71 Facts About Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was a German Luftwaffe night-fighter pilot and the highest-scoring night fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was nicknamed "The Spook of St Trond", from the location of his unit's base in occupied Belgium.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer flew his first combat sorties in support of Operation Cerberus, the breakout of the German ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen from Brest.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer participated in the Defence of the Reich campaign from 1942 onwards, in which he would achieve most of his success.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 December 1943 for reaching 42 aerial victories.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer achieved his 100th aerial victory on 9 October 1944 and was awarded the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 16 October.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was taken prisoner of war by British forces in May 1945.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer sustained injuries in a road accident on 13 July 1950 during a wine-purchasing visit to France, and died in a Bordeaux hospital two days later.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was born on 16 February 1922 in Calw, located in the Free People's State of Wurttemberg of the German Reich, during the Weimar Republic era.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was the first of four children of mechanical engineer and merchant Alfred Schnaufer and his wife Martha, nee Frey.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer then expanded the business and in addition to the winery offered wine imports, sparkling wines, and a distillery for wine and liqueur.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was considered a very good student, finishing top of his class every year.

In 1939 Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was one of two students posted to the Napola in Potsdam.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer joined the Luftwaffe on 15 November 1939 and underwent his basic military training at the Fliegerausbildungsregiment 42 at Salzwedel.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was appointed as Fahnenjunker on 1 April 1940.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer then attended the advanced Flugzeugfuhrerschule C 3 at Alt Lonnewitz near Torgau and the blind flying school Blindflugschule 2 at Neuburg an der Donau from August 1940 to May 1941.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was then posted for ten weeks to the Zerstorerschule at Wunstorf near Hanover.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer entered front-line service at a time when the RAF was reassessing the air offensive against Germany.

In total, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer made two operational flights without contact with the enemy.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer did not participate in the missions in defence of Cologne.

Therefore, only the most experienced crews were deployed, and Rumpelhardt and Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who had yet to achieve their first aerial victory, were left out.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer shot down a Handley Page Halifax south of Louvain in Belgium.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was hit in his left calf, the port engine was burning, the rudder control cables were severed, and an electrical short circuit caused the landing lights to be permanently on.

Rumpelhardt and Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer considered bailing out but decided to make an attempt for their home airfield after they managed to put out the flames and restart the engine.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer had hoped that he could stay on active duty and that the bullet lodged in his calf would isolate itself.

Rumpelhardt and Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer had attacked a Lancaster and observed it catching fire followed by the aircraft plunging earthwards.

Between 14 May to 3 October 1943, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer claimed 21 further aerial victories in Rumpelhardt's absence; 12 with Leutnant Dr Leo Baro, five with Oberfeldwebel Erich Handke, two with Oberleutnant Freymann and two with Unteroffizier Heinz Barwolf as his radio operators.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer's next victory on the same mission at 03:07, his 9th overall, was a No 98 Squadron Halifax JB873 returning from Bochum.

In June 1943, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer filed claims for a further five aerial victories.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was promoted to Oberleutnant on 1 July 1943.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer had been eligible for this promotion since April 1943, why he was overlooked at the time remains unknown.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 26 July 1943.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer took over command from Oberleutnant Eberhard Gardiewski, who had been taken prisoner of war.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who had received the German Cross in Gold on 16 August 1943, flew his first operational mission with 12.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who had been tasked with leading one of the first Zahme Sau missions under Y-Control, had to abort the mission early due to engine trouble.

Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 42 victories on 31 December 1943.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who had been suffering from stomach pains all day, and his crew returned to Leeuwarden at 00:14.

The stomach pains had become unbearable and Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was taken to a hospital with appendicitis.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer stayed in the hospital for about two weeks before, together with Rumpelhardt, he went on vacation back home.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer flew his first mission after these events on 19 March 1944.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was promoted to Hauptmann on 1 May 1944.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer became an ace-in-a-day for the first time on 25 May 1944 when he claimed five RAF bombers shot down between 01:15 and 01:29 for victories 70 to 74.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer claimed three bombers shot down that night, the first as a Lancaster and the second and third as a Lancaster or Halifax, between 00:27 and 00:34.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer's crew was the only night fighter crew in the entire Luftwaffe of which all crew members wore this decoration.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer achieved his 100th victory on 9 October 1944, when he claimed two bombers shot down from an attack force of 415 bombers targeting Bochum.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 10 October 1944 and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on 16 October 1944.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was the 94th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was then appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 on 20 November 1944; the youngest Geschwaderkommodore in the Luftwaffe at the age of 22.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer flew his first combat mission as Geschwaderkommodore on 22 November 1944 from Gutersloh and claimed two victories in the area of Dortmund.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer became the leading night fighter pilot on 9 November 1944.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer surpassed Oberst Helmut Lent's record of 102 night-time victories, after he claimed three Lancasters shot down from a force of 235 Lancasters from No 5.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was ordered to Carinhall, the residence of the Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring, on 8 February 1945.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer pushed back, not wanting to push out his friend and mentor from this position.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer argued that he would better serve the German cause fighting the enemy.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was one of the influential figures that instigated a brief return to mass intruder operations over England named Operation Gisela.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer recalled that he could fly around as if it was peace time, since all British jamming and interference stopped immediately once he was in Allied airspace.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was then banned from further combat flying and was given the task of evaluating the then new Dornier Do 335, a twin-engine heavy fighter with a unique "push-pull" layout, for its suitability as night fighter.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was taken prisoner of war by the British Army in Schleswig-Holstein in May 1945.

Hinchliffe based his account on Rumpelhardt's testimony who claims that Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was never taken to England.

Rumpelhardt was released on 4 August 1945 and soon after Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was admitted to a hospital in Flensburg, ill with a combination of diphtheria and scarlet fever.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer had never planned to run the family winery; his ambition had always been to pursue an officer's career in the Luftwaffe.

However, in the immediate aftermath of World War II the business had virtually ceased to exist and Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was given the task of rebuilding it from scratch.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer had to re-establish business links to suppliers and customers and to consolidate them.

The Swiss handed them over to the French occupation authorities and they were imprisoned in Lorrach, where they remained until Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer managed to make contact with a French general, who was a customer of the Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer winery and had them released.

In July 1950, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was on a wine buying visit to France.

Alice Ducourneau gave first aid to Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who was bleeding from a wound from the back of his head.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer had suffered a fractured skull, and was immediately taken to the Saint-Andre Hopital in Bordeaux.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer never regained consciousness and succumbed to his injuries at the hospital two days later on 15 July 1950.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was the top-scoring night fighter pilot of World War II.

Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was credited with 121 aerial victories claimed in just 164 combat missions.

Until late 1944, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer documented his aerial victories with detailed geographical locations.