Wolfgang Schellmann
Encyclopedia
Oberstleutnant
Wolfgang Schellmann (2 March 1911 – 22 June 1941) was German
World War II Luftwaffe
Ace, commander of JG 2
and JG 27
and a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Wolfgang Schellmann was credited with 26 victories in over 150 combat missions. He recorded 12 victories during the Spanish Civil War.See also list of Spanish Civil War air aces. Of his 13 victories recorded during World War II, 12 were claimed over the Western front and one over the Eastern front.
Schellmann was given command of the 1st Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88
, the "Condor Legion
", fighting in the Spanish Civil War
. Over the next 18 months he became one of the leading aces in the theatre with 12 victories, second only to Werner Mölders
.
Upon his return to Germany he was awarded the Spanish Cross with Swords and Diamonds
and given command of the I Gruppe of the recently renamed Jagdgeschwader 77
(formerly I./JG 331). At the outbreak of war in September 1939, he led his unit in the invasion of Poland, then afterward took up an administrative post for a short term, in the headquarters of Luftflotte 2
.
On 15 December 1939, Schellmann, now a Hauptmann
was made Gruppenkommandeur
of the newly formed II./Jagdgeschwader 2
"Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd fighter wing), but he only scored his first victory in World War II after the invasion of France, on 15 May 1940. By the end of the campaign he had amassed six further victories. Scoring a further victory on 18 July in the Battle of Britain, on 3 September, he was promoted to Geschwaderkommodore
of JG 2 "Richthofen" as part of Göring's policy to replace the 'Old Guard' fighter commanders with young lions like Werner Mölders
(JG 51), Adolf Galland
(JG 26), Günther Lützow
(JG 3) and Hannes Trautloft
(JG 54). Soon after, on 18 September, he was awarded the 'Ritterkreuz' for his 23 victories (including the 12 in Spain). A month later he made way for the charismatic Helmut Wick
(at the time in a 3-way battle with Galland and Mölders, as top-scoring pilot) and instead took command of the JG 27. Promoted to Major, he led this Geschwader into the Balkan campaign in Spring 1941, scoring a 24th victory in Greece (20 April 1941), before being pulled back to central Poland in June for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
On 22 June 1941, Major Schellmann was probably the highest profile German casualty of the opening day of Operation Barbarossa
. Schellmann's Messerschmitt Bf 109
-E (Werknummer 4189—factory number) was rammed by a I-153 Chaykahe piloted by a Lt Kuzmin just after he had shot down his 25th victim, an I-16, near Grodno. Kuzmin was killed in the collision but Schellmann managed to bail out over Soviet territory and was never seen again. It was believed that whole attempting to make his way back to German lines he was captured and later killed by NKVD
troops.
Wolfgang Schellmann scored 25 victories in 150 missions (including 12 over Spain), and was posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant
(Lieutenant Colonel).
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
Wolfgang Schellmann (2 March 1911 – 22 June 1941) was German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Ace, commander of JG 2
Jagdgeschwader 2
Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" was a World War II Luftwaffe wing. It was named after World War I fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen.-History:...
and JG 27
Jagdgeschwader 27
Jagdgeschwader 27 Afrika was a World War II Luftwaffe Geschwader. It was most famous for service in the North African Campaign, supporting the Deutsches Afrikakorps.- Formation:...
and a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Wolfgang Schellmann was credited with 26 victories in over 150 combat missions. He recorded 12 victories during the Spanish Civil War.See also list of Spanish Civil War air aces. Of his 13 victories recorded during World War II, 12 were claimed over the Western front and one over the Eastern front.
Career
Wolfgang Schellmann started his combat training as one of the select few German pilots at the Lipetzk pilot school in the Soviet Union. After his return and upon the official announcement of the new Luftwaffe, he was given command of the new 2./JG 135 squadron, in March 1935. Two years later, on 19 December 1937, OberleutnantOberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Schellmann was given command of the 1st Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88
Jagdgruppe 88
Jagdgruppe 88 was a German Condor Legion fighter group serving in the Spanish Civil War. J/88 consisted of a headquarters and four squadrons , although the 4th Staffel was short lived...
, the "Condor Legion
Condor Legion
The Condor Legion was a unit composed of volunteers from the German Air Force and from the German Army which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of terror bombing which were used widely in the Second World War...
", fighting in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. Over the next 18 months he became one of the leading aces in the theatre with 12 victories, second only to Werner Mölders
Werner Mölders
Werner Mölders was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. Mölders became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 100 aerial victories—that is, 100 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft, and was...
.
Upon his return to Germany he was awarded the Spanish Cross with Swords and Diamonds
Spanish Cross
The Spanish Cross was an award of Germany given to Germans who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco.- History :With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany sent the Condor Legion to give military aid to Francisco Franco's nationalist forces.On April 14, 1939, Germany...
and given command of the I Gruppe of the recently renamed Jagdgeschwader 77
Jagdgeschwader 77
Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As was a Luftwaffe fighter Geschwader during World War II. It served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediterranean.All three gruppen within the Geschwader operated variants of the...
(formerly I./JG 331). At the outbreak of war in September 1939, he led his unit in the invasion of Poland, then afterward took up an administrative post for a short term, in the headquarters of Luftflotte 2
Luftflotte 2
Luftflotte 2 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed February 1, 1939 in Braunschweig and transferred to Italy on November 15, 1941...
.
On 15 December 1939, Schellmann, now a Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
was made Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of the newly formed II./Jagdgeschwader 2
Jagdgeschwader 2
Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" was a World War II Luftwaffe wing. It was named after World War I fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen.-History:...
"Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd fighter wing), but he only scored his first victory in World War II after the invasion of France, on 15 May 1940. By the end of the campaign he had amassed six further victories. Scoring a further victory on 18 July in the Battle of Britain, on 3 September, he was promoted to Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of JG 2 "Richthofen" as part of Göring's policy to replace the 'Old Guard' fighter commanders with young lions like Werner Mölders
Werner Mölders
Werner Mölders was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. Mölders became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 100 aerial victories—that is, 100 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft, and was...
(JG 51), Adolf Galland
Adolf Galland
Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western and the Defence of the Reich fronts...
(JG 26), Günther Lützow
Günther Lützow
Colonel Günther Lützow was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and a leader in the "Fighter Pilots Revolt". Lützow was credited with 110 victories achieved in over 300 combat missions. He scored 5 victories during the Spanish Civil War...
(JG 3) and Hannes Trautloft
Hannes Trautloft
Johannes "Hannes" Trautloft was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1932 until the end of the war and again from 1957-1970. He flew 560 combat sorties and was credited with 58 victories. He was regarded as a very competent leader, and much respected from those...
(JG 54). Soon after, on 18 September, he was awarded the 'Ritterkreuz' for his 23 victories (including the 12 in Spain). A month later he made way for the charismatic Helmut Wick
Helmut Wick
Major Helmut Paul Emil Wick was a German Luftwaffe ace and fourth 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 by the Third Reich to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military...
(at the time in a 3-way battle with Galland and Mölders, as top-scoring pilot) and instead took command of the JG 27. Promoted to Major, he led this Geschwader into the Balkan campaign in Spring 1941, scoring a 24th victory in Greece (20 April 1941), before being pulled back to central Poland in June for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
On 22 June 1941, Major Schellmann was probably the highest profile German casualty of the opening day of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. Schellmann's Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
-E (Werknummer 4189—factory number) was rammed by a I-153 Chaykahe piloted by a Lt Kuzmin just after he had shot down his 25th victim, an I-16, near Grodno. Kuzmin was killed in the collision but Schellmann managed to bail out over Soviet territory and was never seen again. It was believed that whole attempting to make his way back to German lines he was captured and later killed by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
troops.
Wolfgang Schellmann scored 25 victories in 150 missions (including 12 over Spain), and was posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
(Lieutenant Colonel).
Awards
- Spanish CrossSpanish CrossThe Spanish Cross was an award of Germany given to Germans who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco.- History :With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany sent the Condor Legion to give military aid to Francisco Franco's nationalist forces.On April 14, 1939, Germany...
in Gold with Swords and Diamonds - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939) 2nd and 1st Class - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
on 18 September 1940 as MajorMajor (Germany)Major is a rank of the German military which dates back to the Middle Ages.It equates to Major in the British and US Armies, and is rated OF-3 in NATO.During World War II, the SS equivalent was Sturmbannführer....
and GeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of JG 2 "Richthofen"