Wilhelm Steinmann
| Wilhelm Steinmann | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 January 1912 Nuremberg |
| Died | 1 August 1966 (aged 54) Ansbach |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe
|
| Years of service | 1936–45 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
Kampfgeschwader 53 Jagdgeschwader 4 Jagdgeschwader 27 EJG 2 Jagdverband 44 |
| Commands held | I./JG 4 |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Wilhelm Steinmann (12 January 1912 – 1 August 1966) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.
Wilhelm Steinmann joined the Luftwaffe in 1936, training as a bomber pilot. Upon his graduation from training, he was posted to 3./Kampfgeschwader 53 (the 3rd squadron of the 53rd Bomber Group) and flew a Heinkel He 111 in 54 missions in the 1940-1941 campaigns against France and Britain.
In 1941 he joined the staff of Fliegerkorps II (the 2nd Air Corps), under which KG 53 had previously been assigned. He served as a Technical Officer for Gen. Bruno Loerzer before volunteering for re-training as a fighter pilot. Upon completing his course in October 1942, he was posted to the Stab (HQ) flight of I./Jagdgeschwader 27. Following its mauling in North Africa the previous month, at the battle of El Alamein, it had been recently withdrawn to France to rest and reform.
Six months later he was serving with 3./JG 27 when he scored his first victory on 18 May 1943: an RAF Hawker Typhoon over the English Channel. On 1 June he claimed his second victory – an RAF Spitfire. However, it was in fact the Bf 109G-6 of his own Gruppenkommandeur, Hptm Erich Hohagen. Wounded, and forced to bail out, he was very unimpressed with the mis-identification. Steinmann was promptly given a transfer to the backwater command of the Jagdfliegerführer Rumänien (Fighter Command – Romania), arriving on 10 June. The commander, Obstlt Bernhard Woldenga himself used to be a commander of JG 27.
Steinmann was soon deployed into action though – promoted to Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader) of 1./JG 4. Jagdgeschwader 4 was still only a single Gruppe in strength at the time and had been set up to provide air protection against bombing raids on the vital Ploiești oil refineries, north of Bucharest. His next combat success came on 1 August 1943, when he claimed two B-24 ‘Liberator’ bombers during Operation Tidal Wave. Injured by return fire from the bombers he was in hospital for six weeks before returning as StaKa of 1./JG 4 on 14 September.
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