Karl Heinz Schnell

Karl-Heinz Schnell
Born	10 January 1915 Germany
Died	13 March 2013 (aged 98) Costa Rica
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1936–45
Rank	Major
Unit	Jagdgeschwader 20 Jagdgeschwader 51 Jagdverband 44
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Britain Eastern Front
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 August 1941 Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 10 October 1942[1]

Karl-Heinz Schnell^[2] (10 January 1915 – 13 March 2013)^[3] was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. For the fighter pilots, it was a quantifiable measure of skill and success. Schnell was credited with 72 aerial victories in over 500 combat missions.^[4]

Military career

At the start of the war, Lieutenant Karl-Heinz ‘Bubi’ Schnell was assigned to I./JG 71,^[5] an independent fighter-group. When this unit was flagged for absorption into Jagdgeschwader 51 (the 51st Fighter Wing) on 1 November 1939 he was transferred to the newly formed 3./JG 20 - itself part of an independent fighter-group, but also seconded to JG 51.

Through the opening of the campaign in the west, in May 1940, I./JG 20 met very little aerial opposition covering the advance into Holland and then Belgium. Instead, all attention was focused on the dramatic breakthrough to the south. Indeed, it was only on the day the unit transferred to airfields at Ghent, on 29 September, against the Allied evacuation at Dunkirk, that Schnell got his first victory - an RAF Spitfire. The rest of the French campaign was very quiet - a second victory on 11 June - as JG 51 pushed west down the French coast. But as most other fighter units were sent home to rest before the expected battles with the RAF, JG 51 (and I./JG 20) was left on overwatch on the English Channel. Far from being a quiet respite, it yielded three further victories for Schnell over the next weeks.

A period of leave followed over July and August. During his absence, on 4 July, I./JG 20 was officially renamed III./JG 51 (merely reflecting the reality of operations in the field). His own unit was renamed 9./JG 51 and upon his return, as the battle neared its climax, he quickly set about making up for lost time, doubling his score to eight in the next busy fortnight as well as earning a promotion to Oberleutnant. On 1 October he was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) replacing Arnold Lignitz (himself promoted to command III./JG 54).

After that, it was obvious that the battle could not be won, and operations therefore wound down. Schnell only scored a solitary victory (on 25 October) in the next nine months on the Channel front, until his unit was finally withdrawn to the Reich in May 1941. It was only a short lay-over though, until transferred to airbases east of Warsaw for the upcomingOperation Barbarossa - the invasion of Russia.

Although he missed out on the opening day’s carnage, Schnell quickly made up for it on 24 June, downing seven bombers in 3 missions (including four in four minutes)^[6] when JG 51 in total claimed 82 victories.^[7] By the time JG 51 became the first Geschwader to claim 1000 victories in the war, on 30 June, Schnell’s own tally had risen to 22.

Schnell soon became one of the leading scorers in III./JG 51, reaching 31 by the end of July. In recognition of this, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross on 1 August, becoming the fourth in his Gruppe to be so honoured. When JG 51’s collective total reached 2000 victories on 7 September with the Battle of Smolensk raging (doubling in less than ten weeks), Schnell’s personal score had risen to 38. Over the rest of the year, as the weather worsened, his unit fought in the major encirclement of Kiev and then in the abortive attack on Moscow.

Schnell was fortunate to be spared the bitter Russian winter when he was seconded on temporary assignment (as many experienced pilots were) as commander of the newly established 5./JFS 5 – a fighter-pilot training unit – from October 1941 to the end of April 1942.^[8] He was recalled to JG 51 to take command of the 5th Squadron on 23 May, succeeding Hans Strelow, a 68-victory ace who had been shot down behind enemy lines.

Although II./JG 51 covered a very stable part of the front (it stayed based in Bryansk from January to August 1942), there were still sporadic periods of intense air activity, as the Soviets staged offensives to distract and draw off support from their collapsing southern front. Schnell continued to score; he claimed seven in one day (5 July) to take him to 52 victories. A further six (or five^[9]) victories on 2 August took his score to 58 victories.

Soon after on 8 August, now as a Hauptmann (captain), he was promoted to command his former unit, III./JG 51, succeeding the long-serving Richard Leppla, his commander since November 1940, who had been severely injured. Based at Dugino, directly west of Moscow, he was straight away into the frantic battles for air superiority over the Rzhev salient. Forced to bail out twice in the month, he later noted:

“As I was swinging down in my parachute in a wonderful stillness, I thought of those at home. Back home, my parents calmly had their Sunday morning coffee by that time.” ^[10]

Now also burdened with the administrative duties of command, combat opportunities were more limited after his 65th victory in late September. During his tenure, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (on 10 October 1942) and also oversaw the unit’s transition onto the new Fw190A fighter in November.

On 17 January 1943, in a tragic take-off accident, JG 51’s Kommodore Karl-Gottfried Nordmann’s plane collided with that of I./JG 51 Kommandeur Rudolf Busch, killing the latter. So traumatized was Nordmann by the incident that he refused to fly combat missions again, and Schnell unofficially took over leading the Geschwader in the air.^[11] This gave him the opportunity to pick up another half-dozen victories over the next few months, as the German Army finally withdrew from in front of Moscow to straighten the front line.

A lull finally fell over the central front in June 1943. Because of either niggling wounds^[12] or his increasingly outspoken criticism of the High Command’s running of the campaign^[13][14] on 23 June Karl-Heinz was transferred back to the Reich (now on 72 victories) to command another pilot-training unit: I./JG 106. But barely a fortnight later, he was again transferred, this time to the Mediterranean theatre to take temporary command of II./JG 53 in the absence of regular Kommandeur Gerhard Michalski, and which had just been pulled out from the invasion of Sicily. In his two-month stay he scored no victories, but supervised the unit’s retreat from the toe of Italy, past Naples and Rome, onto Lucca in Tuscany, as the Western Allies prepared to storm ashore onto mainland Europe.

On 24 September 1943, with Michalski’s return, Schnell was recalled to I./JG 106. Although promoted to major on 1 October, he remained “in exile" for the next year. This probably saved his life, unlike so many of his contemporaries left in the meat-grinder that was the last year of the war. He was given command of the JG 102 training unit in August 1944 until it was nominally disbanded on 15 March 1945. By then he was already in hospital nursing his ongoing injuries. Schnell was finally drawn back to a front-line unit, answering Johannes Steinhoff’s call to join Adolf Galland’s band of elite ‘malcontents’ in JV 44. There he served as Platzausbau officer (in charge of airfield infrastructure)^[15] until the end of the war. One of his last duties, on 4 May 1945, was being dispatched by his CO, Heinz Bär, from their last airbase in Salzburg, Austria, to the nearby American forces to get their surrender instructions.^[16]

Karl-Heinz Schnell flew over 500 missions and is credited with 72 air victories. Of these, 9 were scored on the Western Front and the remaining 62 were over Russia.

Victories

No	Date	Time	Unit & Airfield	Gruppe Kommandeur[17]	Location / Planquad	Claimed Aircraft	Source / Comments[18][19]
1	29 May 1940	19:15	3./JG 20 – Ghent-St Denis	Hptm Hannes Trautloft	NE of Calais	Spitfire	OKL, Prien & Bock
2	11 June 1940	19:35	3./JG 20 – Estrées-lès-Crécy	Hptm Hannes Trautloft	S of Rouen	Beaufort	OKL, Prien & Bock
3	28 June 1940	19:20	3./JG 20 – St. Omer-Nord	Hptm Hannes Trautloft	10 km W of Calais	Hurricane	C.2036/II, Prien & Bock
4	30 June 1940	12:50	3./JG 20 – St. Omer-Nord	Hptm Hannes Trautloft	S of St Omer	Blenheim	C.2036/II, Prien & Bock
5	24 August 1940	9:40	9./JG 51 – St. Omer-Nord	Hptm Hannes Trautloft	?	Curtiss P-36 ?	OKL, Prien & Bock
6	28 August 1940	18:10	9./JG 51 – St. Omer-Nord	Hptm Walter Oesau	Canterbury : 6000m	Hurricane	OKL, Prien & Bock
7	4 September 1940	14:24	9./JG 51 – St. Omer-Nord	Hptm Walter Oesau	S of London	Spitfire	OKL, Prien & Bock
8	4 September 1940	14:25	9./JG 51 - St. Omer-Nord	Hptm Walter Oesau	S of London	Hurricane	OKL, Prien & Bock
9	25 October 1940	13:15	9./JG 51 - St. Omer-Nord	Hptm Walter Oesau	?	Hurricane	OKL, Prien & Bock
10	24 June 1941	10:58	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	DB-3	C.2036/II AnerkNr 64
11	24 June 1941	14:00	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 68
12	24 June 1941	14:00	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 69
13	24 June 1941	17:51	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 79
14	24 June 1941	17:52	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 81
15	24 June 1941	17:53	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 82
16	24 June 1941	17:53	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 83
17	26 June 1941	10:55	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	Belorussia ?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 87
18	26 June 1941	15:50	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	SE of Wygonowskie See	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 88
19	29 June 1941	17:50	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	SB-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 90
20	30 June 1941	14:28	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	DB-3	C.2036/II AnerkNr 92
21	30 June 1941	18:55	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	DB-3	C.2036/II AnerkNr 96
22	30 June 1941	19:00	9./JG 51 - Halaszi	Hptm Richard Leppla	5 km NE of Bobruisk	DB-3	Prien & Bock
23	2 July 1941	14:50	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	DB-3	C.2036/II AnerkNr 97
24	5 July 1941	15:22	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	DB-3	C.2036/II AnerkNr 98
25	5 July 1941	15:23	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	DB-3	C.2036/II AnerkNr 99
26	11 July 1941	6:25	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 101
27	11 July 1941	14:07	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 102
28	11 July 1941	19:20	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 104
29	13 July 1941	16:45	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	I-16	C.2036/II AnerkNr 103
30	13 July 1941	16:55	9./JG 51 - Stara Bychow	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	I-16	Prien & Bock
unc.	28 July 1941	?	9./JG 51 - Smolensk	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	DB-3	Prien & Bock
31	29 July 1941	18:10	9./JG 51 - Smolensk	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	DB-3	C.2036/II AnerkNr 108
32	9 August 1941	13:05	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 110
33	9 August 1941	13:05	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 111
34	9 August 1941	13:07	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 171
35	9 August 1941	13:09	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 172
36	11 August 1941	7:45	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	Prien & Bock
37	13 August 1941	17:08	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Il-2	C.2032/II AnerkNr 399
38	7 September 1941	12:25	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	Pe-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 160
39	7 September 1941	17:40	9./JG 51 - Schatalovka	Hptm Richard Leppla	?	I-16	C.2036/II AnerkNr 161
?	28 May 1942	9:35	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Richard Leppla	N of Roslavl : 800m	Il-2	C.2036/II AnerkNr 101
?	2 July 1942	17:50	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	36 212 : treetop	Il-2	C.2025/I AnerkNr ASM
46	5 July 1942	?	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	?	?
47	5 July 1942	?	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	?	?
48	5 July 1942	?	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	?	?
49	5 July 1942	?	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	?	?
50	5 July 1942	?	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	?	?
51	5 July 1942	?	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	?	?
52	5 July 1942	?	5./JG 51 - Bryansk	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	?	?
53	2 August 1942	13:15	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	47 554 : 300m	Il-2	C.2025/I
54	2 August 1942	13:20	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	47 552 : 300m	Il-2	C.2025/I
55	2 August 1942	13:25	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	47 542 : 300m	Il-2	C.2025/I
56	2 August 1942	15:10	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	47 553 : 500m	Il-2	C.2025/I AnerkNr 445
57	2 August 1942	16:37	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	47 581 : 500m	Il-2	C.2025/I
58	3 August 1942	12:35	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	47 554 : 400m	Il-2	C.2025/I AnerkNr 450
59	8 August 1942	18:24	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	47 524 : 2000m	Pe-2	C.2025/I AnerkNr 389
60	22 August 1942	16:01	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	54 434 : 400m	Pe-2	C.2032/II AnerkNr 407
61	22 August 1942	18:35	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	54 421 : treetop	Il-2	C.2032/II AnerkNr 410
62	22 August 1942	18:35	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	54 421	Il-2	C.2032/II AnerkNr 456
63	23 August 1942	17:31	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	54 414 : treetop	Il-2	C.2032/II AnerkNr 419
64	5 September 1942	17:03	5./JG 51 – Orel-Nord	Hptm Hartmann Grasser	SE of Styschupka	Il-2	C.2032/II AnerkNr 475
65	26 September 1942	12:25	III./JG 51 – Dugino	Maj Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	47 521 : 2000m	LaGG-3	C.2032/II AnerkNr 127
66	29 January 1943	10:20	III./JG 51 – Orel	Maj Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	63 451 : 100m	Il-2	C.2035/I AnerkNr 134
67	29 January 1943	10:22	III./JG 51 – Orel	Maj Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	63 451 : 100m	Il-2	C.2035/I AnerkNr 135
68	29 January 1943	10:25	III./JG 51 – Orel	Maj Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	63 451 : 100m	Il-2	C.2035/I AnerkNr 137
69	6 February 1943	13:25	III./JG 51 – Orel	ObtLt Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	63 624 : 50m	Il-2	C.2035/I AnerkNr 134
70	24 February 1943	10:25	III./JG 51 – Dugino	ObtLt Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	44 434 : 200m	Il-2	C.2035/I AnerkNr 140
71	9 March 1943	8:12	III./JG 51 – Dugino	ObtLt Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	63 294 : 3000m	LaGG-3	C.2032/II AnerkNr 141
72	13 May 1943	5:10	III./JG 51 – Dugino	ObtLt Karl-Gottfried Nordmann	63 223 : 1200m	LaGG-3	C.2032/II AnerkNr 142

References

Citations

1. "SCHNELL, Karl-Heinz". World War 2 Awards. 10 October 1942. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
2. "Schnell". Leisure Galleries. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
3. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945". Ritterkreuz. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
4. "Pilot Profile - Karl-Heinz Schnell". World naval ships. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
5. Weal 2006, pg. 90.
6. Bergström, Dikov, Antipov 2006, pg109.
7. Weal 2006, pg. 60.
8. Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries website.
9. Bergström, Dikov, Antipov 2006, pg113.
10. Bergström, Dikov, Antipov 2006, p. 121.
11. Weal 2006, p. 90.
12. Forsyth, pg. 26.
13. Weal 2006, pg. 90.
14. Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries website.
15. Forsyth, pg. 63.
16. Forsyth, pp. 119-120.
17. Luftwaffe Air Units: Single–Engined Fighters website.
18. Aces of the Luftwaffe website.
19. Worldnavalships.com website.

Bibliography

• Bergström, Christer; Dikov, Andrey; Antipov, Vlad (2006). Black Cross, Red Star Vol 3 Eagle Editions Ltd ISBN 0-9761034-4-3
• Forsythe, Robert (2008). Aviation Elite Units #27: Jagdverband 44 - Squadron of "Experten". Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84603-294-3
• Weal, John (2001). Bf109 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd ISBN 1-84176-084-6.
• Weal, John (1996). Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Russian Front. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-518-7.
• Weal, John (2006). Aviation Elite Units #22: Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders". Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84603-045-5.
• Weal, John (2007). Aviation Elite Units #25: Jagdgeschwader 53 "Pik-As". Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84603-204-2.

External links

• "Pilot Profile - Karl-Heinz Schnell". Retrieved 2013-07-07.
• “Ciel de Gloire”. JG51 http://www.cieldegloire.com/jg_051.php . Retrieved 24 November 2011.
• "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries" (PDF). Schnell, Karl-Heinz. Retrieved 30 August 2013
• "Luftwaffe Fighter Claims". Schnell, Karl-Heinz. Retrieved 7 January 2013
• "The Luftwaffe, 1933-45". JG20. http://www.ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg20.htm . Retrieved 30 August 2013.
• "The Luftwaffe, 1933-45". JG51. http://www.ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg51.htm . Retrieved 30 August 2013.
• "The Luftwaffe, 1933-45". JG53. http://www.ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg53.htm . Retrieved 30 August 2013.