Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer

Infobox Military Person
name=Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer
born=birth date|1922|2|16|df=y
died=death date and age|1950|7|15|1922|2|16|df=y
placeofbirth=Calw near Stuttgart
placeofdeath=near Bordeaux


caption=Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer
nickname="Night Ghost of Sint-Truiden"
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
branch=Luftwaffe
serviceyears=1939 - 1945
rank=Major
commands=IV./NJG 1, NJG 4
unit=NJG 1, NJG 4
battles=World War II
*Defense of the Reich
awards="Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwerten und Brillianten"
laterwork=wine business

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer (February 16, 1922-July 15, 1950) is considered on of the top night fighter aces of all time. He flew with the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. All his 121 victories were scored at night, [For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see "List of German World War II night fighter aces"] most against British four-engine bombers. He was nicknamed "The Night Ghost Of St. Trond".

Biography

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was born 16 February 1922 in Calw near Stuttgart. He learned to fly on gliders as a member of a National Political Institutes of Education in 1939. He entered the Luftwaffe as a trainee pilot in November 1939, and underwent flying training at in 1940. In April 1941, Lt. Schnaufer was posted to Nachtjagdschule 1, to learn the rudiments of night-fighting . In November 1941 Schnaufer was posted to II./NJG 1. Schnaufer's first operation came in February, when II./NJG 1 flew escort for the German navy’s capital ships "Scharnhorst", "Gneisenau", and "Prinz Eugen" when they broke out from Brest in the Channel Dash. His first victory was claimed on the night 1/2 June 1942; a Handley Page Halifax over Belgium. However, while attacking a second enemy aircraft, his aircraft was hit by return fire and he was wounded in the leg. He successfully landed his damaged aircraft. By the end of the year, his total stood at 7, with 3 victories recorded on one night. Schnaufer was promoted to Oberleutnant in July 1943, when his total was 17.

Schnaufer was transferred to IV./NJG 1, based in Holland, where he was appointed "Staffelkapitän" in August 1943. "Oberleutnant" Schnaufer was awarded the "Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes" for 42 victories in December 1943. He recorded his 50th victory, (IV./NJG 1’s 500th victory) on the night of 24/25 February 1944.

March 1944 saw Schnaufer appointed "Gruppenkommandeur" IV./NJG 1. He shot down five enemy aircraft on the night of 24/25 May. Hauptmann Schnaufer was awarded the "Eichenlaub" on 24 June for 84 victories and the "Schwerter" on 30 July, with his total at 89.

In September 1944, IV./NJG 1 retreated into Germany, Schnaufer achieved his 100th victory on 9 October 1944. He was awarded the "Brillanten" personally by Adolf Hitler. Schnaufer was then appointed "Geschwaderkommodore" of NJG 4 on 4 November 1944; the youngest "Geschwaderkommodore" in the Luftwaffe at 22. At the end of the year, his victory total stood at 106.

Schnaufer's greatest one-night success came on 21st of February 1945, when he shot down nine Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers in the course of one day: two in the early hours of the morning and a further seven, in just 19 minutes, in the evening.

Post-war research suggests that, in fact, his total that day could be 10, one claim not having been acknowledged.

On 7 March, he shot down three RAF four-engine bombers as his last victories of the war. Schnaufer was taken prisoner by the British Army in Schleswig-Holstein in May 1945, but was released later that year when he took over the family wine business.

He was killed in a road accident in 1950, his open sports car in collision with a truck near Bordeaux. Heavy gas cylinders from the truck fell on to Schnaufer's car, at least one of them hitting Schnaufer on the head. He died in a hospital on 15 July 1950.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was the top-scoring "Nachtjäger" of World War II. He was credited with 121 victories recorded in just 164 combat missions. His victory total includes 114 RAF four-engine bombers; arguably accounting for more RAF casualties than any other Luftwaffe ace and becoming the third highest Luftwaffe claimant against the Western Allied Air Forces.

His radar operator on his first 12 claims was Fw. "Dr." Baro, while 100 of his claims was with Lt. Fritz Rumpelhardt. His air gunner on 98 claims was "Oberfeldwebel" Wilhelm Gansler. Both the latter received the "Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes".

Schnaufer flew variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 exclusively.

The rudder from his Bf-110, tallying all his kills, is on display in the Imperial War Museum in London. In addition, there is a fin (vertical stabiliser) from a Bf-110 of Schnaufer's showing kills in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Awards

* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Night Fighters in Gold
* Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds
* Wound Badge in Black
* Iron Cross (1939)
** 2nd Class (2 June 1942)
** 1st Class (August/September 1942)
* Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (26 July 1943)
* German Cross in Gold (16 August 1943)
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
** Knight's Cross (31 December 1943)
** 507. Oak Leaves (24 June 1944)
** 84. Swords (30 July 1944)
** 21. Diamonds (16 October 1944)

References

;Notes;Bibliography
* Berger, Florian. "Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges". Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 2006. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Kurowski, Franz. "Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer". Verlagshaus Würzburg, 2007. ISBN 978-3-88189-736-5.
* Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. "Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II". Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
* Price, Alfred. "One of our planes is missing..." (a.k.a. "Schnaufer's 13th Kill"), "History of the Second World War" (Magazine series), Vol. 4, No. 15. London: Purnell and Sons, 1967
* Scutts, Jerry. "German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2". Osprey Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1-85532-696-5.

External links

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* [http://www.luftwaffe.cz/schnaufer.html Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer @ Aces of the Luftwaffe]
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