Carl-Alfred (August) Schumacher[Note 1] (19 February 1896 – 22 May 1967) was a German military officer and politician. During World War II, Schumacher served in the German Luftwaffe, commanding the Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1) fighter wing. After World War II, Schumacher was an active politician and member of the All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights (GB/BHE), German Party (DP) and Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU). From 1952 to 1963, he was an elected member of the Landtag in Lower Saxony.
Carl-Alfred Schumacher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 February 1896 Rheine |
| Died | 22 May 1967 (aged 71) Bad Godesberg |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany Federal Republic of Germany |
| Service/ |  Imperial German Army Imperial German Navy Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1914–1919 1933–1945 |
| Rank | Generalmajor (brigadier general) |
| Service number | NSDAP 345,013 |
| Commands held | II./JG 77, JG 1, Jafü Norwegen |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Other work | politician |
Early life and career edit
Schumacher was born on 19 February 1896 in Rheine at the time in the Province of Westphalia within the German Empire. He attended the Volksschule from 1902 to 1905 and then a Realgymnasium—a secondary school built on the mid-level Realschule—where he graduated with his Abitur (university entry qualification).[4] Following the outbreak of World War I, Schumacher volunteered for military service with the 1. Westfälisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 7 (1st Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 7) on 10 August 1914. From February to December 1915, he served with the Klevesches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 43 (Kleve Field Artillery Regiment No. 43 ).[5]
In early January 1916, Schumacher transferred to the Imperial German Navy where he was promoted to Fähnrich zur See (Ensign) in mid July 1917.[5] Until October 1917, Schumacher then received air observer and radio communication training with the I. Seeflieger-Abteilung (1st Naval Flier Department).[6] After completing his training, he served as an observer and pilot at the airfields at Wyk auf Föhr, Föhr, Aabenraa, Saaremaa and Bug. He was promoted to Leutnant zur See (Second Lieutenant) on 17 March 1918.[7] In September 1918, Schumacher was posted to the seaplane tender SMH Answald where he briefly served as an observation officer before transferring to the Groß-Flugzeugstaffel-Ostsee (Greater Aircraft Squadron Baltic Sea).[6]
Schumacher joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP—National Socialist German Workers' Party) on 1 November 1930 with a membership number 345,013.[4] On 1 March 1933, he joined the newly emerging Luftwaffe with the rank of Oberleutnant (first lieutenant). Until late April 1934, he served with the staff of the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (German Air Transport School) in Berlin where he was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) on 1 October 1933.[5] On 1 August 1936 he was given a squadron command in I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 136 (JG 136—136th Fighter Wing), he was subsequently promoted to Major (major) on 1 August 1936.[7] On 29 September 1937, Schumacher was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 136, succeeding Major Hermann Edert.[8] This unit was subsequently renamed II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 333 (JG 333—136th Fighter Wing) on 1 November 1938, and again on 1 May 1939 to II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 333—136th Fighter Wing).[9] During this assignment he was promoted to Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) on 1. March 1939.[7]
World War II edit
Following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Schumacher was appointed Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht (Jafü Deutsche Bucht—Fighter-commander German Bight) in October, to control all the disparate fighter units stationed on the northern coast. In November he was then given orders to set up a brand new Geschwader. Initially (and unusually) comprising just a Stab or HQ Flight, called Stab./JG Nord, it was soon officially authorised as Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) on 30 November 1939, with Schumacher as its first wing commander.[10] It inherited command of I./JG 1 which had been previously operating without an HQ, and was also based at Jever on the northwest coast.
Battle of the Heligoland Bight edit
Section 1: 1 Richard Kellett 2 Turner 3 Speirs
Section 2: 4 Kelly 5 Duguid 6 Riddlesworth
Formation 2
Section 1: 7 Harris 8 Briden 9 Bolloch
Section 2: 10 Ramshaw 11 Grant 12 Purdy
Formation 3
Section 1: 13 Guthrie 14 Petts 15 McRae
Section 2: 16 Challes 17 Allison 18 Lines
Formation 4
19 Hue-Williams 20 Lemon 21 Wimberley 22 Lewis 23 Thompson 24 Ruse[11]
During the first month of the war the Royal Air Force (RAF) mostly focused its bomber attacks on anti-shipping operations on the German Bight. RAF bombers mounted a heavy attack against shipping off Wilhelmshaven on 18 December 1939 in what became known as the Battle of the Heligoland Bight.[12] Twenty-four twin-engine Vickers Wellington from No. 9 Squadron, No. 37 Squadron and No. 149 Squadron formed up over Norfolk heading for the island of Heligoland. Two aircraft aborted the mission due to mechanical defects, but the remaining 22 pursued the attack and were spotted by a Freya radar on the East Frisian Islands.[13]
That day, Schumacher claimed his first aerial victory over a Vickers Wellington bomber, one of the 12 shot down during the aerial battles of the Heligoland Bight.[14] He was credited with the destruction of the Wellington bomber piloted by Flying Officer P.A. Wimberley from No. 37 Squadron which crashed in the shallow sea off Borkum.[15] Propaganda in Nazi Germany took advantage of this successful Luftwaffe operation.[16] His co-ordination of a range of different units and aircraft was effective and forced a fundamental change in air strategy for the Royal Air Force (RAF), shifting air attacks to the cover of darkness.[17] Schumacher claimed his second aerial victory, a Bristol Blenheim bomber, over the North Sea north of Langeoog at 14:02 on 27 December 1939.[18]
He led his Geschwader in the Battle of the Netherlands, although his unit did not follow the armies in the invasion of France or the Battle of Britain, instead being kept back on the coast. For his outstanding leadership and success he was the very first fighter pilot awarded the Knight's Cross - on 21 July 1940. Because of that, and/or his lack of direct involvement in the Battle of Britain, he kept his role as a Geschwaderkommodore and was not dismissed by Hermann Göring in his purge of the senior fighter commanders a month later. On 8 April 1941, Schumacher crash landed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E at the airfield Rom located approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) south of Lemvig in Denmark.[19]
Luftwaffe commander edit
In parallel to his position as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 1, Schumacher was appointed Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen on 1 August 1941.[4] On 5 January 1942, he relinquished command of JG 1 to Major Erich von Selle.[20] He retained his position as Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen, a role in which he coordinate a number of scattered units, this time across Norway, facing both the Soviet Arctic Front, the North Sea and Arctic Ocean. This subsequently also got further centralised with the formation of the new Jagdgeschwader 5 in May 1942.
On 1 May 1943, Schumacher was sent to Romania where he became head of the Luftwaffe mission to oversee the training of the Romanian Air Force. During this assignment, he was promoted to Generalmajor (brigadier general) on 1 January 1944.[4] Finally, in the latter years of the war he was tasked with assignments co-ordinating the Defence of the Reich. On 30 January 1945, Schumacher was appointed chief of the National Socialist leadership staff in the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe within the Ministry of Aviation. He held this position until the end of World War II in Europe.[21]
Post-war career edit
Schumacher was a prisoner-of-war from 1945 to 1947. He was subsequently hired by the district President of Aurich in 1948 and was working for the Olympia-Werke AG, in the typewriter industry, starting 1951. He was elected member of the Landtag in Lower Saxony as deputy of the All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights (GB/BHE) faction in 1953 and re-elected in 1955. He then joined the Deutsche Partei (DP) in 1958 and changed to the Christian Democratic Union faction in 1962. He lost his mandate in 1963 and died in 1967.[22]
Awards edit
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 July 1940 as Oberstleutnant and Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 1[23][24]
Notes edit
- ^ Some sources such as Forsyth "Jagdgeschwader 1 'Oesau' Aces 1939–45",[1] Page "Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe 1943–45",[2] or Heaton, Lewis, Olds and Schulze in "The German Aces Speak: World War II Through the Eyes of Four of the Luftwaffe's Most Important Commanders" refer to him as Carl-August Schumacher.[3]
References edit
Citations edit
- ^ Forsyth 2017, p. 8.
- ^ Page 2020, p. 12.
- ^ Heaton et al. 2011, p. 183.
- ^ a b c d Glienke 2012, p. 202.
- ^ a b c Hildebrand 1992, pp. 269–270.
- ^ a b Hildebrand 1992, p. 270.
- ^ a b c Hildebrand 1992, p. 269.
- ^ Prien et al. 2000, p. 289.
- ^ Prien 1995, p. 2373.
- ^ Weal 2006, p. 8.
- ^ Holmes 2010, p. 60.
- ^ Hinchliffe 2003, p. 44.
- ^ Hinchliffe 2003, p. 45.
- ^ Weal 2006, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Holmes 2010, pp. 78–81.
- ^ Kaplan 2007, p. 186.
- ^ Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 41.
- ^ Prien et al. 2001, p. 30.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 19.
- ^ Prien & Rodeike 1994, p. 583.
- ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 207.
- ^ Simon 1996, p. 352.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 394, 504.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 693.
Bibliography edit
- Caldwell, Donald L.; Muller, Richard R. (2007). The Luftwaffe over Germany: Defense of the Reich. London, UK: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-712-0.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (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.
- Forsyth, Robert (2017). Jagdgeschwader 1 "Oesau" Aces 1939–45. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 134. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-2291-8.
- Glienke, Stephan A. (2012). Die NS-Vergangenheit späterer niedersächsischer Landtagsabgeordneter. Abschlussbericht zu einem Projekt der Historischen Kommission für Niedersachsen und Bremen im Auftrag des Niedersächsischen Landtages [The Nazi Past of Later Members of the Lower Saxony State Parliament. Final Report on a Project of the Historical Commission for Lower Saxony and Bremen on behalf of the Lower Saxony State Parliament] (PDF) (in German). Hannover, Germany: Landtag of Lower Saxony. OCLC 800569785.
- Heaton, Colin D.; Lewis, Anne-Marie; Olds, Robin; Schulze, Kurt (2011). The German Aces Speak: World War II Through the Eyes of Four of the Luftwaffe's Most Important Commanders. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-1-61059-748-7.
- Hildebrand, Karl Friedrich (1992). Die Generale der deutschen Luftwaffe 1935–1945 Teil II, Band 3: Odebrecht–Zoch [The Generals of the German Luftwaffe 1935–1945 Part II, Volume 3: Odebrecht–Zoch] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2209-5.
- Hinchliffe, Peter (2003). "The Lent Papers" Helmut Lent. Bristol, UK: Cerberus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84145-105-3.
- Holmes, Robin (2010). The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, 1939: The Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe's Baptism of Fire. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-906502-56-0.
- Kaplan, Philip (2007). Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe in World War II. Auldgirth, Dumfriesshire, UK: Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-84415-460-9.
- 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.
- Page, Neil (2020). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe 1943–45. Philadelphia, PA: Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-61200-879-0.
- Prien, Jochen; Rodeike, Peter (1994). Jagdgeschwader 1 und 11: Einsatz in der Reichsverteidigung von 1939 bis 1945: Teil 1, 1939–1943 [Jagdgeschwader 1 and 11: Operations in the Defense of the Reich from 1939 to 1945] (in German). Vol. I 1939–1943. Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-21-2.
- Prien, Jochen (1995). Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77—Teil 4—1944–1945 [History of Jagdgeschwader 77—Volume 4—1944–1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-29-8.
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- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 2—Der "Sitzkrieg"—1.9.1939 bis 9.5.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 2—The "Phoney War"—1 September 1939 to 9 May 1940] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-59-5.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 5—Heimatverteidigung—10. Mai 1940 bis 31 Dezember 1941—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—Oktober 1940 bis November 1941—Einsatz im Westen—22. Juni bis 31. Dezember 1941—Die Ergänzungsjagdgruppen—Einsatz 1941 bis zur Auflösung Anfang 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 5—Defense of the Reich—10 May 1940 to 31 December 1941—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—October 1940 to November 1941—Action in the West—22 June to 31 December 1941—The Supplementary Fighter Groups—Action from 1941 until their Breakup in Early 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-68-7.
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- Simon, Barbara [in German] (1996). Released by the President of the Landtag of Lower Saxony (ed.). Abgeordnete in Niedersachsen 1946–1994. Biographisches Handbuch. Hanover, Germany: Schlütersche Verlagsanstalt. OCLC 477074246.
- Weal, John (1996). Bf 109D-E Aces, 1939–1941. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1855324879.
- Weal, John (2006). Bf 109 Defence of the Reich Aces. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 68. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-879-3.
