Franz Schall

Franz Schall (born 1 June 1918 in Graz, Austria – killed in action 10 April 1945 in Parchim) was a German World War II fighter ace. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership - for the fighter pilots, it was a quantifiable measure of skill and combat success.

Career
Following the Austrian Anschluss in 1938, Franz volunteered for the Luftwaffe and initially served as a gunner in a FlaK battery. In 1940 he transferred to the Jagdwaffe and started training as a pilot in September 1941. On completing his flight training in February 1943, Leutnant Schall was transferred to the Eastern Front and assigned to 3./52: the 3rd Staffel (squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) which was at that time based at the city of Kursk. He achieved his first victory, a La-5 fighter, on 6 May. His victories continued steadily through 1943, as his Gruppe supported the southern attack of the Kursk offensive, then fought in the intense air battles over the Kuban bridgehead on the Black Sea coast. By the end of the year he had 26 victories to his credit. This success carried into 1944 with the retreat across the Ukraine into Romania, with his 40th victory on 19 April, 50th on 17 May and 60th on 4 June.

On 11 August, he was appointed the Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3./52. Now fighting across southern Poland and based out of Krakow, it led to his most prolific period in the war with a number of multiple victories in a day: three on 12 August (74-76), three more on the 24th (79-81), 11 on the 26th (83-93) including six Il-2s and a hefty 13 on the last day of August to bring him up to his century (97-109) including eleven Il-2s. It was not all one-sided however, and during this period he was himself shot down four times, including a forced landing behind enemy lines.

At the beginning of September 1944, with his score at 116, he was transferred to the new Kommando Nowotny, named after its commander, Walter Nowotny, at that time the top fighter pilot in the world with 255 victories. This was a test-unit set up to devise and evaluate combat tactics for the brand new jet fighter - the Messerschmitt Me 262. Such an advanced machine was plagued with problems and in the first month of test-flying nearly half the unit's aircraft were damaged or destroyed in accidents. On 2 October, on only their second operational mission, StaKa and Ritterkreuzträger Fred Teumer was killed when an engine flamed out as he was trying to land. Ltn Schall was chosen to replace him as commander of 2 Staffel. A week later, on 10 October, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz with his tally then at 117 victories.

On 8 November 1944, Fighter General Adolf Galland was visiting to question the slow progress with the unit. But only four aircraft were able to take to the air. Although Schall could not get through to the bomber stream, he was able to shoot down a pair of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) P-51 Mustang fighter escorts, but then suffered a flameout of both engines. While attempting to glide back to his base at Hesepe, he was intercepted by a P-51, probably piloted by 1st Lt. James W. Kenney of the 357th Fighter Group, which badly damaged Schall's Me 262 A-1a (Werknummer 110 404—factory number) "White 7". Schall managed to bail out just before his aircraft exploded. It was far worse though for the unit Kommodore Maj Nowotny who was, in almost identical circumstances, also bounced by Mustangs after another engine flameout. Witnesses saw his burning aircraft plummet straight into the ground just east of their Hesepe airfield, killing Nowotny instantly.

Within a fortnight the unit had been disbanded, and absorbed into the newly formed JG 7, the world’s first operational jet-fighter unit, and Hauptmann Franz Schall, now with 122 victories, and his unit (now renamed 10./JG 7) was based at Oranienburg. He continued to score regularly in the Me 262, eventually ending with at least 14 confirmed jet victories (there were probably more victories, but they remain unconfirmed amidst the chaotic records of the last days of the war), making him the 3rd highest scorer of jet victories in the war. On 22 March 1945, he shot down a Yak-9, probably the one flown by L.I. Sivko from 812.IAP, himself one of the first Soviet pilots to shoot down an Me 262  jet fighter. On 10 April 1945, Schall shot down a P-51 Mustang for his final victory, but then attempted an emergency landing at Parchim airbase. His aircraft rolled into a bomb crater and exploded, killing him instantly.

Reports vary that Franz Schall was credited with either 133   or 137 victories in 550 missions. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern front, including 61 Il-2 Stormoviks. All 14 (or 16) of his victories claimed over the Western front were gained flying the Me 262 jet fighter and included six four-engine bombers and 10 P-51 fighters. At the time of his death he had been nominated for the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross, however this was never awarded.

Awards

 * Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe 22 February 1944, or 20 March 1944
 * German Cross in Gold on 20 March 1944 as Leutnant in the I./JG 52, or 5 June 1944
 * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1944 as Leutnant and Staffelführer in the I./JG 52
 * Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 1 September 1944