Need Staffel for Lt. Hans Schmid of I./ZG52 during FC spring 1940

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Can anyone provide the Staffel for Lt. Hans Schmid, who reportedly achieved 7 victories with I./ZG52 during the Western Campaign of spring 1940? He went on to achieve a total of 6 more with II./ZG2 during the BoB, bringing his total during 1940 to 13, the highest scorer in both I./ZG52 and its successor unit, II./ZG2, yet his Staffel assignment in either unit is apparently unknown. Does anyone know anything about this guy?

Does anyone know a source for the total number of victories awarded to airmen of I./ZG52 during 1940, before it became II./ZG 2? The same question applies to II./ZG2 after the unit changed designation? Information on this unit's victory claims during 1940 to this day remains, at best, fragmentary. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows anything concerning victory claims awarded to airmen from this combined unit during 1940.

Thanx,

[Evgeny Velichko]

Larry - where does that Hans Schmid went after II./ZG2? 4./NJG3?

I wonder if Oblt. Hans Schmid of 1./NJG100 (on Eastern Front) is the same guy? Only a sugestion, but...

I./ZG52 >
on 22.6.40 - Gruppe became II./ZG2 >
on 1.10.40 - II./ZG2 became 4./NJG3 (here he could be posted to I./NJG3 not II./NJG3 >
On 9.42 - Staffel became 2./NJG4 >
on 12.42 - Staffel became 12./NJG5 >
on 1.8.43 - Staffel became 1./NJG100.

With 1./NJG100 Oblt. Hans Schmid flew in april-july 1944, and made 4 night claims.

[Tom Semenza]

Yevgeny,

According to both Gebhard Aders in The History of the German Night Fighter Force and Theo Boiten in The Nachtjagd War Diaries, Hans Schmid had 15 Zerstörer claims plus 13 night claims with 6./NJG 3 and I./NJG 100.

Boiten lists claims 16 through 19 from March to Sept. 1942 as an Oberleutnant in 6./NJG 3. I have found 4 claims with 3./NJG 100 in the period April to July 1944 (Tony Wood's Eastern Front claims lists and Foreman, et al. Luftwaffe Night Fighter Combat Claims.) Foreman lists an additional 4 claims with I./NJG 100 in the period January to April 1945. In April his rank is listed as Hauptmann.

Regards,
Tom

[Evgeny Velichko]

THX Tom! Then, my suggestion is right? Its the same guy?

[Evgeny Velichko]

Also, Tom, could You share any details on his Night claims?

[Tom Semenza]

Certainly, Yevgeny:

29.03.42 01.04 (16.) Wellington Oblt 6.II./NJG 3
18.04.42 03.00 (17.) Wellington Oblt 6.II./NJG 3
29.04.42 01.04 (18.) Wellington Oblt 6.II./NJG 3
29/30.09.42 (19.) Lancaster Oblt 6.II./NJG 3

05.04.44 23.30 (.) U-2 Oblt 3.I./NJG 100
06.07.44 00.24 (.) Il-4 Oblt 3.I./NJG 100
07.07.44 00.17 (.) Il-4 Oblt 3.I./NJG 100
07.07.44 00.43 (.) Il-4 Oblt 3.I./NJG 100
19/20.01.45 (.) Il-4 Oblt I./NJG 100
21/22.03.45 (.) Il-4 Oblt I./NJG 100
17/18.04.45 (.) Il-4 Hptm I./NJG 100
19/20.04.45 (.) Il-4 Hptm I./NJG 100

Assuming that this is a correct listing, one night claim is missing.

Regards,
Tom

[Evgeny Velichko]

Thx a lot Tom!

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Now if we could only come up with documentation of Lt. Hans Schmid's victories in 1940, and his Staffel in I./ZG52 during the WC, and later II./ZG2 during the BoB, we'd have this one pretty well answered. At present, however, much of his early career remains a mystery. Please don't lose sight of my original question. It seems strange that the highest scorer in these units during 1940 would have such poor documentation of his career during that period. From the information above, it appears likely that he survived the war. Did anyone ever locate and interview him before his presumed post-war death?

Regards,

[Evgeny Velichko]

Larry:

Sorry, but I have no aswer. If Schmid's FB will be sometime found, then it will help.

Regarding Your questions on I./ZG52 / II./ZG2 claims:

Yes, documents are lost. So, we could go on other way.
Claims were scored by pilots. And (at least some of them) were added to their official score.
II./ZG2 sustained seems the lowest losses among all Gruppen during BoB (idf we will not cound I./ZG76 ). It will help a bit. Some of claims could be filed to them, but we will never know how many.

Uffz. Karl-Heinz Hoyer (MiA)
Uffz. Max Schuler (MiA)
Uffz. Heinz Conrad (KiA)
Maj. Harry Carl (KiA)
Oblt. Ernst Hollenkamp (KiA)
Lt. Jurgen Meyer (KiA)
Hptm. Adolf Schuldt (KiA)
Fw. Lorenz Beil (KiA)
Uffz. Hermann Deuker (MiA)
Lt. Hans-Dietrich Albert (KiA)
Lt. Karl Stix (PoW)
Lt. Schunemann (KiA)
Oblt. Willi Brede (PoW)

So, for all Battle of Britain only 12 pilots were killed. That mean, the rest survived and were to became Night fighters with 4./NJG3. Yes, probably, some of them refused to be nightfighters, and were transferred to other units. Then, some of them were later transferred to other NJG Gruppen.

I think, Larry, that it is worth to look in NJG units and it's pilots so find out who survived BoB with II./ZG2, and how many victories each of them got prior to NJG. Hans Schmid is just an example of one of them. Other were - Hoffmann, Elstermann...

For example:
Kurt Loos, served with ZG2 in 1940, and later with 2./NJG1 and later with NJG5. Had 13 night victories. Had DKiG. But who knows, may be he had some claims before became nightfighter... I know, it is bad method, but if You will check early 4./NJG3 pilots list, You will find needed men. Those could have 1 or 2 or 3 claims with II./ZG2 in 1940, but is is better then nothing.

Hptm. Peters, who came to lead I./NJG3 (former V./LG1) and later became StaKa of one o Staffel within that Gruppe, is known to came from ZG2. Was he a StaKa of 4./ZG2 in later stages of BoB? How many claims he had?