St Kap 1(F)/120

[Andy Fletcher]

Hi Rune,

Hopefully your contact will be able to find out the missing names. Look forward to hearing what you find out, but as Chris says five out of seven isn't bad going.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

[Rune Rautio]

Hei,

I just found Staka No 6: Major Schmidt. I have him on a group photo of the officers of 1.(F)/120 shot 23.08.44 and his signature on a greeting card from the Staffel for New Year 1945.

Now I need his first name, and then just one more Staka...

Also, from an other photo it is clear that Hptm. Heidenreich was in command as early as 19.02.44 (the Staffel's 2500 Feindflug).

Rune

[ju55dk]

Originally Posted by Rune Rautio

Hei,

I just found Staka No 6: Major Schmidt. I have him on a group photo of the officers of 1.(F)/120 shot 23.08.44 and his signature on a greeting card from the Staffel for New Year 1945.

Now I need his first name, and then just one more Staka...

Also, from an other photo it is clear that Hptm. Heidenreich was in command as early as 19.02.44 (the Staffel's 2500 Feindflug).

Rune

On the 06. of march 1945 Truppenoffizier Hptm. Schmitt was Staffelkapitän! He did have a pilotlicense and a observerlicense! Sadly his first name is not qouted. Source:
List of units with commanders under Gen. d. Aufklärungsflieger Jüterborg-Damm 06.03.1945.

Junker

[Rune Rautio]

Hi Jörn,

This is most interesting! I have also found some additional information identifying his as Werner Schmidt (not Schmitt). He obviously took over command after Heidereich as I have him on a photo from July 1944 as well.

Interesting to notice that he was Hauptmann in July, but 23.08.44 and 31.12.44 his rank is seen as Major (personal signatures with that rank), while on my last photo of him, after the surrender in May 1945, he is again having rank Hauptmann.

Looks like he lost a rank somewhere but still kept command of the Staffel... Would that be common?

Rune

[ju55dk]

Hi Rune.

There is something that does'nt add up here. The name on my list is spelled Schmitt. If you lose rank, as an officer, you will normally also lose command and transfer to another unit! I would say that it is two different persons. But the problem is your pictures? So we might have a small mystery on hand here. Does he wear a DKiG on your pictures?

Jörn

[Rune Rautio]

Hi Jörn,

This is very interesting. I also thought that it would not be likely to loose a rank and still keep the command.

I think Hptm Schmitt/Schmidt and Major Schmidt must be two different commanders, and that actually gives us the names off all the 7 Stakas with 1.(F)/120. Unusual with two commanders in row with similar family name, but on the other hand they are both very common.

On my photo of Major Schmidt he has no DK, but he has Spanienkreuz mit Schwerten. I belive it is in silver. He also has EK I, EK II and Gemeinsames Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen and an other abzeichen I can not identify cause of distance. But he has no Frontflug-Spange.

By comparing the photo I have showing Hptm. Schmidt/Schmitt in May 1945, I could not say for sure if it is same person as the one of Major Schmidt as it is shot in a poor angle. But I can see a part of his uniform (left side), and there he has EK II, Front-Flugspange and Gemeinsames Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen. But not the other abzeichen and no EK I.

Hptm. Werner Schmidt/Schmitt seem to have arrived to 1.(F)/120 early summer 1944, as he is not on any previous photos of the officers of the unit. And he seem to have obtained command sometime during early winter 1945. For Major Schmidt I have no further information, as to say if he really took command as early as when Heidenreich was killed - or if we also have a z.b.V. acting in the meantime. Such z.b.V. could in fact have been Hptm. Werner Schmidt as well, as he seem to have been having highest rank at that time.

Would be nice to get some more light on this matter.

Rune