Rudolf_Schoenert

Rudolf Schoenert

Rudolf Schoenert

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Rudolf Schoenert (27 July 1911 – 30 November 1985) was the seventh highest scoring night fighter flying ace in the German Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight'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.

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Early life and career

Schoenert was born on 27 July 1911 in Glogau in the Province of Silesia, a province of the German Kingdom of Prussia, today it is Głogów in Poland. On 22 May 1933, he started flight training as a civil pilot with the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (German Air Transport School) in Braunschweig. From 4 December 1936 to 26 February 1937, he received his recruit training. On 1 April 1937, Schoenert started working as a civil flight instructor.[1]

World War II

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 a Leutnant in the Luftwaffe's Reserve in 1938.

Night fighter career

A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.[2] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (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 the Lichtenstein 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 an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber shot down at 02:51 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Vlieland.[4] His total stood at 22 by 25 July 1942 and he was awarded the Knight'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, dubbed Schräge Musik (Jazz Music) was first suggested by him in 1941. Kammhuber initially rejected the idea based on reports filed by Helmut Lent and Werner Streib. Following the Knight's Cross presentation, Schoenert again petitioned the idea to Kammhuber who approved the installation of upward-firing armament in three Dornier Do 217J, one of which issued to Schoenert.[5]

Group commander

On 1 December 1942, Schoenert was made Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the newly formed II. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 5 (NJG 5—5th Night Fighter Wing).[6] The Gruppe was equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter. Schoenert brought to the Gruppe his modified Do 217 fighter which was inspected by Oberfeldwebel 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 with Schräge Musik in May 1943.[8]

On 5 August 1943, Schoenert was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 100 (NJG 100—100th Night Fighter Wing), replacing Hauptmann Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein who was transferred.[9] NJG 100 was operating on the Eastern Front, where he claimed to have shot down 30 Soviet aircraft by early 1944. While there, he utilised a Junkers Ju 87D-5 "Stuka" dive-bomber with the configuration in an effort to target the slow-flying Soviet biplane fighter-bombers.[10] On 1 January 1944, Schoenert was appointed commander of Nachtjagdgruppe 10 (NJGr 10—10th Night Fighter Group) and transferred command of I. Gruppe of NJG 100 to Major Alois Lechner.[11]

On 11 April 1944, Schoenert was awarded the Knight'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 by Adolf Hitler at the Berghof, Hitler's residence in the Obersalzberg of the Bavarian Alps, on 5 May 1944.[12] Also present at the ceremony were Anton Hafner, Otto Kittel, Günther Schack, Emil Lang, Alfred Grislawski, Erich Rudorffer, Martin Möbus, Hans-Karl Stepp, Wilhelm Herget, Günther Radusch, Otto Pollmann and Fritz Breithaupt, who all received the Oak Leaves on this date.[13]

On 15 November, Schoenert and Leutnant Karl Schnörrer, Oberst Gordon Gollob, Major Georg Christl, Hauptmann Heinz Strüning, Major Josef Fözö formed the guard of honor at Walter Nowotny funeral at the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna. Nowotny had been killed in action on 8 November 1944. The eulogy was delivered by Generaloberst Otto Deßloch.[14]

On 6 March 1945, Schoenert succeeded Oberstleutnant Walter Borchers as Geschwaderkommodore (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 his Junkers Ju 88G was shot down by a Royal 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 usually Oberfeldwebel Johannes Richter.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Schoenert was credited with 64 aerial victories.[15] Obermaier lists Schoenert with 65 aerial victories claimed in 376 combat missions, including 35 Soviet aircraft on the Eastern Front.[16] Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 59 nocturnal victory claims.[17] Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Schoenert with 62 claims.[18]

More information Chronicle of aerial victories, Claim ...

Awards

References

Citations

  1. [1]
    Stockert 2007, p. 108.
  2. [2]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 9.
  3. [3]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 27.
  4. [4]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 24.
  5. [5]
    Aders 1978, p. 67.
  6. [6]
    Aders 1978, p. 229.
  7. [7]
    Middlebrook 2006, p. 89.
  8. [8]
    Hinchliffe 1998, p. 122.
  9. [9]
    Aders 1978, p. 231.
  10. [10]
    Aders 1978, p. 139.
  11. [11]
    Aders 1978, pp. 230–231.
  12. [12]
    Stockert 2007, p. 109.
  13. [13]
    Stockert 2007, pp. 107, 109, 134.
  14. [14]
    Held 1998, p. 157.
  15. [15]
    Zabecki 2014, p. 1617.
  16. [16]
    Obermaier 1989, p. 64.
  17. [17]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, pp. 35–150.
  18. [18]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1163–1164.
  19. [19]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1163.
  20. [20]
    Whitley Z6555.
  21. [21]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 25.
  22. [22]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 28.
  23. [23]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 30.
  24. [24]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 32.
  25. [25]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 33.
  26. [26]
    Whitley Z9299.
  27. [27]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 34.
  28. [28]
    Manchester L7309.
  29. [29]
    Whitley Z9423.
  30. [30]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 37.
  31. [31]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 38.
  32. [32]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 40.
  33. [33]
    Stirling N6071.
  34. [34]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 44.
  35. [35]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 46.
  36. [36]
    Wellington Z1256.
  37. [37]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 50.
  38. [38]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 51.
  39. [39]
    Halifax W1164.
  40. [40]
    Wellington X3488.
  41. [41]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 72.
  42. [42]
    Lancaster W4931.
  43. [43]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 76.
  44. [44]
    Lancaster W4956.
  45. [45]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 100.
  46. [46]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 102.
  47. [47]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 107.
  48. [48]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 109.
  49. [49]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 110.
  50. [50]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 112.
  51. [51]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 114.
  52. [52]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 121.
  53. [53]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 122.
  54. [54]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 125.
  55. [55]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 148.
  56. [56]
    Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 150.
  57. [57]
    Thomas 1998, p. 278.
  58. [58]
    Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 420.
  59. [59]
    Scherzer 2007, p. 680.
  60. [60]
    Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 386, 503.
  61. [61]
    Fellgiebel 2000, p. 81.

Bibliography

  • Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Foreman, John; Mathews, Johannes; Parry, Simon (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • Held, Werner (1998). Der Jagdflieger Walter Nowotny Bilder und Dokumente [The Fighter Pilot Walter Nowotny Images and Documents] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-979-9.
  • Hinchliffe, Peter (1998). Luftkrieg bei Nacht 1939–1945 [Air War at Night 1939–1945] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01861-7.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • Middlebrook, Martin (2006). The Peenemunde Raid: The Night of 17-18 August 1943. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-84415-336-7.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Stockert, Peter (2007). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 5 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 5] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. OCLC 76072662.
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
  • Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-59884-981-3.
  • Accident description for Halifax W1164 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Manchester L7309 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Lancaster W4931 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Lancaster W4956 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Stirling N6071 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Wellington X3488 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Wellington Z1256 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Whitley Z6555 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 29 September 2022.
  • Accident description for Whitley Z9299 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
  • Accident description for Whitley Z9423 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 12 April 2022.
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