Winfried Schmidt Explained

Winfried Schmidt
Birth Date:	28 February 1915
Birth Place:	Cologne, German Empire
Serviceyears:	1935–1945
Battles:	World War II
Awards:	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Winfried Schmidt (28 February 1915 – 3 August 2009) was a German flying ace of World War II.

Military career

Schmidt claimed his first aerial victory on 18 December 1939 during the Battle of the Heligoland Bight. He was credited with shooting down a Vickers Wellington bomber near Langeoog.

On 23 June 1941, Schmidt was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing). He succeeded Oberleutnant Willy Stange who was killed in action the day before, the first day of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. On 11 July, Schmidt was severely wounded in combat near Fastiv. Schmidt had been hit in the lung by the defensive fire of a Tupolev SB tail gunner. His wingman Leutnant Wilhelm Lemke managed to guide him back to the airfield at Polonne. There, he crashed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 8236—factory number). The next day, Schmidt was replaced by Oberleutnant Franz Beyer as commander of 8. Staffel.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 19 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 14 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and four on the Western Front.

Chronicle of aerial victories
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 – "Phoney War" — 1 September 1939 – 9 May 1940
1	18 December 1939	14:30	Wellington	north of Langeoog north of Wangerooge
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 – Battle of France – 10 May – 25 June 1940
2	13 May 1940	10:27	Hurricane	west of Ghent	4	7 June 1940	15:00	Blenheim	Baie de Somme
3	19 May 1940	16:20	Hurricane	Arras
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 – Battle of Britain and on the English Channel – 26 June 1940 – 9 June 1941
5	26 August 1940	13:20	Spitfire	Ashford
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 – Operation Barbarossa – 22 June – 11 July 1941
6	26 June 1941	06:32	SB-3		13	1 July 1941	05:05	PZL.37	Radionow
7	26 June 1941	06:37	SB-3		14	2 July 1941	12:20	V-11 (Il-2)
8	27 June 1941	15:51	DB-3		15	2 July 1941	18:15	I-153	3km (02miles) southwest of Polonne
9	27 June 1941	15:55	DB-3		16	6 July 1941	18:05	PZL.37
10	29 June 1941	18:50	DB-3		17	8 July 1941	17:50	SB-2
11	30 June 1941	09:50	DB-3		18	10 July 1941	11:30	SB-3
12	30 June 1941	09:55	DB-3	east of Konzec	19	11 July 1941	06:30	DB-3	Polonne

Awards

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 8./Jagdgeschwader 3

References

Bibliography

• Book: Fellgiebel , Walther-Peer .

  de:Walther-Peer Fellgiebel

  . 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 . de . Friedberg, Germany . Podzun-Pallas . 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Book: Goss , Chris . 2020 . Luftwaffe Aces in the Battle of Britain . Air World . 978-1-5267-5424-0.
• Book: Mathews . Andrew Johannes . Foreman . John . 2015 . Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z . Walton on Thames . Red Kite . 978-1-906592-21-9.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . 1996 . Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei der III./Jagdgeschwader 3 in 1940 – 1945 . Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action with the III./Jagdgeschwader 3 in 1940 – 1945 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-33-5.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2001 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 2—Der "Sitzkrieg"—1.9.1939 bis 9.5.1941 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 2—The "Phoney War"—1 September 1939 to 9 May 1940 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-59-5.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2000 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945 Teil 3—Einsatz in Dänemark und Norwegen 9.4. bis 30.11.1940—Der Feldzug im Westen 10.5. bis 25.6.1940 . Fighter Pilot Association of the German Luftwaffe 1934 to 1945 Part 3—Assignments in Denmark and Norway 9 April to 30 November 1940—The campaign in the West 10 May to 25 June 1940 . de . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-61-8.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2002 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/I—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26 June 1940 bis 21 June 1941 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/I—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941 . German . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-63-2.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2003 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-69-4.
• Roland . Bernard . Winfried Schmidt, un as très discret . Avions . July-August 2020 . 235 . 66–75 . Winfried Schmidt, a Very Discrete Ace . fr . 1243-8650 . none.
• Book: 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 . German . Jena, Germany . Scherzers Militaer-Verlag . 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Book: Weal , John . 2006 . Bf 109 Defence of the Reich Aces . Aircraft of the Aces . 68 . . Oxford, UK . 978-1-84176-879-3.