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Herbert Schramm

Herbert Schramm (13 October 1913 – 1 December 1943) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II.

Early life and career

Schramm was born on 13 October 1913 in Wetzlar, at the time in the Rhine Province within the German Empire. Prior to joining the military service, he worked as a pilot and flight instructor for Siebel aircraft manufacturing. During training exercises with the military reserve force, Schramm was trained as a fighter pilot. When German forces invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 which marking the beginning of World War II, he was posted to 8. Staffel (8th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) holding the rank of Feldwebel.

World War II

On 26 September 1939, JG 53 was ordered to form its III. Gruppe (3rd group) which was placed under command of Hauptmann Werner Mölders. Subordinated to III. Gruppe was 8. Staffel which was then headed by Oberleutnant Hans von Hahn. During the Battle of France, JG 53 was subordinated to Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) commanded by General der Flieger Hugo Sperrle, supporting Army Group A's breakthrough area. On 14 May 1940, Schramm claimed a Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter shot down which was not confirmed. On 27, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield near La Selve. That day, Schramm claimed his first confirmed aerial victory when he shot down a M.S.406. Following the Battle of France, JG 53 enjoyed a brief period of rest until mid-July 1940. On 10 July, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield near Brest. The Gruppe moved to Guernsey on 9 August during the Battle of Britain.

Schramm claimed his first aerial victory against the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 2 September. Depending on source, the aircraft claimed was either a Hawker Hurricane fighter, or a Supermarine Spitfire fighter. He was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) of the Reserves on 1 October 1940. In the ensuing Battle of Britain, he would score consistently, and ended the campaign with 8 victories. He was also awarded the Ehrenpokal (Trophy of Honour) on 23 February 1941.

War against the Soviet Union

On 8 June 1941, the bulk of JG 53's air elements moved via Jever, in northern Germany, to Mannheim-Sandhofen. There the aircraft were given a maintenance overhaul prior to moving east. On 12 June, III. Gruppe was ordered to transfer to a forward airfield at Sobolewo. On 21 June, the Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 53 and its Gruppenkommandeure were summoned to nearby Suwałki, where Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal) Albert Kesselring gave the final instructions for the upcoming attack. Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, the Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe, briefed his pilots that evening.

Transferred, along with the rest of JG 53, to the East for Operation 'Barbarossa', to support Army Group Centre. On the opening day of the Russian invasion he shot down two bombers. Now a very experienced pilot, he scored quickly, including four DB-3 bombers on the 3rd day of the campaign and two more each on both the 3rd and 6 July. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 6 August 1941 for 25 victories. Both Schramm and Wilcke were decorated by Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring on 9 August 1941.

On 4 September, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Ossijaki located near Gomel. Here on 10 September, Schramm made an emergency landing at Ossijaki following engine failure of his Bf 109 F-2 "black 3+I". In early October, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front, relocating to Mannheim-Sandhofen. The air elements left on 4 October with the ground elements travelling by train, arriving in Mannheim-Sandhofen on 13 October.

Mediterranean theater and instructor

At Mannheim-Sandhofen, III. Gruppe was equipped with the then new Bf 109 F-4. On 8 November, the Gruppe moved to Husum in northern Germany where they stayed until 14 November. They were then ordered to relocate to the Mediterranean theater in Sicily. The ground elements arrived at Catania Airfield on 28 November followed by the air elements two days later. On 12 February 1942, Schramm claimed his 39th and only aerial victory in the Mediterranean theater. That day, III. Gruppe intercepted three Bristol Beaufighter aircraft near Pantelleria on a transfer flight to Malta. The aircraft were misidentified and referred to as Bristol Blenheim bombers. In this encounter, Schramm shot down the Beaufighter T4879 from No. 248 Squadron.

In April 1942, Schramm was posted to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Süd (Supplementary Fighter Group, South) as an instructor. There on 13 July, he was injured in a flight accident when making an emergency landing. Following his convalescence, Schramm was posted to the Blindflugschule 10 (school for instrument flight training) in Altenburg. This training unit was later redesignated and became Jagdgeschwader 110 (JG 110—110th Fighter Wing). During this assignment, Schramm was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 November 1942.

Squadron leader and death

On 13 August 1943, Schramm was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5. Staffel of JG 27, succeeding Hauptmann Fritz Schiffke. This squadron was subordinated to II. Gruppe of JG 27 commanded by Hauptmann Werner Schröer. The Gruppe had recently back ordered back to Germany from the Mediterranean theater. At first ordered to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Airfield, where they arrived on 9 August, the unit then moved to Eschborn Airfield on 20 August. There, the Gruppe received new Bf 109 G-6 aircraft and replacement pilots and trained for defense of the Reich missions against the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). II. Gruppe was ordered to Saint-Dizier Airfield in France on 12 September. On 14 October during the second Schweinfurt raid, On 1 November 1943 at 13:28, II. Gruppe was scrambled at Saint-Dizier and intercepted approximately 150 USAAF bombers without escorting fighter protection shortly after 14:00 over the Palatinate. During this aerial battle, Luftwaffe pilots of II. Gruppe claimed nine bombers shot down, including a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber near Saint-Avold by Schramm for his 40th aerial victory. The Gruppe returned to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Airfield on 18 November. The USAAF attacked Bremen on 29 November. Defending against this attack, Schramm claimed an Herausschuss (separation shot)—a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from its combat box which was counted as an aerial victory—over a B-17. The next day, the USAAF VIII Bomber Command dispatched 381 bombers to attack Solingen. Near Cologne, Schramm was credited with an Herausschuss over a B-17.

On 1 December 1943, intercepting bombers en route to Cologne, Schramm was killed in action following aerial combat west of Eupen near Verviers by a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter. He bailed out of his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 410291—factory number) at low altitude and his parachute failed to deploy. Command of 5. Staffel was then passed to Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Bendert. Eberhard Schade, a pilot in 5. Staffel, was tasked with Schramm's recovery and burial. At the time, it was forbidden to bury pilots in Germany who were killed in action outside of Germany. In consequence, Schramm was scheduled for burial in Saint-Trond, Belgium. However, Schade convinced the responsible authorities and Schramm received a military funeral in his hometown Wetzlar. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 11 February 1945, the 736th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht so honored, and promoted to Hauptmann (captain).

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Schramm was credited with 42 aerial victories, 14 over the Western Front and 28 over the Eastern Front, claimed in 480 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 40 aerial victory claims, plus five further unconfirmed claims. This figure includes 28 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 12 over the Western Allies, including three four-engined heavy bombers.

Awards

Flugzeugführerabzeichen
Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class (20 April 1940)
- 1st Class (13 September 1940)
Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 23 February 1942 as Leutnant and pilot
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 6 August 1941 as Leutnant and Flugzeugführer in the III./Jagdgeschwader 53
- 736th Oak Leaves on 11 February 1945 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 27