Last year, when I wrote my short eBook on Jagdgeschwader 3 in the early days of “Operation Barbarossa”, I also tried to include as much information in the losses that I could possibly find. However, one thing was in short supply: actual photos. Now, this one has come along, and I was able to acquire the image…
In my book, I wrote the following about him:
“In the early evening hours, 3./JG3 is on a mission to fight barrage balloons in the vicinity of Kiev. One of the pilots, Ofw. Heinz Schmidt, is likely lost to enemy flak.”
“Jagdgeschwader 3 – Eastern Front 1941: Early Operations June – December 1941” by Andreas Zapf
So sometimes, you just have to wait… new information can still turn up to those that can patiently wait for it.
Ofw. Heinz Schmidt was most certainly lost to anti-aircraft fire, landed his aircraft and was captured by the Soviet forces. For all I know, he never returned home after the war.
If you would like to get the full story, check out my initial post. If you have already grabbed a copy, I would appreciate a feedback / comment on amazon’s web site.
