Rudolf Schoenert | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1911-07-27)27 July 1911 Glogau,Silesia |
| Died | 30 November 1985(1985-11-30) (aged 74) provinceManitoba,Canada |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1933–45 |
| Rank | Major of theReserves |
| Commands | 4./NJG 2,Nachtjagdgruppe 10 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Rudolf Schoenert (27 July 1911 – 30 November 1985) was the seventh highest scoringnight fighterflying ace in the GermanLuftwaffe duringWorld War II. He was also a recipient of theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Schoenert was born on 27 July 1911 inGlogau in theProvince of Silesia, aprovince of the GermanKingdom of Prussia, today it is Głogów in Poland. On 22 May 1933, he started flight training as a civil pilot with theDeutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (German Air Transport School) inBraunschweig. From 4 December 1936 to 26 February 1937, he received hisrecruit training. On 1 April 1937, Schoenert started working as a civil flight instructor.[1]
After five years in the Merchant Navy, Schoenert began flight training in 1933 and went on to fly commercial aircraft for Lufthansa. He was commissioned as aLeutnant in the Luftwaffe's Reserve in 1938.
Following the 1939 aerialBattle of the Heligoland Bight,Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating theDefence of the Reich campaign.[2] By mid-1940,Generalmajor (Brigadier General)Josef Kammhuber had established a nightair defense system dubbed theKammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped withradars andsearchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named aHimmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as theLichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.[3]
In June 1941, Schoenert joined 4./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) at Bergen in northern Holland. He was credited with his first aerial victory on the night of 8/9 July 1941 when he claimed anArmstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber shot down at 02:51 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest ofVlieland.[4] His total stood at 22 by 25 July 1942 and he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).
Schoenert is recognized as the instigator of upward-firing armament in German night fighter force. The concept, dubbedSchräge Musik (Jazz Music) was first suggested by him in 1941. Kammhuber initially rejected the idea based on reports filed byHelmut Lent andWerner Streib. Following the Knight's Cross presentation, Schoenert again petitioned the idea to Kammhuber who approved the installation of upward-firing armament in threeDornier Do 217J, one of which issued to Schoenert.[5]
On 1 December 1942, Schoenert was madeGruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the newly formed II.Gruppe ofNachtjagdgeschwader 5 (NJG 5—5th Night Fighter Wing).[6] TheGruppe was equipped withMesserschmitt Bf 110heavy fighter. Schoenert brought to theGruppe his modified Do 217 fighter which was inspected byOberfeldwebel Paul Mahle, an armorer attached to II.Gruppe. Mahle analyzed the concept and installed upward-firing guns into the cockpit of two Bf 110 night fighters.[5][7]
Schoenert claimed the first aerial victory withSchräge Musik in May 1943.[8]
In his autobiography, fellow night fighter pilotWilhelm Johnen recalls an evening atParchim airfield where Schoenert opened a window, gazed at the sunset and described how as a young sailor he had had friends of varied nationalities, 'Britishers, Norwegians, Danes and Germans' and that in the future 'the iron carapace in which the nations shroud themselves, the outward symbols of which are emblems and threats, must be swept away, for the more the modern world uses science, the bloodier will the battles become ... this bloody murder must come to an end'.[9]
On 5 August 1943, Schoenert was appointedGruppenkommandeur of I.Gruppe ofNachtjagdgeschwader 100 (NJG 100—100th Night Fighter Wing), replacingHauptmannHeinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein who was transferred.[10] NJG 100 was operating on theEastern Front, where he claimed to have shot down 30 Soviet aircraft by early 1944. While there, he utilised aJunkers Ju 87D-5 "Stuka"dive-bomber with the configuration in an effort to target the slow-flying Soviet biplane fighter-bombers.[11] On 1 January 1944, Schoenert was appointed commander ofNachtjagdgruppe 10 (NJGr 10—10th Night Fighter Group) and transferred command of I.Gruppe of NJG 100 toMajor Alois Lechner.[12]
On 11 April 1944, Schoenert was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), the 450th soldier to receive this distinction. The presentation was made byAdolf Hitler at theBerghof, Hitler's residence in theObersalzberg of theBavarian Alps, on 5 May 1944.[13] Also present at the ceremony wereAnton Hafner,Otto Kittel,Günther Schack,Emil Lang,Alfred Grislawski,Erich Rudorffer,Martin Möbus,Hans-Karl Stepp,Wilhelm Herget,Günther Radusch,Otto Pollmann andFritz Breithaupt, who all received the Oak Leaves on this date.[14]
On 15 November, Schoenert andLeutnantKarl Schnörrer,OberstGordon Gollob,MajorGeorg Christl,HauptmannHeinz Strüning,MajorJosef Fözö formed theguard of honor atWalter Nowotny funeral at theZentralfriedhof in Vienna. Nowotny had beenkilled in action on 8 November 1944. The eulogy was delivered byGeneraloberstOtto Deßloch.[15]
On 6 March 1945, Schoenert succeededOberstleutnantWalter Borchers asGeschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of NJG 5.[6] During a sortie east of the Elbe on 27 April 1945, an electrical fault rendered Schonert's radar unserviceable and hisJunkers Ju 88G was shot down by aRoyal Air Force (RAF)de Havilland Mosquito. He survived and was rescued by German troops.
Schoenert survived the war. Schoenert's radio and wireless operator was usuallyOberfeldwebelJohannes Richter.
According to US historianDavid T. Zabecki, Schoenert was credited with 64 aerial victories.[16] Obermaier lists Schoenert with 65 aerial victories claimed in 376 combat missions, including 35 Soviet aircraft on theEastern Front.[17] Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors ofLuftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched theGerman Federal Archives and found records for 59 nocturnal victory claims.[18] Mathews and Foreman also publishedLuftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Schoenert with 62 claims.[19]
| Chronicle of aerial victories | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This and the ? (question mark) indicates that the aerial victory claim is not listed by Foreman, Mathews and Parry, authors ofLuftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945. | ||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Serial No./Squadron No. | |
| – 4.Staffel ofNachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[20] | ||||||
| 1 | 9 July 1941 | 02:51 | Whitley | 60 km (37 mi) northwest ofVlieland[4] | WhitleyZ6555/No. 78 Squadron RAF[21] | |
| 2 | 9 July 1941 | 03:40 | Whitley | 55 km (34 mi) northwest of Vlieland[22] | ||
| 3 | 17 July 1941 | 00:50 | Wellington | 5 km (3.1 mi) west ofLemmer[22] | ||
| 4 | 4 August 1941 | 00:14 | Wellington | southwest ofStavoren[23] | ||
| 5 | 2 September 1941 | 23:34 | Wellington | 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast ofWangerooge[24] | ||
| 6 | 31 October 1941 | 21:37 | Halifax | north of Wangerooge[25] | ||
| 7 | 31 October 1941 | 22:05 | Halifax | 15 km (9.3 mi) north ofLangeoog[25] | ||
| – 5.Staffel ofNachtjagdgeschwader 2 – | ||||||
| 8 | 1/2 November 1941 | — | Hampden[25] | |||
| 9 | 5/6 November 1941 | — | Hampden[25] | |||
| 10 | 30 November 1941 | 20:52 | Whitley | 10 km (6.2 mi) west ofAurich[26] | WhitleyZ9299/No. 77 Squadron RAF[27] | |
| 11 | 10 January 1942 | 23:15 | Wellington | 17 km (11 mi) northwest of Langeoog[28] | ||
| 12 | 14 January 1942 | 20:50 | Manchester | 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest ofJever[28] | ManchesterL7309/No. 207 Squadron RAF[29] | |
| 13 | 26 January 1942 | 20:56 | Whitley[28] | WhitleyZ9423/No. 51 Squadron RAF[30] | ||
| – 4.Staffel ofNachtjagdgeschwader 2 – | ||||||
| 14 | 28 March 1942 | 23:21 | Halifax[31] | |||
| 15 | 26 April 1942 | 00:24 | Wellington | 25 km (16 mi) southwest ofHelgoland[32] | ||
| 16 | 18 May 1942 | 00:24 | Stirling | 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast ofLeeuwarden[33] | StirlingN6071/No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF[34] | |
| 17 | 7 June 1942 | 02:27 | Wellington | Borkum[35] | ||
| 18 | 20 June 1942 | 01:49 | Wellington | west ofEmden[36] | WellingtonZ1256/No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron[37] | |
| 19 | 23 June 1942 | 01:17 | Wellington | northwest ofBaltrum[36] | ||
| 20 | 23 June 1942 | 02:07 | Stirling | north ofAurich[36] | ||
| – 5.Staffel ofNachtjagdgeschwader 2 – | ||||||
| 21 | 20 July 1942 | 02:51 | Halifax[38] | near Borkum | ||
| 22 | 26/27 July 1942 | — | Halifax[39] | HalifaxW1164/No. 158 Squadron RAF[40] | ||
| 23 | 29 July 1942 | 03:28 | Wellington[39] | WellingtonX3488/No. 419 Squadron RCAF[41] | ||
| –Stab II.Gruppe ofNachtjagdgeschwader 5 – | ||||||
| 24 | 30 March 1943 | 01:30 | Lancaster | northwest ofRerik[42] | LancasterW4931/No. 207 Squadron RAF[43] | |
| 25 | 21 April 1943 | 02:23 | Lancaster | Gedser harbour[44] | LancasterW4756/No. 460 Squadron RAAF[45] | |
| 26 | 2 August 1943 | 02:23 | Halifax | Russia[46] | ||
| –Stab I.Gruppe ofNachtjagdgeschwader 100 – | ||||||
| 27 | 16 August 1943 | 22:08 | TB-7 | Russia[47] | ||
| 28 | 16 August 1943 | 23:36 | R-5 | Russia[47] | ||
| 29 | 16 August 1943 | 23:56 | R-5 | Russia[47] | ||
| 30 | 27 August 1943 | 20:20 | TB-7 | Krotovko[48] | ||
| 31 | 31 August 1943 | 22:01 | Mitchell | Russia[49] | ||
| 32 | 31 August 1943 | 22:21 | Mitchell | Russia[49] | ||
| 33 | 31 August 1943 | 22:37 | Mitchell | Russia[49] | ||
| 34 | 31 August 1943 | 23:00 | Mitchell | Russia[49] | ||
| 35 | 3 September 1943 | 22:34 | Mitchell | Poltava[50] | ||
| 36 | 6 September 1943 | 21:03 | R-5 | Russia[51] | ||
| 37 | 7 September 1943 | 20:58 | DB-3 | east of Slobodka[51] | ||
| 38 | 7 September 1943 | 21:48 | DB-3 | Brünischlschi[51] | ||
| 39 | 7 September 1943 | 22:17 | PS-84 | Grischany[51] | ||
| 40 | 7 September 1943 | 22:29 | PS-84 | Mischaly[51] | ||
| 41 | 20 September 1943 | 23:27 | DB-3 | Kislyaki[52] | ||
| 42 | 20 September 1943 | 23:57 | DB-3 | west Mirgorod[52] | ||
| 43? | ||||||
| 44 | 11 October 1943 | 20:54 | PS-84 | north of Charvovo[53] | ||
| 45 | 11 October 1943 | 21:00 | PS-84 | southeast of Sapolye[53] | ||
| 46 | 11 October 1943 | 21:37 | PS-84 | north of Alexejevo[53] | ||
| 47 | 12 October 1943 | 22:43 | U-2 | southeast of Alexandroka[54] | ||
| 48 | 13 October 1943 | 01:07 | DB-3 | Babinovitski[54] | ||
| 49 | 13 October 1943 | 17:46 | DB-3 | Berseja[54] | ||
| 50 | 13 October 1943 | 21:24 | DB-3 | Russia[54] | ||
| 51 | 14 October 1943 | 18:21 | DB-3 | west of Demenino[54] | ||
| 52 | 14 October 1943 | 18:26 | DB-3 | west of Demenino[54] | ||
| 53 | 14 October 1943 | 18:37 | DB-3 | west of Demenino[54] | ||
| 54 | 14 October 1943 | 20:56 | DB-3 | Naravoki[54] | ||
| 55 | 15 October 1943 | 20:17 | PS-84 | Haschuki[54] | ||
| 56 | 27 October 1943 | 19:37 | DB-3 | Warafina[55] | ||
| 57 | 27 October 1943 | 22:37 | R-5 | Russia[55] | ||
| –Stab ofNachtjagdgruppe 10 – | ||||||
| 59 | 15 February 1944 | 21:08 | Halifax | north-northwest ofBerlin[56] | ||
| 60 | 20 February 1944 | 04:33 | Halifax | 6–10 km (3.7–6.2 mi) southwest ofLeipzig[57] | ||
{{cite book}}:Check|isbn= value: length (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by OberstleutnantWalter Borchers | Commander ofNachtjagdgeschwader 5 5 March 1945 – May 1945 | Succeeded by none |
