Rudolf Schoenert

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Rudolf Schoenert
Born(1911-07-27)27 July 1911
Glogau, Silesia
Died30 November 1985(1985-11-30) (aged 74)
province Manitoba, Canada
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) Luftwaffe
Years of service1933–45
RankMajor of the Reserves
Commands held4./NJG 2, Nachtjagdgruppe 10
Battles/warsWorld War II
  • Defense of the Reich
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Rudolf Schoenert (27 July 1911 – 30 November 1985) was the seventh highest scoring night fighter flying ace in the German Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a 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 to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Early life and career[]

Schoenert was born on 27 July 1911 in Glogau in the Province of Silesia, a province of the German Kingdom of Prussia, today it is Głogów in Poland. On 22 May 1933, he started flight training as a civil pilot with the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (German Air Transport School) in Braunschweig. From 4 December 1936 to 26 February 1937, he received his recruit training. On 1 April 1937, Schoenert started working as a civil flight instructor.[1]

World War II[]

After five years in the Merchant Navy, Schoenert began flight training in 1933 and went on to fly commercial aircraft for Lufthansa. He was commissioned as a Leutnant in the Luftwaffe's Reserve in 1938 and in June 1941 joined 4./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) at Bergen in northern Holland. He was credited with his first aerial victory on the night of 8/9 July 1941 when he claimed an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber shot down at 02:51 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Vlieland.[2] His total stood at 22 by 25 July 1942 and he was awarded the Knight's Cross.

Schoenert is recognised as the instigator of upward-firing armament in German night fighter aircraft, which he introduced into his own Dornier Do 17 in 1942. The concept, dubbed Schräge Musik (Jazz Music), was initially rejected by Helmut Lent and Werner Streib. Oberfeldwebel Paul Mahle, an armourer attached to II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 5 (NJG 5—5th Night Fighter Wing) at Parchim, worked closely with Rudolf Schoenert and built his own working prototype of Schräge Musik, which was soon fitted to all of the Gruppe's aircraft.

Schoenert claimed the first aerial victory with Schräge Musik in May 1943.[3] By August he was flying with Nachtjagdgeschwader 100 (NJG 100—100th Night Fighter Wing) over the Eastern Front, where he claimed to have shot down 30 Soviet aircraft by early 1944. While there, he utilised a Junkers Ju 87D-5 "Stuka" dive-bomber with the configuration in an effort to target the slow-flying Soviet biplane fighter-bombers.[4]

On 11 April 1944, Schoenert was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), the 450th soldier to receive this distinction. The presentation was made by Adolf Hitler at the Berghof, Hitler's residence in the Obersalzberg of the Bavarian Alps, on 5 May 1944.[5] Also present at the ceremony were Anton Hafner, Otto Kittel, Günther Schack, Emil Lang, Alfred Grislawski, Erich Rudorffer, Martin Möbus, Hans-Karl Stepp, Wilhelm Herget, Günther Radusch, Otto Pollmann and Fritz Breithaupt, who all received the Oak Leaves on this date.[6]

On 15 November, Schoenert and Leutnant Karl Schnörrer, Oberst Gordon Gollob, Major Georg Christl, Hauptmann Heinz Strüning, Major Josef Fözö formed the guard of honor at Walter Nowotny funeral at the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna. Nowotny had been killed in action on 8 November 1944. The eulogy was delivered by Generaloberst Otto Deßloch.[7]

On 6 March 1945, Schoenert succeeded Oberstleutnant Walter Borchers as Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of NJG 5.[8] During a sortie east of the Elbe on 27 April 1945, an electrical fault rendered Schonert's radar unserviceable and his Junkers Ju 88G was shot down by a Royal Air Force (RAF) de Havilland Mosquito. He survived and was rescued by German troops.

Schoenert survived the war. Schoenert's radio and wireless operator was usually Oberfeldwebel Johannes Richter.

Summary of career[]

Aerial victory claims[]

Schoenert was credited with 65 aerial victories claimed in 376 combat missions, including 35 Soviet aircraft on the Eastern Front.[9]

Awards[]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Stockert 2007, p. 108.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 24.
  3. ^ Hinchliffe 1998, p. 122.
  4. ^ Aders 1978, p. 139.
  5. ^ Stockert 2007, p. 109.
  6. ^ Stockert 2007, pp. 107, 109, 134.
  7. ^ Held 1998, p. 157.
  8. ^ Aders 1978, p. 229.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Obermaier 1989, p. 64.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 25.
  11. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 28.
  12. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 30.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 32.
  14. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 33.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 34.
  16. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 37.
  17. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 38.
  18. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 40.
  19. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 44.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 46.
  21. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 50.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 51.
  23. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 72.
  24. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 76.
  25. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 100.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b c Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 102.
  27. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 107.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 109.
  29. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 110.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 112.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 114.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b c Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 121.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 122.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 125.
  35. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 148.
  36. ^ Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 150.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b Thomas 1998, p. 278.
  38. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 420.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b Scherzer 2007, p. 680.
  40. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 386, 503.
  41. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 81.

Bibliography[]

  • Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Foreman, John; Matthews, Johannes; Parry, Simon (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • Held, Werner (1998). Der Jagdflieger Walter Nowotny Bilder und Dokumente [The Fighter Pilot Walter Nowotny Images and Documents] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-979-9.
  • Hinchliffe, Peter (1998). Luftkrieg bei Nacht 1939–1945 [Air War at Night 1939–1945] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01861-7.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Stockert, Peter (2007). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 5 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 5] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. OCLC 76072662.
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
Military offices
Preceded by
Oberstleutnant Walter Borchers 		Commander of Nachtjagdgeschwader 5
5 March 1945 – May 1945 		Succeeded by
none
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