Siegfried Schnell
| Siegfried Schnell | |
|---|---|
Siegfried Schnell
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Wumm |
| Born |
23 January 1916 Zielenzig, German Empire |
| Died | 25 February 1944 (aged 28) near Narva, Estonia |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe
|
| Years of service | 1936–44 |
| Rank | Major (posthumous) |
| Unit | JG 2, JG 54 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Siegfried Schnell (born 23 January 1916 – 25 February 1944) was German pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. At the time of his presentation, it was Germany's highest military decoration. Schnell was killed in action on 25 February 1944 against the Soviet Narva offensive shot down by an opposing fighter.
A keen glider-pilot, he joined the Luftwaffe in 1936, and by the start of the war in 1939, he was a Feldwebel serving with 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen", named after the World War I fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen. Stationed on the western border, he saw very little action until the campaign in France started in May 1940. He got his first victory, a French Bloch 152 fighter on 14 May. He was particularly successful in the Battle of Britain and on 7 November off the Isle of Wight, as operations were slowing down and recently commissioned as a Leutnant (on 1 November), he scored his 20th victory. For this feat he was awarded the Knight's Cross, on 9 November.
The focus of the airwar shifted in the next year to the Eastern Front, however Schnell stayed with JG 2 defending the West. On 24 June 1941, only 2 days after the opening of Operation Barbarossa, he was appointed as Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader) of 9./JG 2. Soon after, he shot down nine Supermarine Spitfires in just two days (8 – 9 July) to reach his 44th victory and was immediately awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, at the time being one of the top pilots in Jagdgeschwader 2. He continued to score consistently as the Royal Air Force (RAF) mounted heavier strikes into France, and temporarily held command of III Gruppe from 9 December 1941 to the following 28 January while Kommandeur Hans "Assi" Hahn was on leave. He scored his 52nd (?) victory on 12 February while his unit provided cover for the Kriegsmarine battlecruisers making their 'Channel Dash' back to their ports in Germany. Over the Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942, he shot down five Spitfires to reach his 71st victory.
...
Wikipedia