Walter Schuck and Joe Peterburs – Reunion of Friends

Walter Schuck

Walter Schuck was born on 30 July 1920 in Frankenholz. He was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1937 until the end of World War II. He claimed 206 enemy aircraft shot down in over 500 combat missions, eight of which while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.

He earned the Knight’s Cross on 8 April 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 7./ Jagdgeschwader 5 and the Oak Leaves (616.) on 30 September 1944 as Leutnant and pilot in the 9./ Jagdgeschwader 5.

On 10 April 1945 he claimed four B-17 Flying Fortresses shot down. One of the bombers was “Henn’s Revenge” of the 303rd Bombardment Group, and another was “Moonlight Mission” of the 457th Bombardment Group. Shortly afterwards, his Messerschmitt Me 262 was hit by a P-51 Mustang of the fighter escort, piloted by Lt. Joseph Anthony Peterburs of the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, causing Schuck to bail out. Schuck sprained both ankles upon landing and the war ended before he recovered. After the war, he wrote a book on his military career, called “Abschuss!: Von der Me 109 zur Me 262“.

Former Enemies

In 2005 Schuck met Peterburs in person during a visit to the US. They both became close friends.

Arbeitsgruppe Vermisstenforschung states: ”Walter Schuck visited lots of our presentations in the past and also supported our work. He always wanted us to search for his missing comrades and bring them back home to their families. We will always keep his memory alive.”

Death

Former Oberleutnant of the Luftwaffe, later Hauptmann a.D., and Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Holder Walter Schuck has died at 94 years of age on 28 March 2015.

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Buy nowFind more scans from the book here

Read also:

• Messerschmitt Me 262, history of the Luftwaffe jet fighter.
• Messerschmitt Me 262 Hit & Shot Down by U.S. Fighter, color video footage.
• Heinkel He 280, Germany’s first jet fighter.
• Heinkel He 177, Luftwaffe bomber.
• Lübeck Airport, great images of Luftwaffe and RAF Aircraft in 1946.
• Leopold Münster, Luftwaffe ace who crashed his Bf109 into a B24 after spending all his ammunition.

Literature:

• Boyne, Walter: Messerschmitt Me 262: Arrow to the Future (Paperback). Schiffer Publishing.
• Buchner, Hermann: Stormbird: One of the Luftwaffe’s Highest Scoring Me 262 Aces (Paperback). Crecy Publishing.
• Carruthers, Bob: Me.262 – Stormbird Ascending (Hardcover). Archive Media Publishing.
• Forsyth, Robert: Me 262 Bomber and Reconnaissance Units (Paperback). Osprey Publishing.
• Green, Brett; Evans, Benjamin: Stormbird Colors: Construction, Camouflage and Markings of the Me 262 (Paperback). Eagle Editions.
• Heaton, Colin D.; Lewis Anne-Marie: The Me 262 Stormbird: From the Pilots Who Flew, Fought, and Survived It (Hardcover). Zenith Press.
• O’Connell, Dan: Messerschmitt Me 262: The Production Log 1941-1945 (Hardcover). Midland Publishing.
• Schuck, Walter: Luftwaffe Eagle: From the Me109 to the Me262 (Paperback). Crecy Publishing.
• Smith, Richard J.; Greek, Eddie J.: Me 262, Volume One (Hardcover). Classic Publication.
• Smith, Richard J.; Greek, Eddie J.: Me 262, Volume Two (Hardcover). Crecy Publishing.
• Smith, Richard J.; Greek, Eddie J.: Me 262, Volume Three (Hardcover). Classic Publishing.
• Smith, Richard J.; Greek, Eddie J.: Me 262, Volume Four (Hardcover). Classic Publishing.
• Ziegler, Mano: Hitler’s Jet Plane: The ME 262 Story (Paperback). Frontline Books.