Lt. Rudolf Schmitt... He-162 May 8 1945 at Leck Airfield | Forums

[woofiedog]

It needed quite a bit of that runway. Mint video

Sound clip of the He-162... http://www.aviationtrivia.homestead.com/He162_pics.html

Heinkel 162 Ejection Seat

The Germans were the first nationality to use ejection seats in aircraft. They were used first in developmental aircraft, then in certain operational aircraft. By the end of World War II, over 60 aircrew had used ejection seats in combat.



Link: http://www.ejectionsite.com/he162seat.htm

Heinkel He 162 Volksjäger in Detail... close up photo's.

Link: http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/19...tail_he162.htm

[Heliopause]

Some extra info from Aero-Journal #11, by Jean-Claude Mermet.
English text by Peter Lee



Pilot E. Demuth.

[Jochiam-Pieper]

Hi,
Very interesting info here! I will mention that I am the proud owner of the !st Luft dagger that was owned by Oberleutnant Rudolf Schmidt, as photographed on the first page of Google images when his name is entered. That led me to this site and I was thrilled to find so much info, as I had no idea that he was somewhat famous. This dagger will now assume a place of honor in my collection. I WONDER IF HE REALLY DID SHOOT DOWN THAT TYPHOON?

[AndyJWest]

Hi. Yes, a useful collection of information, though sadly this forum doesn't get the traffic it used to. As for your knife, if it is genuine it is a collectors piece, though it is sometimes difficult to prove the authenticity of such things.

As for whether Schmidt shot the Typhoon down, we'll probably never know for sure. The closing days of WWII were chaotic, even allowing for the usual 'fog of war'. That the Luftwaffe even managed to get the He-162 operational is surprising - but of course its effect on the outcome of the war was essentially zero.

[arthursmedley]

Jochiam Pieper? Nazi war criminal? Collects memorabilia?

Mmmmmm, nice.

[Jochiam-Pieper]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your reply. I purchased the dagger from a major east coast dealer who has been in business for more than 20 years. There is some provenance that goes with it and when I googled his name I was blown away! Seems that the dagger is near mint because he never carried it as he was in combat most of the time.
I am new to this forum and can't navigate well, when I sign on I never return to the same page. Is there an easy way?

Thanks, Andrew

[Jochiam-Pieper]

War criminal? Perhaps. He was murdered in France in the early 70's which remains unsolved.
Glad you picked up on the name, but you should also read his biography. If it bothers you I just may change it.

Andrew

[Jochiam-Pieper]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I own the 1st Luft Dagger that belonged to Oberleutnant Rudolf Schmidt! I was thrilled to find this info about him posted on this forum. When I googled his full name a photo of the dagger appeared and I was amazed. The dagger is in mint condition because, as was told to me, he very seldom carried it as he was in combat most of the time. I am now compiling as much info and photos of him as I can get so this piece will be the center of my collection.

Thanks, Andrew

[Tully__]

Hi Andy,
I am new to this forum and can't navigate well, when I sign on I never return to the same page. Is there an easy way?

Thanks, Andrew

Bookmark the page you want.

[Sillius_Sodus]

War criminal? Perhaps. He was murdered in France in the early 70's which remains unsolved.
Glad you picked up on the name, but you should also read his biography. If it bothers you I just may change it.

Andrew

Welcome to the forum JP,

I've read a couple of books about him and the consensus appears to be that he was a war criminal, at least by western standards since he was tried for the his role in the shooting of U.S. POW's at Malmedy, during the Battle of the Bulge. He was a very aggressive commander and was decorated for a daring raid conducted, if i recall correctly, in early 1943, where he rescued a large number of German troops, including many wounded, from encirclement. That said, he was a high ranking member of Hitler's Leibstandarte, and you probably don't get there by being kind.

As for choosing his name as your user name, well, that's your prerogative, although it might raise a few eyebrows depending on which forum you are visiting.