Günther Scheel

Günther Scheel (23 November 1921 – 16 July 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (posthumously) during World War II. Günther Scheel holds the unique record in World War II of shooting down more aircraft than he flew missions. He was credited with 71 aerial victories—that is, 71 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—in just 70 missions. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern Front.

Following flight training, Scheel was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing)—sometimes cited as 2. Staffel—which was based on the northern sector of the Eastern Front in January 1943. At that time, most fighter activity was still involved in covering the blockade of Leningrad. He flew many ground attack missions destroying a number of locomotives and other vehicles. Scheel recorded his first aerial victories on 9 February 1943 by shooting down a Lavochkin La-5 and a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter. After that he rarely flew a day without claiming a victory. On 30 May, he shot down four fighters (18-21v.) and did so again on 21 June (26-29v.). By the time of his 50th mission on 22 June his score was 30 victories.

However it was in July, when his unit was transferred to Orel to support the Kursk offensive that he hit a phenomenal purple patch, shooting down 41 planes in just 16 days. On the opening day (5 July) he shot down 8 aircraft (31-38v.), then 7 aircraft on 7 July (40-46v.). He shot down five fighters on the 10th (53-57v.) and seven more on 13 July (62-67v.), including three Yakovlev Yak-9 fighters in just two minutes.

But with such intense air activity, his luck finally ran out on the morning of 16 July 1943. Flying Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 710 002, Yellow-8 - the 3. Staffel unit colour) he shot down two fighters, but then collided with the wreckage of the second and crashed near Bolkhov.

The loss report read: "Ltn Scheel took off at 07:07 hours together with 3. Staffel of I./JG 54 in order to provide a Stuka formation with fighter escort in the vicinity of Orel. After completion of this mission, Ltn Scheel shot down two Yak-9s, during a subsequent fighter sweep. During the second combat, his 71st in total, his left wing hit the enemy aircraft. The wing broke off at the fuselage, which caused the aircraft to immediately start descending from an altitude of 800 metres. In 50 metres altitude the aircraft caught fire and exploded on impact in Planquadrat 64356, at 8.06 hours. Point of impact: about 15 kilometres northeast of Bolkhov".

In a tour of only six months he flew 70 missions and scored 71 victories. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern Front and included 20 Il-2 Sturmoviks. He was posthumously awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, the Ehrenpokal, and finally the Ritterkreuz on 5 December 1943.

Reports of his fate vary: some say he was killed in the crash and subsequent explosion, others that he bailed out at 200 meters (660 feet) and landed behind enemy lines. Scheel was reportedly seen in a camp at Yelabuga in 1946, and receiving medical treatment in a camp at Solny in 1948. However, he officially remains missing in action.

Scheel was credited with 71 aerial victories claimed in 70 combat missions, all of which were on the Eastern Front.

  This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Scheel an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold on 31 August 1943 (posthumously) as Leutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 13 September 1943 (posthumously) as Leutnant and pilot
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 December 1943 (posthumously) as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 54

• Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 401.
• Patzwall 2008, p. 178.
• Fellgiebel 2000, p. 375.
• Von Seemen 1976, p. 296.
• Scherzer 2007, p. 657.