Wilhelm Steinmann
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| Wilhelm Steinmann | |
|---|---|
| 15 January 1912 – 1 August 1966 | |
| Place of birth | Nuremberg |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1936-1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Kampfgeschwader 53 Jagdgeschwader 4 Jagdgeschwader 27 EJG 2 Jagdverband 44 |
| Commands held | I./JG 4 |
| Battles/wars | World War II
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Wilhelm Steinmann(12 January 1912 - 1 August 1966) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.
[edit] World War II
Wilhelm Steinmann joined the Luftwaffe as a bomber pilot and flew a Heinkel He 111 in the 1939-1941 campaigns before transferring to the Jagdwaffe and becoming a fighter pilot.
In October 1942, Steinmann was posted to the Gruppenstab of I./JG 27 based on the Channel Front. He recorded his first victory on 18 May 1943. On 1 June, Steinmann shot down a Bf 109 G-6 in error, flown by the Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 27, Hauptmann Erich Hohagen.
Soon afterwards Steinmann was transferred to I./JG 4, in Romania. On 14 September 1943 Steinmann was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 4 in Italy then was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 4 on 23 January 1944. He briefly left this unit only to return as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 4 during the Defense of the Reich campaign on 26 August 1944, In March 1945, Steinmann was transferred to III./EJG 2 and began training to fly the Me 262 jet fighter. He recorded four victories in the jet. The now Major Steinmann was awarded the Knight's Cross on 28 March 1945 after achieving 44 kills and ended the war with JV 44 under the command of General Adolf Galland. Wilhelm Steinmann was credited with 44 kills in 234 missions, all but four were scored against the Western Allies. Notable in his tally of 40 "western" victories were seven P-47 Thunderbolts and 11 P-51 Mustang fighters, making him one of the highest scoring Luftwaffe pilots of those Allied types.
[edit] Awards
- Iron Cross 2. and 1. class
- German Cross in Gold (1 January 1945)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- Knight's Cross (28 March 1945)
[edit] References
- Caldwell, Donald & Muller, Richard (2007). The Luftwaffe over Germany: Defense of the Reich. Oxford: Greenhill.ISBN 978-1-85367-712-0
- Weal, John (1998). Bf109 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-722-8
- Weal, John (2006). Bf109 Defence of the Reich Aces. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1-84176-879-0
- Weal, John (2006). Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford: Osprey.ISBN 1-85532-518-7.
