Vizefeldwebel '' '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia ...

'' Gustav Schneidewind was a World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

credited with seven aerial victories.

Biography

Gustav Schneidewind was born on 28 August 1890, in the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

. He began his military service in the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

in the 97th Infantry Regiment on 13 October 1911. As World War I erupted, he served in the 25th

Pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...

Regiment. On 7 January 1915, he became an ''

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...

''.Franks et al 1993, p. 204. He transferred to aviation duty on 1 August 1916. He attended pilot's training at

Großenhain Großenhain (; also written as Grossenhain; , ) is a Große Kreisstadt (German for major district town) in the district of Meissen, Saxony, Germany. It was originally known as Hayne. The current name simply means "big Hayne". History Großenhain ...

. Once trained, he was forwarded for duty with ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 29 on 3 May 1917. However, on 4 June 1917, he returned to pilot's training, this time to ''Jastaschule'' (Fighter School). On 17 June, he was posted to a

fighter squadron A squadron in an air force, or naval or army aviation service, is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, ...

, '' Jagdstaffel 17''. He scored his first aerial victory on 21 July; at 1530 hours, he shot down a

Sopwith Pup The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristi ...

from No. 66 Squadron

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

over

Noordschote Noordschote is a town in Lo-Reninge, a part of Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the ...

. On 10 August 1917, he received a promotion to ''

''. He would be credited with three more victories over British aircraft, on 14 and 21 September, and 1 December. With the turn of the year, Schneidewind changed theaters; from service on the Western Front, he was transferred to the Middle East. He was posted to '' Jadgstaffel 55'' on 7 January 1918, joining them in Palestine. He shot down enemy

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery. The use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World ...

s on consecutive days, 8 and 9 May 1918. He was credited with an enemy aircraft later that month. However, on 23 May, he was seriously

wounded in action Wounded in action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

, taking bullets through both arms. He was claimed as a victory by

Carrick Paul Lieutenant Carrick Stewart Paul DFC (5 February 1893 – 22 January 1919 was a World War I flying ace from New Zealand. He was credited with five aerial victories in Palestine between May and August 1918 when flying a Bristol F.2 Fighter. Bio ...

and William Weir, who were crewing a Bristol F.2 Fighter.Weir's victory list
/ref> On 28 May 1918, Gustav Schneidewind was awarded the Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross and Turkish War Medal to accompany his previous awards of both classes of the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

. He returned to Germany, and later served in a reconnaissance unit, ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 305.

Sources of information

References

Norman Franks Norman Leslie Robert Franks (1940 – 21 May 2023) was an English militaria writer who specialised in aviation topics. He focused on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography Franks published his first book in 1976. H ...

, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. Grub Street, 1993. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneidewind, Gustav Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class German World War I flying aces 1890 births Year of death missing Prussian Army personnel Luftstreitkräfte personnel