Werner schröer was a german military aviator and fighter ace in the luftwaffe during the second world war. He was credited with one hundred fourteen aerial victories achieved in only one hundred ninety seven combat missions. The majority of his claims were scored against western allied aircraft including sixty one in north africa and twenty two over italy with an additional twelve victories claimed on the eastern front. Among his successes were twenty six four engined heavy bombers. He rose to the rank of major and ended the war as geschwaderkommodore of jagdgeschwader three udet. Schröer received the knight's cross of the iron cross with oak leaves and swords for his leadership and combat performance across multiple theaters.
Born on twelve february nineteen eighteen in mülheim an der ruhr in the rhine province schröer was the son of friedrich johann schröer and his wife maria née schmitz. He attended school from nineteen twenty four until nineteen thirty seven graduating with his abitur. After completing compulsory reichsarbeitsdienst service he joined the luftwaffe in nineteen thirty seven initially serving as ground personnel. His recruit training began on three november nineteen thirty seven with the fourth company of flieger ersatz abteilung twenty four in quakenbrück. He progressed through various ground and training units before beginning flight training and later fighter pilot instruction. Schröer was promoted to gefreiter in nineteen thirty eight and to unteroffizier in nineteen thirty nine eventually reaching feldwebel by december of that year.
Schröer joined jagdgeschwader twenty seven in nineteen forty and flew his first combat missions during the battle of britain though without confirmed victories at that stage. In march nineteen forty one his unit transferred to north africa to support the afrika korps under erwin rommel. On nineteen april nineteen forty one he claimed his first victory a hawker hurricane near tobruk but was himself shot down and forced to make an emergency landing with his messerschmitt bf one zero nine riddled by bullets. Early scoring proved slow as he adapted to the vast desert skies and skilled royal air force opponents. His progress accelerated dramatically after he was appointed staffelkapitän of the eighth staffel of the third group of jagdgeschwader twenty seven in june nineteen forty two. In july he recorded sixteen victories often in fierce dogfights over the gazala line and during the advance toward el alamein where swirling combats involved hurricanes curtiss p forty tomahawks and kittyhawks.
His most remarkable day came on fifteen september nineteen forty two during heavy air battles over el alamein when schröer claimed six royal air force fighters in a single mission bringing his total close to fifty. These intense engagements unfolded amid contrails and smoke trails as german bf one zero nine fighters clashed repeatedly with determined british and commonwealth squadrons attempting to regain air superiority. By twenty october nineteen forty two after adding fifteen more victories including a hurricane or p forty southwest of deir el tarfa he reached forty nine confirmed claims. For these achievements as leutnant and staffelführer he was awarded the knight's cross of the iron cross. On four november he intercepted us army air forces b twenty four liberators raiding benghazi downing one for his sixtieth victory. His sixty first and final north african claim came on sixteen november a p forty south of tecis just before the axis retreat. With sixty one victories in africa he ranked as the second highest scoring german ace in the desert campaign after hans joachim marseille.
Following the evacuation from north africa schröer continued operations over sicily and southern italy during the allied invasion of sicily. Promoted to hauptmann he assumed command of the second group of jagdgeschwader twenty seven in april nineteen forty three. Between april and july nineteen forty three his pilots faced overwhelming allied air power including large formations of boeing b seventeen flying fortresses and b twenty four liberators escorted by lockheed p thirty eight lightnings and other fighters. Schröer personally claimed around twenty two additional victories in this period including twelve four engined bombers. These high altitude intercepts over the mediterranean and italian coastline demanded precise head on attacks or diving passes to disrupt bomber boxes while evading escorts. For his continued success and steady leadership against superior numbers he received the oak leaves to the knight's cross on two august nineteen forty three as the two hundred sixty eighth recipient after approximately eighty four or eighty five victories.
In the final phase of the war schröer commanded the third group of jagdgeschwader fifty four before being appointed geschwaderkommodore of jagdgeschwader three udet on fourteen february nineteen forty five. Operating in the desperate defense of eastern germany during the soviet oder offensive he claimed twelve soviet aircraft including il two sturmoviks and yak fighters in low level highly dangerous missions amid intense anti aircraft fire and numerical inferiority. These actions pushed his total past one hundred ten victories. On nineteen april nineteen forty five following his one hundred tenth confirmed claim he was awarded the swords to the knight's cross with oak leaves as the one hundred forty fourth recipient. Schröer survived the war and was held in british captivity until seven february nineteen forty six.
After his release schröer initially worked as a taxi driver in frankfurt while studying to earn a diplom kaufmann degree in business administration. He later lived and worked in rome italy for eleven years with his family. Upon returning to germany he joined the aviation industry and served as head of the central protocol department at messerschmitt bölkow blohm in ottobrunn until retirement. In nineteen sixty eight he adjusted the spelling of his surname to schröer with the umlaut. Werner schröer died on ten february nineteen eighty five in ottobrunn two days before his sixty seventh birthday and was buried with military honors at the parkfriedhof cemetery there. His career exemplified the skill adaptability and resilience required of luftwaffe fighter pilots who operated across vastly different theaters under increasingly difficult conditions.
Born on twelve february nineteen eighteen in mülheim an der ruhr in the rhine province schröer was the son of friedrich johann schröer and his wife maria née schmitz. He attended school from nineteen twenty four until nineteen thirty seven graduating with his abitur. After completing compulsory reichsarbeitsdienst service he joined the luftwaffe in nineteen thirty seven initially serving as ground personnel. His recruit training began on three november nineteen thirty seven with the fourth company of flieger ersatz abteilung twenty four in quakenbrück. He progressed through various ground and training units before beginning flight training and later fighter pilot instruction. Schröer was promoted to gefreiter in nineteen thirty eight and to unteroffizier in nineteen thirty nine eventually reaching feldwebel by december of that year.
Schröer joined jagdgeschwader twenty seven in nineteen forty and flew his first combat missions during the battle of britain though without confirmed victories at that stage. In march nineteen forty one his unit transferred to north africa to support the afrika korps under erwin rommel. On nineteen april nineteen forty one he claimed his first victory a hawker hurricane near tobruk but was himself shot down and forced to make an emergency landing with his messerschmitt bf one zero nine riddled by bullets. Early scoring proved slow as he adapted to the vast desert skies and skilled royal air force opponents. His progress accelerated dramatically after he was appointed staffelkapitän of the eighth staffel of the third group of jagdgeschwader twenty seven in june nineteen forty two. In july he recorded sixteen victories often in fierce dogfights over the gazala line and during the advance toward el alamein where swirling combats involved hurricanes curtiss p forty tomahawks and kittyhawks.
His most remarkable day came on fifteen september nineteen forty two during heavy air battles over el alamein when schröer claimed six royal air force fighters in a single mission bringing his total close to fifty. These intense engagements unfolded amid contrails and smoke trails as german bf one zero nine fighters clashed repeatedly with determined british and commonwealth squadrons attempting to regain air superiority. By twenty october nineteen forty two after adding fifteen more victories including a hurricane or p forty southwest of deir el tarfa he reached forty nine confirmed claims. For these achievements as leutnant and staffelführer he was awarded the knight's cross of the iron cross. On four november he intercepted us army air forces b twenty four liberators raiding benghazi downing one for his sixtieth victory. His sixty first and final north african claim came on sixteen november a p forty south of tecis just before the axis retreat. With sixty one victories in africa he ranked as the second highest scoring german ace in the desert campaign after hans joachim marseille.
Following the evacuation from north africa schröer continued operations over sicily and southern italy during the allied invasion of sicily. Promoted to hauptmann he assumed command of the second group of jagdgeschwader twenty seven in april nineteen forty three. Between april and july nineteen forty three his pilots faced overwhelming allied air power including large formations of boeing b seventeen flying fortresses and b twenty four liberators escorted by lockheed p thirty eight lightnings and other fighters. Schröer personally claimed around twenty two additional victories in this period including twelve four engined bombers. These high altitude intercepts over the mediterranean and italian coastline demanded precise head on attacks or diving passes to disrupt bomber boxes while evading escorts. For his continued success and steady leadership against superior numbers he received the oak leaves to the knight's cross on two august nineteen forty three as the two hundred sixty eighth recipient after approximately eighty four or eighty five victories.
In the final phase of the war schröer commanded the third group of jagdgeschwader fifty four before being appointed geschwaderkommodore of jagdgeschwader three udet on fourteen february nineteen forty five. Operating in the desperate defense of eastern germany during the soviet oder offensive he claimed twelve soviet aircraft including il two sturmoviks and yak fighters in low level highly dangerous missions amid intense anti aircraft fire and numerical inferiority. These actions pushed his total past one hundred ten victories. On nineteen april nineteen forty five following his one hundred tenth confirmed claim he was awarded the swords to the knight's cross with oak leaves as the one hundred forty fourth recipient. Schröer survived the war and was held in british captivity until seven february nineteen forty six.
After his release schröer initially worked as a taxi driver in frankfurt while studying to earn a diplom kaufmann degree in business administration. He later lived and worked in rome italy for eleven years with his family. Upon returning to germany he joined the aviation industry and served as head of the central protocol department at messerschmitt bölkow blohm in ottobrunn until retirement. In nineteen sixty eight he adjusted the spelling of his surname to schröer with the umlaut. Werner schröer died on ten february nineteen eighty five in ottobrunn two days before his sixty seventh birthday and was buried with military honors at the parkfriedhof cemetery there. His career exemplified the skill adaptability and resilience required of luftwaffe fighter pilots who operated across vastly different theaters under increasingly difficult conditions.
Source :
Obermaier, Ernst: Die ritterkreuzträger der luftwaffe 1939-1945, band i: jagdflieger
Spick, Mike: Luftwaffe fighter aces
Zabecki, David T. (editor): World war ii in europe, an encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/werner_schröer
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/26616/schroer-werner.htm
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/ (general luftwaffe officer references)
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://aircrewremembered.com/krackerdatabase/
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
https://aufhimmelzuhause.com/id240.htm
https://luftwaffeinprofile.se/
https://ww2gravestone.com/people/schroer-werner/
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.geni.com/ (family name basics)
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
