Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt
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| Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt | |
|---|---|
| September 15, 1920 - September 7, 1942 | |
| Nickname | Fiffi |
| Place of birth | Kreuztal near Siegen |
| Place of death | near El Alamein |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1939 - 1942 |
| Rank | Oberleutnant |
| Unit | JG 27 |
| Awards | Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub |
Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt (September 15, 1920 - September 7, 1942) was a German fighter pilot of the highest calibre, and a close friend of the famous desert ace Hans-Joachim Marseille, (158 Kills). He scored all of his 59 victories against the Western Allies in North Africa.
Joining Jagdgeschwader 27 at the beginning of 1941, he took time to adapt to the desert fighting, his first combat claim being a Hawker Hurricane on 15 June 1941. Stahlschmidt's career could have been cut short very early on when in February 1942 he was strafing British Army vehicles, his engine suddenly died. He crash landed just yards away from the enemy who began firing on him. He was taken prisoner by a Free Polish Army unit who beat him and stole his medals. However he made his escape later that night and after a twenty four hour trek on foot through the desert reached the German lines. Just a short time later the mission of the 21 February came within a hair's breadth of being the last one for Stahlschmit. He was part of a formation led by his Staffelkapitan Oblt Homuth. They engaged eleven Curtiss P-40 aircraft approaching them from over Acroma. As Oblt Homuth turned and climbed over the enemy Stahlschmidt fell behind. In a letter to his mother he described the battle:
"I saw the Curtiss planes approximately 300 meters below us and falling away below. These aircraft were no threat to us whatsoever! Now I just wanted to level out of my turning bank, since my colleagues were already at a substantially higher altitude. Keppler (his wingman), overshot me. Once again, I saw the Curtiss planes 300 meters directly below me and counted eleven aircraft. Not suspecting anything untoward, I continued my level climb. All of a sudden there was a loud noise in my cockpit - I'd taken cannon fire. The crate immediately flipped uncontrollably onto its back. Fuel gushed into the cockpit; it began smoking and then I completely lost control of the Bf 109, spiraling down on my back through the Curtisses." Over the intercom I heard the angry voice of Homuth: 'Which of you idiots just let himself get shot down?" "Trailing a long column from my radiator I fell earthward. The water temperature climbed to 140 degrees. At an altitude of 1000 meters I again regained control of the crate. With a bit of flair and fortune I managed to fly the 100 km to our own lines, during which I would only switch the engine for short periods in order to gain altitude for the long glide home." Crash landing near the front line, he escaped the burning wreck with just a pair of singed eyebrows. Back at the Staffel HQ Stahlschmidt learned from Marseille and Homuth that the lead Kittyhawk had pulled up sharply and fired, both were of the opinion it was a wonderful shot. Research suggests the victor was the Australian ace & CO of 112 Squadron Squadron Leader Clive 'Killer' Caldwell.
As the numerical superiority of the British began to tell in the summer of 1942, Stahlschmidt's successes climbed, scoring 25 kills in July 1942 alone. On the 20 August he was awarded the Knight's cross for his 50th Victory. His last kills of the war came on 5 September 1942 when he neatly dispatched two Curtiss P-40 fighter-bombers, his last victim, his 59th aerial victory fell at 1825hrs south of Hammam.
[edit] Death
On 7 September 1942, Stahlschmidt, flying Bf 109 F-4 (Wing Number 8704) “Red 4”, was part of a Schwarm that had taken off on a freie Jagd, and South East of El Alamein they were 'jumped' by a squadron of Spitfires. As one of the last fighters landed at their base in Quotaifiya the pilot reported that he had been involved in a low-level dog-fight with a formation of RAF fighters. Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt did not return and was posted as missing in action, and continues to be missing in action, his exact fate remains unknown to this day, but it is possible he was the victim of the American ace F/Lt. John Curry (7.3 victories) flying with no. 601 Sqn, RAF.
In over 400 combat missions in Africa he had claimed 59 kills, all but four being single engine fighters. On 3 January 1944 he posthumously became the 365th recipient of the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, he was also promoted to Oberleutnant on that date.
In the space of three weeks I gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 27 had been rocked by the deaths of its three top aces, Stahlschmitt's death coming only 24 hours after the death of another JG27 ace Gunther Steinhausen (40 kills),and then followed three weeks later on 30 September 1942 by the death Hans-Joachim Marseille, 'The Star of Africa' (158 kills).
The I/JG 27 fighter Gruppe had claimed 588 aircraft shot down between April 1941- November 1942. Stahlschmidt, Steinhausen and Marseille accounted for 250 of these; a huge 42% of the unit's total.
Understandably, morale fell so low that the Gruppe was withdrawn to Sicily in October. It returned briefly to North Africa but then was withdrawn from the Theatre for the final time in December of 1942.
