Paul Szameitat

Paul Szameitat (19 December 1919 – 2 January 1944) was a German Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Szameitat claimed 29 victories, 28 at night.[Note 1]

Paul Szameitat
Born19 December 1919
Wolittnick, East Prussia
Died2 January 1944(1944-01-02) (aged 24)
Bückeburg
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) Luftwaffe
Years of service?–1944
RankHauptmann
UnitNJG 3
Commands heldII./NJG 3
I./NJG 3
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Night fighter career
A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, RAF attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.[1] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.[2]

On 18 October 1943, Szameitat was shot down in his Dornier Do 217 N-1 night fighter by the defensive gunfire of an Avro Lancaster bomber from No. 101 Squadron. Hit in both engines, he and his crew bailed out near Barsinghausen.[3]

On 14 December 1943, Szameitat was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe (1st group) of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3—3rd Night Fighter Wing), replacing Hauptmann Walter Mylius.[4]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Szameitat was credited with 29 aerial victories, including one heavy bomber during a daytime mission, claimed in an unknown number combat missions.[5] Obermaier also lists him with 29 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number combat missions.[6] Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 29 victory claims.[7] Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Szameitat with 25 claims, plus two further unconfirmed claims.[8]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 and Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.
Claim Date Time Type Location Serial No./Squadron No.
– 6. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 –[9]
1 26 February 1942 22:15 Wellington Tønder[10]
2 29 April 1942 02:30 Wellington north of Flensburg[11]
3?[Note 2] 30 April 1942 02:31 Manchester east of Rantum[11]
4?[Note 3] 26 June 1942 02:11 Halifax Cuxhaven[12]
5?[Note 3] 3 July 1942 02:53 Wellington[13]
6 17 January 1943 19:33 Stirling 70 km (43 mi) northwest of Westerland[14]
7 17 January 1943 21:49 Lancaster 90 km (56 mi) northwest of Westerland[14]
8 17 January 1943 22:18 Lancaster 25 km (16 mi) west of Fanø[14]
– 5. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 –[8]
9 30 March 1943 00:36 Halifax Süderschmedeby[15] Halifax HR654/408 (Goose) Squadron[16]
10 5 April 1943 00:22 Lancaster Hindenburgdamm[17] Halifax BB336/408 (Goose) Squadron[18]
11 29 April 1943 03:51 Lancaster northwest of Kolding[19] Lancaster ED733/No. 103 Squadron RAF[20]
12 4 July 1943 01:28 Stirling 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Terschelling[21] Stirling BF579/No. 15 Squadron RAF[22]
13 24 August 1943 02:03 Lancaster 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Kampen[23]
14 22 September 1943 23:02 Stirling southwest of Hanover[24]
15 8 October 1943 16:17 B-24[25] south of Vilsen
16 9 October 1943 01:25 Lancaster southwest of Stade[25]
17 18 October 1943 20:30 Lancaster 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Hanover[26] Lancaster W4276/No. 207 Squadron RAF[27]
18 18 October 1943 20:34 Lancaster 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Hanover[26]
19 2 December 1943 19:35 Lancaster northeast of Hanover[28]
20 2 December 1943 19:45 Lancaster 30 km (19 mi) east of Celle[28]
21 2 December 1943 20:01 Lancaster vicinity of Stendal[28]
22?{[Note 2] 4 December 1943
—
 Lancaster[29]
23 4 December 1943 03:18 Lancaster north of Hanover[30]
24 4 December 1943 03:25 Lancaster Hamm-Wesendorf[30]
25 4 December 1943 03:36 Lancaster north of Braunschweig[30]
26 4 December 1943 03:41 Lancaster vicinity of Hanover[30]
– 2. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 –[31]
27 20 December 1943 20:30 Halifax south of Bonn[32]
28 24 December 1943 03:06 Lancaster Lansenheim[32]
29 29 December 1943 21:23 Halifax 3 km (1.9 mi) west of Güstrow[33]

Awards

Notes
  1. For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces.
  2. According to Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims this claim is unconfirmed.[8]
  3. This claim is not listed in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.[9]

References

Citations
  1. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 9.
  2. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 27.
  3. Goss 2021, p. 75.
  4. Aders 1978, p. 228.
  5. Spick 1996, p. 246.
  6. Obermaier 1989, p. 213.
  7. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, pp. 35–134.
  8. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1299–1300.
  9. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1299.
  10. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 35.
  11. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 39.
  12. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 48.
  13. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 49.
  14. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 65.
  15. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 72.
  16. Halifax HR654.
  17. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 73.
  18. Halifax BB336.
  19. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 77.
  20. Lancaster ED733.
  21. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 92.
  22. Stirling BF579.
  23. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 106.
  24. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 115.
  25. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 120.
  26. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 123.
  27. Lancaster W4276.
  28. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 130.
  29. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 131.
  30. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 132.
  31. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1300.
  32. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 134.
  33. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 135.
  34. Patzwall 2008, p. 202.
  35. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 469.
  36. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 418.

Bibliography
  • Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.
  • 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.
  • Foreman, John; Parry, Simon; Mathews, Johannes (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • Goss, Chris (2021). Dornier Do 217 Units of World War 2. Combat Aircraft. Vol. 139. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-4617-4.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • 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.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
  • Accident description for Halifax BB336 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 24 July 2023.
  • Accident description for Halifax HR654 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 21 July 2023.
  • Accident description for Lancaster ED733 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 25 July 2023.
  • Accident description for Lancaster W4276 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 25 July 2023.
  • Accident description for Stirling BF579 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 24 July 2023.
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