Wilhelm Schilling
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Wilhelm Schilling | |
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Born | JG 54 | 30 January 1915
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Wilhelm Schilling (30 January 1915 – 14 March 2000) was a
Career
Upon finishing flight training, Wilhelm Schilling joined 3./JG 21 as an
The unit was then transferred to the Balkans and Bucharest, before going to the Eastern Front to prepare for Operation Barbarossa. His first victory of the campaign was on the second day, 23 June 1941, when he shot down a Russian SB-2 bomber. III./JG 54 was based in the north covering the advance to, and siege of, Leningrad. By the end of the year, he had 17 victories. He hadn't advanced his score by 14 February 1942, when he was seriously wounded by Russian ground fire. Returning to the Leningrad Front in March 1942, he was awarded the Ehrenpokal (Goblet of Honour) on 1 July and the German Cross in Gold on 4 August. But he was wounded again by anti-aircraft fire, on September 16, 1942 over Dubrovka in Bf 109 G-2 "Yellow 3" after shooting down an Il-2 bomber. While recovering in hospital at the front he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 10 October for his 46 victories at the time.[1]
In February 1943, III./JG 54 was withdrawn from the Eastern Front to Defence of the Reich duties, in a misguided attempt to rotate the fighter units between west and east. But for the pilots of III./JG 54, used to low-level combats, being thrown in against the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) four-engined bombers at high altitude it was a disaster. In its first two missions the unit lost 15 planes and some of its best pilots. However, they persisted and things gradually improved.[2] Now commissioned as an officer, on 1 August Schilling was promoted to Oberleutnant, and a month later he was promoted to Staffelkapitän (Squadron Leader) of 9./JG 54 in September 1943.
On 20 February 1944, the
After his recovery, he was transferred back to the Eastern Front, succeeding Oberleutnant
Wilhelm Schilling was credited with 50 victories (plus 13 more unconfirmed) in 538 missions, 41 of them on the Eastern Front.
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Schilling was credited with 63 aerial victories.[5]
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Wound Badge in Black or Silver
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant
- Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 1 July 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot[6]
- German Cross in Gold on 4 August 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the III./Jagdgeschwader 54[7]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 54[8][Note 1]
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ Weal 2001, p. 61
- ^ Sundin 1997, p. 74
- ^ Prien et al. 2022, p. 471.
- ^ Weal 2006, p. 93.
- ^ Zabecki 2014, p. 1617.
- ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 180.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 406.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 377.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 662.
Bibliography
- Barbas, Bernd (1985). Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces Vol II. Kookaburra Technical Publishing. ISBN 0-85880-050-0, with picture p. 163
- Bergström. Christer; Dikov, Andrey; Antipov, Vlad (2006). Black Cross, Red Star Vol 3. Eagle Editions Ltd ISBN 0-9761034-4-3, with picture p. 235
- ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- 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.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Trophy for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Balke, Ulf; Bock, Winfried (2022). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 15/II—Einsatz im Osten—1.1. bis 31.12.1944 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 15/II—Action in the East—1 January to 31 December 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-28-4.
- 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.
- Sundin, Claes & Bergström. Christer (1997). Luftwaffe Fighter Aircraft in Profile. Atglen, PA: ISBN 0-7643-0291-4including colour profile of aircraft (#64)
- Weal, John (2001). Aviation Elite Units #6: Jagdgeschwader 54 ‘Grünherz’. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-84176-286-5including colour profile of aircraft (#29)
- Weal, John (1999). Bf 109F/G/K Aces of the Western Front. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-85532-905-0including colour profile of aircraft (#39)
- Weal, John (2006). Bf 109 Defence of the Reich Aces. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 68. Oxford, UK: ISBN 978-1-84176-879-3.
- ISBN 978-1-59884-981-3.