Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt (15 September 1920 – 7 September 1942) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A flying ace, he was credited with 59 victories against the Western Allies in North Africa. Stahlschmidt was a close friend of the prominent ace Hans-Joachim Marseille.
Early life Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt was born on 15 September 1920 in Kreuztal, Westphalia. Following his compulsory Reich Labour Service, Stahlschmidt joined the military service of the Luftwaffe as a cadet on 16 October 1939.
World War II World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. In Salzwedel, Stahlschmidt completed his military basic training. On 15 November 1939, he was posted to the pilot training facilities in Breslau and the Kriegsschule (war-college) at Vienna-Schwechat. From here in January 1941, he was posted as an Oberfähnrich (Officer Candidate) to 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—Fighter Wing 27) based at Berlin.For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations see Organisation of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Also posted to I./JG 27 (1st Group) at the same time was Hans-Joachim Marseille. On 1 March 1941, Stahlschmidt was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) with a rank age date of 1 February 1941.
In March 1941, I./JG 27 was deployed to Sicily for operations over Malta. In early April the group was moved to Graz in Austria for the German invasion of Yugoslavia. On 14 April 1941 with campaign over, I./JG 27 was recalled to Munich being transferred to North Africa.
North Africa They were initially based at Ain-el-Gazala, just west of Tobruk. Stahlschmidt sank two small ships. In one attack on a 200-ton sailing ship his cannon fire struck the Galley, hitting the petrol-powered cooker, causing a large fire. Eight English and six Greek sailors abandoned the ship before it sank. Another was sunk leading to the capture of 32 men. Stahlschmidt achieved his first victory during the Siege of Tobruk on 15 June 1941. The British Eighth Army began Operation Battleaxe that morning and 2./JG 27 was engaged in operations throughout the day. Stahlschmidt claimed a Hawker Hurricane, probably of No. 73 Squadron RAF. Stahlschmidt did not file another claim until 20 November 1941. The British Army initiated Operation Crusader to relieve Tobruk. Stahlschmidt claimed a trio of South African Air Force (SAAF) Martin Maryland bombers, west of Tobruk. The 21 Squadron SAAF reported the loss of four from a formation of nine and claimed one Bf 109 shot down in exchange during a mission to bomb positions at Al Edem. A week later, on 27 November, he claimed another Hurricane south of El Adem for his fifth victory which qualified him as a flying ace.
On 6 December he was appointed Gruppen-Adjutant of I./JG 27, succeeding Oberleutnant Ludwig Franzisket, a position he held briefly until his return to 2./JG 27 in February 1942. On 14 December 1941 Stahlschmidt claimed his sixth victory in another day of heavy air fighting. South of Trimi he claimed a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. Stahlschmidt's first victory of 1942 was claimed on 11 January south of Agedabia. P-40s from No. 3 Squadron RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) were bounced by Stahlschmidt's staffel and he shot down Sergeant Cameron. On 22 January 1942 3 Squadron were again bounced by Stahlschmidt and his wingman. Stahlschmidt shot down Flying Officer James McIntosh, who was killed. On 21 February 1942, Stahlschmidt was shot down in his Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer—factory number 8528). On this mission he was a part of a formation led by his Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader), Oberleutnant Gerhard Homuth. They observed 11 P-40s near Acroma. In a letter to his mother he described the subsequent events:
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 [sic] 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 1,000 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 [on] for short periods, in order to gain altitude for the long glide home.
Crash landing in no man's land, Stahlschmidt escaped the burning wreck with just a pair of singed eyebrows. Once again, as he ran on foot toward German lines, Stahlschmidt was fired on by an Allied truck convoy which he had just overflown. However he was picked up by a German reconnaissance unit. Back at Staffel HQ Stahlschmidt learned from Marseille and Homuth that the lead Kittyhawk had pulled up sharply and fired accurately. Both were of the opinion that it was a wonderful shot. The Allied pilot was the leading Australian ace, Squadron Leader Clive Caldwell, CO of No. 112 Squadron RAF.
Six days later, on 26 February 1942, flying his Bf 109F-4 Stahlschmidt was again shot down. While strafing an Allied supply column when his engine suddenly seized. This time though, as he crash-landed he was taken prisoner by Free Polish soldiers, who beat him and stole his medals. Interrogated, then sent onto another camp he was able to escape on foot later that night. In a 16-hour trek, he walked through the desert and reached the German lines. Stahlschmidt purportedly suffered severe anxiety after his escape. His physical injuries amounted to a fractured eye socket and several cracked ribs. His psychological state manifested itself in constant shaking and insomnia. In modern parlance, these symptoms could be construed as post-traumatic stress disorder. Stahlschmidt was sent to a hospital in Munich for two weeks and a medical evaluation. Marseille was suffering from dysentery and was sent with him.
Stahlschmidt was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 9 April 1942. Stahlschmidt crash-landed and being shot down by ground-fire on 7 May in Werknummer 8480. The rocky terrain tore off the tail plane of the Bf 109. On 22 May 1942 he achieved his 9th victory. Over the frontline Bf 109s of his staffel bounced 20 P-40s escorting 12 Martin Baltimore bombers. Stahlschmidt shot down a P-40 from No. 250 Squadron RAF. On 26 May 1942, Generaloberst Erwin Rommel launched Operation Theseus, also referred to as the Battle of Gazala and the Battle of Bir Hakeim. Stahlschmidt gained his 10th victory on 29 May 1942 as the Battle of Gazala and Bir Hakeim raged. His Staffel attacked P-40s of No. 450 Squadron RAAF and claimed three shot down. Stahlschmidt claimed a single victory—Sergeants Dean, Packer and Shaw were posted missing in action. It was now that Stahlschmidt's combat success really started. On 26 June the Geschwader crossed over onto Egyptian soil, at Sidi Barrani.
In command Stahlschmidt slowly built a reputation as a combat leader over the summer, 1942. On 13 June he claimed a Hurricane of No. 213 Squadron RAF while comrade Friedrich Körner registered his first victories. The following day near Kambut he claimed a P-40 of 5 Squadron SAAF. The German Africa Corps pursued the British into Egypt and Rommel attempted to destroy the bulk of the British Army at Mersa Matruh. In the ensuing Battle of Mersa Matruh, Rommel depleted British forces but failed to destroy them. On this day of intensive air combat Stahlschmidt downed four Desert Air Force aircraft over the battlefield. The claims were his 14th–17th aerial victories. Stahlschmidt's close friend Marseille passed the 100-mark on 18 June 1942 and departed for two months leave.
On 1 July 1942, Stahlschmidt was himself promoted to Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 27. This same day the First Battle of El Alamein began. On the morning of 4 July 1942 Stahlschmidt claimed four victories in the El Alamein area—three on a morning mission and one in the late afternoon. In the morning battle Stahlschmidt, with Feldwebel Günter Steinhausen flying as his wingman, dived to attack and shot down Major Lemmie Le Mesurier and Lieutenant Powell of 1 Squadron SAAF. Mesurier was wounded in action. JG 27 lost the 36-victory ace Körner who was shot down and captured. The following day he claimed a Gloster Gladiator. The claim could not be confirmed through British records. Only the 1411 Meteorological Flight was equipped with the aircraft. It may have been an Italian Fiat CR.42 as Regia Aeronautica units were active on this date. The claim was his 27th victory. Further research has indicated that Egyptian officers procured military photographs of British positions and intended to hand them over to the Germans. The conspirators ordered Pilot Officer Ahmed Saudi Hussein to deliver them and he took-off in a Gladiator but was intercepted by Stahlschmidt. A second pilot, Warrant Officer Muhammed Ridwan Salim succeeded the following day. He was taken to Germany but captured and handed back the Egyptians in 1945. Salm's fate is unknown.
On 8 July he made another three claims in the space of eight minutes. Two of the claims can be identified from No. 33 Squadron RAF. Pilot Officer Wigle and Sergeant Morris were killed in action. His tally now stood at 26. On a patrol near El Alamein on 10 July, Stahlschmidt shot down two P-40s and a Hurricane in ten minutes to inflate his tally to 33. His adversaries in the battle were from 80, 92 and 127 Squadron RAF. Over the next twelve days he added three more claims. On 22 July Stahlschmidt claimed another three—two P-40s in the morning sorties and a Hurricane in the afternoon. Pilot Officer Barrow was one of his victims, killed in action.
The last claims were made for July on day 27. Stahlschmidt claimed three RAF fighters. In the morning sortie his Staffel trailed 33 Squadron as the British unit returned to base. As they did so, the Germans stumbled across 213 Squadron who were behind 33 Squadron. Consequently 213 received no warning of the German presence and radar plotters assumed the mass to be a single formation. Stahlschmidt claimed a Hurricane from 213 Squadron in the battle over El Hammam. In the after noon he claimed a Hurricane and a P-40 in battle with a formation compromising 1 Squadron SAAF, 3 Squadron RAAF and 450 Squadron RAAF. Two Hurricanes shot down on 1 August and another two on 16 August for his 44–47th victories. Stahlschmidt's opponents on 16 August near El Alamein were from 5 Squadron SAAF. Lieutenant Trenchard was his 46th or 47th victory and he became a prisoner of war. Marseille returned to action on 23 August and Stahlschmidt claimed a single victory.
On 1 September 1942 Marseille shot down 17 Allied aircraft. Stahlschmidt also made two claims and another on the 2 September. On 3 September 1942 he claimed five victories—three P-40s, a Hurricane and a Supermarine Spitfire. This qualified him as an "ace in a day" and brought his tally to 56. Relating the strain of the activity, in another letter home to his family, he described the action on the 3 September 1942: