Norbert Schücking
Norbert Schücking | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 January 1921 Waldviertel, Austria |
| Allegiance | .svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
Branch | Luftwaffe |
Service years | 1943–1945 |
Rank | Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel |
| Unit | 1/JG 11 |
| Known for | Being one of the last Luftwaffe Aces |
Conflicts | |
| Awards | German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, Fighter Operational Clasp |
Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Norbert Schücking (born 15 January 1921) is the last living Luftwaffe ace of World War II. During the war Schücking claimed either 9[1] or 13[2] aerial victories on the Western Front.
Life
Schücking (also spelt Schueking) was born in Waldviertel, an area of Lower Austria, on 15 January 1921. His family lived in a disused water mill. He went to school in Vienna, Budapest and a boarding school in the Harz Mountains; after completing his final exams (Abitur) in secondary school, he went straight into military service.[3]
Service in the Luftwaffe
.jpg)
Schücking served as a Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel[4] in the 1st Unit of JG11 during the war on the Western front. He flew a BF-109G and an FW-190A. Schücking joined the unit in late 1943 or early 1944 and achieved his first aerial victory on 20 February 1944 over Weimar against a B-17 Bomber. A majority of his aerial victories were against bombers (B-17s and B-24s),[5] except for his tenth victory against a P-47 north of Alençon on the 27th June 1944, his eleventh victory against a Spitfire at Balleroy on the 14th July 1944, his twelfth victory on the 17th July 1944 against another P-47 near St Lô-Coutances, and his thirteenth and final aerial victory on the same day south-west of St Lô-Coutances against a P-51 Mustang. On 22 February 1945, Schücking bailed from his FW-190A at 100 m (330 ft), surviving by landing in snow.[2] Schüking received the German Cross in Gold, both the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, and the Fighter Operational clasp.[2]
After the war, he met and married his wife Gunda and moved to Elmshorn, where he took up a commercial apprenticeship, and worked in the building materials industry for 40 years.[6] Schücking had an interest in hunting and although he no longer hunts, he is noted as still enjoying nature and walks.[3] He is the oldest resident of Elmshorn.[7]
References
- ↑ Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims – Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. p. 1520. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
- 1 2 3 "Kracker Luftwaffe Archive". Aircrew Remembered site. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- 1 2 "Norbert Schücking – auch mit 105 Jahren Naturfreund aus Leidenschaft - KJSP-DE". www.kjs-pinneberg.de. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "German aces of WW2". www.igleize.fr. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ "JG11 - Squadron Profile". www.military-art.com. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ Brameshuber, Christian (2025-06-30). "Elmshorns Verladestation: 104-Jährigen bringt sie auf die Palme". shz.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ↑ Brameshuber, Christian (2026-01-23). "Über 100: Elmshorner Norbert Schücking unter ältesten Deutschen". shz.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-11.