Joseph "Beppo" Schmid (24 September 1901 – 30 August 1956) was a German general who served in the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Schmid commanded the Luftwaffe's Military Intelligence Branch during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

Career

A close friend of

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

, Schmid commanded the Luftwaffe's Military Intelligence Branch (''Abteilung 5'' as Chief IC) from 1 January 1938 to 9 November 1942. Adolf Galland later criticized Schmid for doing nothing to upgrade the low quality of the intelligence service. Schmid was accused of inventing intelligence situation data about British aircraft losses during the

. In late 1942 he was put in charge of Division "General Göring" in Tunisia, known as Kampfgruppe Schmid. On personal orders from Göring, Schmid was flown out of the Tunisian pocket. Promoted to

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

on 1 February 1943 and

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

on 1 July 1944 he was given command of the 1st Fighter Corps (15 September 1943 – 15 November 1944). He was made commander of the '' Luftwaffenkommando West'', formerly

Luftflotte 3 ''Luftflotte'' 3For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 3) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 1 February 1939 from ''Luftwaffeng ...

on 23 November 1944. Schmid commanded the German forces involved in

Operation Bodenplatte Operation Bodenplatte (; "Baseplate"), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the German Luftwaffe to cripple Allies of World War II, Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the World War II, Second World War. The goal of ''Bodenpl ...

on 1 January 1945, the operation achieved tactical surprise, but that was undone by poor planning and execution. Bodenplatte was ultimately a failure and exhausted the ''Luftwaffes remaining units. Schmid also commanded German air units during the

Defense of the Reich The Defence of the Reich () is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Germany during World War II against the Allied strategic bombing campaign. Its aim ...

. Schmid's leadership qualities are disputed. Historian

Antony Beevor Sir Antony James Beevor, (born 14 December 1946) is a British military historian. He has published several popular historical works, mainly on the Second World War, the Spanish Civil War, and most recently the Russian Revolution and Civil War. ...

called him the "most disastrous intelligence officer the Wehrmacht ever produced". Erik Larson was likewise harshly critical of Schmid in ''The Splendid and the Vile'' (2020).

Awards

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 ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

on 21 May 1944 as ''

'' and commander of the in Tunisia deployed detachment of the Division "General Göring"Scherzer 2007, p. 668.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). ''Eagles of the Third Reich: Men of the Luftwaffe in World War II''. Stackpole Books. . * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schmid, Joseph 1901 births 1956 deaths Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Luftwaffe World War II generals People from Ostalbkreis People from the Kingdom of Württemberg Lieutenant generals of the Luftwaffe Military personnel from Baden-Württemberg