Werner Schroer

[Teresa Maria]

Dear All,
Was Werner Schroer wounded or not?
In De Zeng and Stankey's database I have found the following:
SCHROER, Werner. (DOB: 12.02.18 in Mülheim/Ruhr). (RES, DKG). Summer 1937 joined the
Luftwaffe. 03.11.37 trf to 4./Flieger-Ers.Abt. 24 (Quakenbrück). 01.07.38 trf to 7./JG 234
(Düsseldorf). 13.08.38 trf to Fliegerhorst-Kp. Düsseldorf. 01.07.39 trf to II./JG 26 – Schulstaffel
Düsseldorf. 01.09.39 trf to Aufkl.Fl.Schule Hildesheim. 16.10.39 trf to Flugkommando 23.
16.05.40 trf to 1./JFS 1. 22.07.40 trf to Erg.JGr. Merseburg. 23.08.40 trf to 2./JG 27. 01.10.40
promo to Lt. 21.04.41 Lt. in I./JG 27 WIA - Bf 109 E-7 (White 3) in a collision during combat, crash
landed at Ain-el-Gazala. 01.03.42 Adjutant I./JG 27 (to 30.06.42). 01.07.42 Oblt./Hptm., appt Staka
8./JG 27 (to 19.04.43). 10.08.42 awarded the Ehrenpokal. 09.09.42 (21.09.42?) Lt., awarded DKG,
III./JG 27. 20.10.42 Lt., awarded Ritterkreuz, Stafü 8./JG 27. 11.02.43 Lt., 8./JG 27. 29.03.43
Hptm., appt acting Kdr. III./JG 27 (to 19.04.43). 20.04.43 Hptm., appt Kdr. II./JG 27 (to 13.03.44).
02.08.43 Hptm., awarded Eichenlaub, Kdr. II./JG 27. 06.09.43 Hptm., Stab II./JG 27. 29.11.43
Hptm., Stab II./JG 27. 01.12.43 promo to Maj. 07.01.44 Maj., Stab II./JG 27. 25.02.44 Maj., Stab
II./JG 27. 14.03.44 appt Kdr. III./JG 54 (to 20.07.44). 20.07.44 trf to
Verbandsführerlehrgang/Gen.d.Jagdflieger as Lehrgangsleiter (to 14.02.45). 04.08.44 shot down
unhurt. 14.02.45 Maj., with, appt Kommodore JG 3 (to 08.05.45). 19.04.45 Maj., awarded
Schwerter, Kommodore JG 3. 05.45 became POW of the British. 02.46 released. Credited with 114
air victories in only 197 combat missions. †10.02.85 in Ottobrunn/Bayern or possibly in Munich.

So, in August 1944 he was shot down unhurt, and nothing is mentioned about May 1944.
On the other hand, John Weal says:
'With Major Schroer currently undergoing hospital treatment...' (in May 1944)
https://books.google.pl/books?id=I4i...chroer&f=false

Was he wounded, or did something else happen to him?
Thank you in advance.

[Spanferkel]

I have Schroers Wehrstammbuch and among his awards he does not appear to have been awarded a wound badge.

That said the WSB does not appear to be complete to the end of the war so it is possible he was awarded a WB and it was just never entered.

Jeremy

[Teresa Maria]

Dear Jeremy.
Thank you very much for your answer. If he wasn't wounded, maybe he was actually ill...? I wonder whether someone knows the answer.

[Spanferkel]

Might be something listed in his WSB I'll take a look and let you know if I find something.

Cheers
Jeremy

[Teresa Maria]

Thank you very much. Maybe it will actually be listed there. :-) Anyway, I'll be waiting.

[Johannes]

Hi Teresa

Off subject Schroer was a genuinely nice guy. Probably the second best Luftwaffe pilot in Afrika(after Marseille). Also note he was an honest claimer.

Kind Regards

Johannes

[FalkeEins]

Originally Posted by Teresa Maria

Dear All,
Was Werner Schroer wounded, or did something else happen to him?
Thank you in advance.

From Jean-Louis Roba's bio in 'Histoire de Guerre' (defunct Belgian magazine) entitled 'The second star of Africa'- in May Schroer was hospitalised because of illness and in August he crash-landed his Fw 190 following a ruptured oil line on a transfer flight to France and was injured and hospitalised in Paris

[Teresa Maria]

Dear FalkeEins,
Thank you very much for your answer. Does Mr Roba perhaps specify what illness it was (in May)?

[Spanferkel]

Just to follow up on my line I was not able to find any additional information on Schroers illness.

Cheers
Jeremy

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear Teresa,

One must only guess, from other readings and books, which illness it was....most of those who flew and fought in Afrika did not eat or drink properly, diarrhea was common to both airmen, infantrymen, etc...(at least for some time or once in their period of combat there).
And, you must consider that Europeans are "not too much prepared" to very hot temperatures (to live and bear it too much time...for months, I am saying). You may remember that even Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox as he was called by the British) was taken back to Europe due to a similar illness...perhaps one will never have the "actual" disease that took Schroer aside (one must have access to Schroer's personall file and Medical File), but one must guess.
I have only had access to one such WW2 RAF flyer personal file, which was sent to me via the Family members...so I was able to have the diseases informed and one idea what they faced, those guys that fought on the Mediterranean Theater....
I can only guess that it was NOT EASY....mentally and phisically either (food, higienic conditions, temperatures high and low on the same journey, hidratation, sun burns, etc.)

Most sincerely yours
Adriano