Günther Schack
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| Günther Schack | |
|---|---|
| 12 November 1917 – 14 June 2003 (aged 85) | |
| Place of birth | Bartenstein |
| Place of death | Schmidt near Nideggen |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |  Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1939-1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | JG 51, JG 3 |
| Commands held | 9./JG 51, I./JG 51, IV./JG 3 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves |
Günther Schack (born 12 November 1917 in Bartenstein in Ostpreußen and died 14 June 2003 in Schmidt near Nideggen) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1939 until the end of World War II in 1945. He claimed 174 enemy aircraft shot down all of them on the Russian front. He survived being shot down 15 times during his 780 combat missions.[1] After the war he lived secluded in the Eifel and devoted himself to philosophical questions.
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[edit] Early life
Günther Schack was born in Bartenstein, a small town in Eastern Prussia, on 12 November 1917 as the son of Dr. Willy Schack and his wife, Dorothea (maiden name: Nietzki). He studied at the University of Stuttgart and at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule. In 1937, when he first tried to join the Luftwaffe, he was categorised as wehruntauglich (unsuited for military service) because of a sports injury in his early life.
[edit] Military career
Günther Schack resubmitted an application as a a volunteer and was accepted into the Luftwaffe on 2 September 1939. After being trained as a fighter pilot Gefreiter Schack was posted to 7th Staffel of the Jagdgeschwader 51.
Schack claimed first aerial victory in combat on 23 July 1941 on the Eastern front. Meanwhile, he had been promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier. After his 48th aerial victory, he was ordered back to Germany to serve as a flight instructor and was promoted to Leutnant on 1 January 1943.
In Mid-1943 he returned back to the eastern front, now serving in the 9th Staffel of the 9./JG 51. He claimed his century mark in aerial combat on 3 September 1943. On 8 December 1943 he was made Staffelkapitän of 9./JG 51. Leutnant Günther Schack was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 April 1944 for 133 aerial victories.[2] Schack was then promoted to Hauptmann on 1 July 1944. In December 1944, now a Gruppenkommandeur, advanced to commander I./JG 51. After this Gruppe was disbanded on 1 May 1945 he briefly was named commander of the 4th Gruppe of the Jagdgeschwader 3. By the end of the war, he had scored 174 victories in 780 aerial combats and was shot down 15 times.
[edit] Later life
After the war Günther Schack worked as a sales manager in the manufacturing company of his uncle. In 1968 he resign from his job, left his wife and his three children and began a new life in a isolated cottage in the mountain area Eifel where he lived as a vegetarian cultivating his own vegetables. During this time, he tried to deal with his traumata of the war and to develop and propagate his own philosophy of life: the "Homokratie"
[edit] Awards
- Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (16 January 1943)
- German Cross in Gold (26 February 1943)
- Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight’s Cross (29 October 1943)
- 460. Oak Leaves (20 April 1944)
[edit] Works
- Schack, Günther. Betet für die Juden, betet für die Christen. 1995. ISBN 3-9800329-3-0.
- Schack, Günther. Die Homokratie im Erdkreis, 1975
- Schack, Günther. Die Homokratie im Lebenskreis, 1975
- Schack, Günther. Die Homokratie im Völkerkreis, 1975
[edit] References
- Aces of the Luftwaffe. Günther Schack. Retrieved on 5 April 2008.
- Lexikon der Wehrmacht. Günther Schack. Retrieved on 5 April 2008.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
- Spick, Mike. Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. Ivy Books, 1996. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.
- Weal, John. Bf109 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2001. ISBN 1-84176-084-6.
