I purchased a very informative Luftwaffe book a few weeks ago. It is volume three of Classic Colours’ Luftwaffe Colours, Jagdwaffe Vol. 1 Sec. Three by Eric Mombeek.

As I was browsing through the sections I came to page 277 which is devoted to JG1 in September-December 1939, or more correctly to the Kommodore Obstlt Carl Schumacher.

Carl Schumacher was born on the 19^th of February 1896 in the German state of Westphalia.

He first saw military service and an army artilleryman. He then transferred to the Kriegsmarine as became a Fâhnrich or Ensign where he served on a ship of the line at the Battle of Jutland. You would think serving in two branches of the armed forces would be enough in a lifetime. “Not for Eric!!” In 1930 he learned to fly and in 1934 joined the Luftwaffe. In August 1936 he was promoted to Major and posted to a fighter unit, I/JG336 (later II/JG77).

In November 1930 he was posted to the staff of JG1 and on the twelfth of November of the year was promoted to the position of Kommodore of this unit. JG1 was at this time given the task of protecting the German Coast. On the 18^th of December 1939 he took part in the famous German Bight battle when he shot down a Wellington bomber attempting to bomb the German fleet. A little over a week later on the 27^th of December he shot down a Blenheim bomber over the North Sea.

In May 1940 as the Wehrmacht pushed west through Holland, Belgium and Holland he lead his unit over Holland. In January, 1942 he left JG1 and became the fighter commander for Norway. In 1943 he was again relocated to oversee the formation of the Rumanian branch of the Luftwaffe. His final war service was as an administrator of the Reich air defense effort where he carried out many assignments.

He finished his service with the rank of Major-General and passed away in Münich on the 22^nd of May 1967. Following his cremation his Urn was committed to the deep in the North Sea as he had wished. He was perhaps an old sea-dog even after all his years in the airforce.

He is said to have flown over 160 missions against the enemy and had only two air victories in the West, (none in the East are recorded) To my knowledge he is the lowest scoring Luftwaffe fighter pilot to have been awarded the Knights Cross I thoroughly recommend the CLASSIC COLOURS LUFTWAFFE series- they will become a very valuable reference source in the future.

This is the first article I have written for the newsletter. My somewhat limited expertise is confined to the Luftwaffe. Should it prove of interest to the readers, I would be happy to write on other Luftwaffe Jagdfliegern