Wolfgang Schnaufer

From The Air Combat Wiki

Top night-fighter ace of all time.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was born 16 February 1922 in Calw, Germany. He grew up in prosperous circumstances, his father being a wine-merchant of some substance - and a convinced Nazi. At age 16 Wolgang was sent to a Napola. 'Napolas' were special nazi border schools with the goal to raise a new generation for the political, military, and administrative leadership of the Nazi state. In 1939 Schnaufer began glider training at the Napola and entered the Luftwaffe as a trainee pilot in November 1939. At the Heavy Fighter School (Zerstorerschule) at Wunstorf he met Fritz Rumpelhardt, who became his Funker (radio/radar operator) and flew with him, with a break in 1943, until the end of the war. At this time Schnaufer and Rumpelhardt agreed to volunteer to fly with the newly-formed Nachtjagd, the night-fighter arm of the Luftwaffe.

In November 1941 Schnaufer was posted to II./NJG 1 at Stade, Germany. Schnaufer's first mission took place in February 42, when II./NJG 1 flew escort for the German navy’s capital ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen when they broke out from Brest in the 'Channel Dash'. On 15 January 1942, Schnaufer's unit transferred to Saint-Trond in Belgium. His first victory was claimed on the night 1/2 June that year; a Handley Page Halifax. However, while attacking a second enemy aircraft, his aircraft was hit by return fire and he was wounded in the leg. He successfully landed his damaged aircraft. By the end of the year, his total stood at 7, with 3 victories recorded on one night.

Schnaufer was promoted Oberleutnant in July 1943, when his score stood at 17. In August he transferred to IV./NJG 1 at Leeuwarden, Holland, where he became Staffelkapitan 12./NJG 1 (IV./NJG 1). He remained there, with a detachment to Quakenbruck in September/December 43, until March 1944, when he was appointed Kommandeur IV./NJG 1 and moved with the unit back to Saint-Trond. By this time he had shot down 47 RAF bombers. There was also, by this time, a third man in Schnaufer's crew, Wilhelm Gansler, employed mainly as a look-out, an "extra pair of eyes". In December 1943 Schnaufer had been awarded the Knight's Cross, with his score standing at 42.

Schnaufer recorded his 50th victory, (and his unit's 500th victory) on the night of 24/25 February 1944 and in march Schnaufer was appointed Gruppenkommandeur IV./NJG 1. His score now began to rise rapidly, he shot down five enemy aircraft on the night of 24/25 May only, and was awarded the Oak Leaves on 24 June for 84 victories, and the Swords on 30 July, with his total at 89. That month also his two crewmen, Rumpelhardt and Gansler, were awarded the Knight's Cross. He was by now called the "Ghost of Saint-Trond" by the British.

In September, IV./NJG 1 retreated into Germany, and Schnaufer achieved his 100th victory on 9 October. He was awarded the Diamonds personally by Adolf Hitler. Schnaufer was then appointed Kommodore of NJG 4 on 4 November 1944; the youngest Kommodore in the Luftwaffe at age 22. By the end of 1944, his victory total stood at 106.

Schnaufer's greatest success came on 21st of February 1945, when he shot down nine RAF heavy bombers in the course of one day: two in the early hours of the morning and a further seven, in just 19 minutes, in the evening. Post-war research suggests that, in fact, his total that day could be ten, one claim not having been acknowledged.

On 7 March 45, he shot down three RAF four-engined bombers as his last victories of the war. That month he also evaluated the Dornier Do 335 for night-fighter duty. At the end of April 45, Schaufer surrendered his unit to the British. He became a POW but was released later that year and took over the family wine business, his father having died during the war.

By the time of his death in 1950 he had built up the business to a very prosperous concern. His end came when, during a wine-purchasing visit to France, he was killed in a road accident. His open sports car collided with a lorry near Bordeaux. The lorry had failed to observe right of way and entered the main road illegally. Heavy gas cylinders from the lorry fell on to Schnaufer's car, at least one of them hitting Schnaufer on the head. He died in hospital two days later, on 15 July.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was the top-scoring night-fighter pilot of World War 2 and flew variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 exclusively, despite being offered a He 219. He was credited with 121 victories recorded in just 164 combat missions. His victory total includes 114 RAF four-engine bombers; arguably accounting for more RAF casualties than any other Luftwaffe ace.

Above Schnaufer's left fin, on display at the Imperial War Museum, London. The right fin, with as many victory marks, is on display at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.