful aerial combats". He went on to score 29 victories as leader of 8./JG 53 and reached 50 kills shooting down a P-38 over the sea south of Sicily on 21 May. Schieß was awarded the Knight's Cross on 21 June for 55 victories and then was sent on leave for 2 months, thereby missing the air battles over the invasion of Sicily. Returning to 8./JG 53 in mid-August, his unit was now flying out of southern Italy against the Allies, who were mounting a concerted campaign to destroy the transport net prior to an invasion of the Italian mainland. Schieß shot down 12 enemy aircraft in 11 days, of which seven were P-38 twin-engine fighters. Together with Harder of III./JG 53, Schieß was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann (captain) on 1 September 1943.

Death

The next day, on 2 September 1943, Schieß led a scramble against a USAAF North American B-25 Mitchell bomber formation attacking rail marshalling yards at Cancello, Naples. His unit engaged the fighter escort of P-38 Lightnings. Unable to break through the fighter screen to attack the bombers, he followed the force back over the Gulf of Salerno. His final battle took place over the island of Ischia; at around 13:45, the pilots heard Franz Schieß radio: "At them again, everyone get ready!" At the time, the formation was 30to southwest of Ischia when Hauptmann Schieß's wingman was forced away by two Lightnings and lost sight of his Staffelkapitän. Ten of the P-38s were shot down, but Schieß's Bf 109 G-6 "Black 1 + I" (Werknummer 160 022—factory number) crashed into the Mediterranean 30to south-southwest of Ischia in the Gulf of Salerno. Though not witnessed, he was probably shot down by a P-38.

On September 27 Günther von Maltzahn wrote to Schieß's parents expressing the close friendship they shared:

I ask that you and your husband accept my and my Geschwader's most sincere and heartfelt sympathy on the unspeakably hard stroke of fate which befell your son Franz.

I can sympathize with how hard it must be to come to terms with thoughts that you will never see your son Franz again in this life. One could not have wished for a better officer. Not only did there exist a comradeship and a mutual trust between Kommodore and adjutant that was tested in far more than 100 air battles, but in him I lost my best friend, on whom I could depend no matter what the situation.

He is credited with 67 aerial victories in 657 missions. Among those were 17 P-38 Lightnings, making him the highest scoring "Lightning-Killer" of the war.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Schieß was credited with 67 aerial victories. Spick also lists Schieß with 67 aerial victories claimed in 540 combat missions. This figure includes 13 aerial victories in North Africa, a further 40 aerial victories in the Mediterranean theater and 14 more on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 68 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This number includes 14 claims on the Eastern Front and 54 over the Western Allies, including three four-engined bombers.

Chronicle of aerial victories
ClaimDateTimeTypeLocationClaimDateTimeTypeLocation
Stab of Jagdgeschwader 53 –
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 6 August 1941
122 June 194107:25I-153northwest of Kobryn814 July 194111:00SB-3
222 June 194116:35DB-3Biała Podlaska920 July 194117:52I-15vicinity of Uman
324 June 194110:00SB-2northwest of Kobryn1023 July 194106:33I-16vicinity of Uman
424 June 194110:10SB-2vicinity of Kobryn1124 July 194111:45I-16vicinity of Uman
529 June 194119:55SB-3vicinity of Bobruysk1225 July 194118:14I-15northeast of Bila Tserkva
66 July 194114:05DB-3east of Polonne1326 July 194111:00V-11 (Il-2)
77 July 194106:15SB-3east of Polonne1429 July 194117:02SB-3
Stab of Jagdgeschwader 53 –
Mediterranean Theater — 15 December 1941 – 31 December 1942
1525 January 194210:49Hurricanesouth of Malta
south of La Valletta
2417 October 194213:41?Spitfire5km (03miles) north of La Valletta
1624 February 194216:00Hurricanevicinity of Malta2517 November 194213:37SpitfireBône harbour
1715 June 194215:15Beaufighterwest of Linosa2625 November 194212:00Spitfire10km (10miles) north-northwest of Majaz al Bab
187 July 194210:47Spitfirevicinity of Malta273 December 194211:41P-38La Garaet Achkil
199 July 194212:20Spitfirevicinity of Malta284 December 194216:04Boston6km (04miles) south of Jefna
2014 July 194210:32Spitfire5km (03miles) east-southeast of La Valetta
5km (03miles) east-northeast of Zonqor Point Malta
295 December 194215:40P-385km (03miles) west of Djebel Abiod
2118 July 194214:33Spitfire5km (03miles) north of La Valetta5 December 194215:42P-38west of Djebel Abiod
2226 August 194213:17Spitfire12km (07miles) south of La Valetta306 December 194215:58Dragonfly18km (11miles) south of Djebel Abiod
2311 October 194214:35Spitfirevicinity of Malta3118 December 194211:08Spitfire20km (10miles) west of Jefna
Stab of Jagdgeschwader 53 –
Mediterranean Theater — 1 January – 15 February 1943
322 January 194309:07Spitfire20km (10miles) east of Bône3517 January 194314:00P-3828km (17miles) northeast of Béja
334 January 194312:23P-4020km (10miles) southwest of Sbeitla
southwest of Pichon
3629 January 194311:10B-1715km (09miles) northeast of Béja
3416 January 194313:48Hurricane15km (09miles) west-southwest of Tebourba
18km (11miles) southeast of Mateur
3729 January 194311:30P-3812km (07miles) northeast of Bou Arada
12km (07miles) southwest of Mateur
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –
Mediterranean Theater — 16 February – 2 September 1943
3826 February 194317:02Spitfire40km (30miles) north of La Valetta5411 June 194315:37Spitfire20km (10miles) northwest of Pantelleria
3925 March 194309:44Spitfire5km (03miles) northwest of La Valetta5525 June 194312:13B-1730km (20miles) south of Stromboli
405 April 194319:00Spitfiresouthwest of Béja5619 August 194312:20B-1740km (30miles) southeast of Benevento
4111 April 194309:59Spitfire3km (02miles) north of Mateur
7km (04miles) south of Tunis
5720 August 194312:43P-3812km (07miles) north of Grazzanise
4217 April 194319:14Spitfire18km (11miles) north of Medjez el Bab
vicinity of Cap Vito
5821 August 194313:04B-2612km (07miles) west of Capua
4318 April 194318:07Spitfire24km (15miles) southwest of Mateur5922 August 194312:17B-2650km (30miles) southwest of Capri
4429 April 194316:02P-383km (02miles) north of Cape Farina6023 August 194311:30Catalinasouth of Capri
458 May 194318:45P-408km (05miles) southeast of Cape Bon?26 August 194312:52B-26
468 May 194319:00P-4010km (10miles) northeast of Zembra
18km (11miles) east of Kelebia
6126 August 194312:52?P-388km (05miles) south of Gaeta
2km (01miles) west of Grazzanise
?11 May 194312:25P-4010km (10miles) southwest of Marsala6227 August 194312:39?B-2515km (09miles) northeast of Capua
10km (10miles) north of Benevento
4718 May 194314:15P-38northwest of Trapani6327 August 194312:51?P-3810km (10miles) west of Benevento
40km (30miles) south of Capri
4919 May 194313:47P-3836km (22miles) west of Marettimo6428 August 194315:43P-382km (01miles) east of Altamura
east of Castel Volturno
5021 May 194311:24P-3840km (30miles) north of Pantelleria6528 August 194315:51?P-38east of Castel Volturno
2km (01miles) east of Albaccora
5125 May 194311:03?P-3830km (20miles) northwest of Trapani6630 August 194312:06P-38southwest of Castel Volturno
526 June 194306:42Boston20km (10miles) northwest of Pantelleria6730 August 194312:15P-38southwest of Castel Volturno
5310 June 194315:50P-401km (01miles) west of Pantelleria

Awards

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries website.
  2. Aces of the Luftwaffe website.