Johann Schmid Explained

Johann Schmid
Birth Date:13 January 1911
Birth Place:Gainfarn, Baden bei Wien, Austria-Hungary
Death Place:English Channel
Allegiance:
Serviceyears:1933–1941
Rank:Major (German: Wehrmacht)
Commands:8./JG 26
Unit:JG 2, JG 26
Battles:
Awards:Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Johann Schmid (13 January 1911 – 6 November 1941) was an Austrian-born Luftwaffe military aviator during the World War II, a fighter ace listed with 45 enemy aircraft shot down. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. All of his aerial victories were claimed over Western Front of World War II.

Born in Gainfarn, Schmid joined the Austrian Air Force in 1933 and subsequently transferred to the Luftwaffe following the Anschluss in 1938. He then served with "Condor Legion" in the latter stages of the Spanish Civil War. Following his return, he was posted German: [[Jagdgeschwader 2]] "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing). Flying with this unit, Schmid claimed his first aerial victory on 14 May 1940 during the Battle of France. Later that year, he served as an instructor and was then posted to German: [[Jagdgeschwader 26]] "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) in July 1940. Following his 24th aerial victory claimed, Schmid was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 August 1941 and appointed German: [[Staffelkapitän]] (squadron leader) of 8. German: [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)#Staffel|Staffel]] of JG 26. He was killed in action on 6 November 1941 when he was shot down over the English Channel. Posthumously, he was promoted to Major (major).

Career

Schmid was born on 13 January 1911 in Gainfarn, in the Baden bei Wien region of Austria. He joined the Austrian Air Force in 1933. After the Anschluss, the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany, in 1938 he was drafted into the Luftwaffe as an German: Oberfeldwebel and flew with the "Condor Legion" in the latter stages of the Spanish Civil War. Upon his return, he was transferred to the 1. German: [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)#Staffel|Staffel]] (1st squadron) of German: [[Jagdgeschwader 2]] "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing), a squadron of I. German: [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)#Gruppe|Gruppe]] (1st group).

Battle of France and Britain

At the start of the Battle of France, I. German: Gruppe of JG 2 supported Army Group A in its advance through the Ardennes towards the Meuse river. On 14 May, the German: Gruppe moved to an airfield near Bastogne. That day, Schmid claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter. On 18 May, Schmid claimed a Westland Lysander army cooperation aircraft shot down near Beauvais. Following the German advance northwest, the German: Gruppe moved to an airfield at Beaulieu that day. The next day, he was credited with the destruction of a Hawker Hurricane fighter near Cambrai. On 20 May, I. German: Gruppe was relocated to Signy-le-Petit where they were deployed on the northern front of Army Group A. That evening, Schmid shot down a Curtiss P-36 Hawk fighter near Péronne.

On 20 September 1940, Schmid claimed his ninth aerial victory, a Spitfire fighter shot down south of London. He was then transferred and served as an instructor.

With German: Jagdgeschwader 26

Following his assignment as an instructor, Schmid joined German: [[Jagdgeschwader 26]] "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) on 10 July 1941. There, he was assigned to the German: [[Stab (Luftwaffe designation)|Geschwaderstab]] (headquarters unit) by German: Oberstleutnant Adolf Galland, the German: [[Geschwaderkommodore]] (wing commander). JG 26 was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a martyr cultivated by the Nazi Party. At the time, the German: Geschwaderstab was based at Audembert near the English Channel. Schmid claimed his first aerial victory with JG 26 on 22 July. That day, Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter Command attacked the Saint-Omer airfield with Supermarine Spitfire fighters from No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron. The following day, the RAF flew an evening "Circus" mission with six Bristol Blenheim bombers to Mazingarbe escorted by Spitfire fighters. The German: Geschwaderstab, led by Galland, intercepted the escorting fighters and Schmid claimed a Spitfire shot down.

On 3 August, the RAF flew a series of anti shipping attacks. Defending against these attacks, Schmid claimed a Spitfire destroyed. Sarkar suggested that his opponent may have been RAF pilot Flight Lieutenant Eric Lock from No. 611 Squadron. Lock, flying Spitfire Mk V W3257, was reported by his own side as shot down by anti-aircraft fire on 3 August 1941 near Boulogne, but whose crash site was not ascertained. Sarkar, who cross referenced Lock's disappearance with Luftwaffe combat claims for the same day, discovered that while Lock's Spitfire was the only RAF plane lost that day, Schmid reported having shot down a Spitfire into the sea near Calais. In reality, Lock was lost in the morning of the 3 August. Schmid claimed his victory in the early evening at 18:32.

Schmid claimed three Spitfire fighters shot down on 7 August likely from No. 12 Group's Digby Wing. That day, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 67 targeting Saint-Omer airfield with six Blenheim bombers escorted by twelve fighter squadrons. Before noon on 9 August, Schmid and his wingman German: Unteroffizier Heinz Richter, claimed two Spitfires from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 452 Squadron. Later that day, Schmid claimed two further Spitfires shot down defending against a "Rodeo" attack by No. 11 Group. The following day, a German freighter came under attack from three Blenheim bombers which took off from RAF Manston at 12:50. The German: Geschwaderstab intercepted the RAF bombers and escort fighters north of Gravelines. In the resulting aerial combat, Schmid claimed two Hurricane fighters from No. 242 Squadron and a Spitfire, the Spitfire managed to return. On 12 August, Schmid shot down a Spitfire fighter from either No. 19 or No. 152 Squadron. That day, Bomber Command attacked Cologne, supported by a number of diversionary missions.

On 19 August, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 81, the mission which also dropped a spare set of artificial legs for Wing Commander Douglas Bader at Saint-Omer airfield. The primary target of the operation was Béthune. Defending against this attack, Schmid claimed a Blenheim bomber which was shot down northwest of Dunkirk and belonged to No. 18 Squadron. That evening, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 82 to Hazebrouck and Schmid shot down a Spitfire fighter belonging to No. 222 Squadron from this attack force, taking his total to 24 aerial victory claims. For this, he was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 21 August 1941 and promoted to German: [[Hauptmann]] (captain).

Squadron leader and death

Along with his promotion, Schmid was appointed German: [[Staffelkapitän]] (squadron leader) of 8. German: Staffel of JG 26, replacing German: Oberleutnant Hans-Jürgen Westphal who had been injured. 8. German: Staffel was subordinated to III. German: Gruppe and at the time commanded by German: Hauptmann Gerhard Schöpfel and based at Ligescourt. On 4 September, he claimed three Spitfires shot down. In total, he was credited with eleven aerial victories in September, with the exception of a Blenheim bomber shot down on 27 September, all of which were Spitfire fighters.

On 6 November 1941, he led the whole III. German: Gruppe into combat against a dozen Spitfires. In this encounter, he claimed a Spitfire shot down. His opponent may have been Sergeant B.M. Geissman of No. 452 Squadron RAAF. Schmid was circling low over the crash site when the wing of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (German: Werknummer 7211—factory number) hit the water in a position 10abbr=offNaNabbr=off northwest of Calais. The aircraft immediately disintegrated and sank, taking Schmid with it. Following his death, he was replaced by German: Oberleutnant Karl Borris as commander of 8. German: Staffel. Posthumously, he was promoted to Major (major).

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Schmid was credited with 45 victories in 137 missions, all over the Western Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces: Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 40 aerial victory claims, plus five further unconfirmed claims, all of which were claimed on the Western Front.

Chronicle of aerial victories
ClaimDateTimeTypeLocationClaimDateTimeTypeLocation
– 1. German: Staffel of German: Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –
Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
114 May 194010:10M.S.406Frésnois
Frésnois 15km (09miles) north-northeast of Montmédy
526 May 194017:03Spitfiresouthwest of Calais
218 May 194007:15LysanderBeauvais630 May 194018:05Potez 63Ducy
319 May 194012:57HurricaneCambrai75 June 194013:10MB.150Connantre
420 May 194018:35Hawk 75Péronne
– 1. German: Staffel of German: Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –
Action at the Channel and over England — 26 June – September 1940
828 July 194010:35Blenheim40km (30miles) northwest of Le Havre920 September 194012:10Spitfiresouth of London
– German: Stab of German: Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –
Action on the Western Front — 10 July – 20 August 1941
1022 July 194119:00Spitfire189 August 194117:45SpitfireGravelines
1123 July 194120:15SpitfireBruges1910 August 194113:00Hurricanenorth of Gravelines
123 August 194118:32Spitfire2010 August 194113:01Hurricanenorth of Gravelines
13?7 August 194111:20SpitfireCampagne21?10 August 194113:03Spitfirenorth of Gravelines
147 August 194111:30Spitfiresoutheast of Calais
southwest of Calais
22?12 August 194113:22Spitfirenorthwest of Vlissingen
157 August 194117:43Spitfirenorth of Ardres
Saint-Omer-Ardes
23?19 August 194112:25Blenheimnorthwest of Dunkirk
169 August 194111:25Spitfire10km (10miles) east of Saint-Omer2419 August 194119:55Spitfirewest of Rubrouck
east of Saint-Omer
179 August 194117:44SpitfireGravelines
– 8. German: Staffel of German: Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –
Action on the Western Front — 21 August – 6 November 1941
2526 August 194119:40Blenheim3627 September 194115:35Spitfire
2627 August 194108:30Spitfire25km (16miles) north of Calais3727 September 194115:50Blenheim
274 September 194117:20Spitfire381 October 194117:37SpitfireDover
284 September 194117:35Spitfire392 October 194118:42SpitfirePas-de-Calais
294 September 194117:50Spitfire403 October 194115:52Spitfire20km (10miles) north of Ostend
307 September 194117:20Spitfire?13 October 194114:35SpitfireBoulogne
3118 September 194116:00Spitfire?13 October 1941SpitfireBoulogne
3220 September 194116:45Spitfire?21 October 194113:00Spitfire
3321 September 194116:10Spitfire27 October 194115:05SpitfireCalais
3421 September 194116:15Spitfire?6 November 194115:48Spitfire10km (10miles) north of Calais
3527 September 194115:23Spitfire

Awards

References

Bibliography