Hptm. Walter Schön

[Doug Stankey]

Well, I am confused!

As we do not have anything about Walter Schön having been a Hptm., I checked the Vasco book and I can find no reference to him! The current version of our file about him reads:

SCHÖN, Walter. (DOB: 08.12.19 in Teplitz-Schönau/Sudetenland). 11.40 Kdr. of III./NJG 1 (to 02.41). 05.04.43 Lt., 3./NJG 1. 31.08.43 Lt., I./NJG 1. 20.10.43 Lt., Adj. Stab I./NJG 1 KIA - He 219 A-0 (G9+CD) vic Gross-Ballerstedt near Stendal, cause unknown. 01.11.43 in NJG 5, promo to Oblt. Credited with 9 victories.

Thus at best, he could only have been an acting Kdr., or more likely was never one at all.

Boiten claims that he had had 9 night victories and no known day victories.
Boiten, Dr. Theo; Roderick J.Mckenzie Nachtjagd War Diaries Volume Two (Walton on Thames: Red Kite, 2008) (Wing Leader, 2011). ISBN: 978-1-908757-01-2.

The loss data is from the recent book:

Scherzer, Veit. Die personellen Verluste der deutschen Nachtjagdgeschwader 1940-1945 (Jena: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag Ranis, 2010). ISBN: 978-3-938845-21-9.

Thus I would guess that he was no more than a Lt. and held no particular position in ZG 2, if he was with that unit at all.