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

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

'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), 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 defende ...

Career

A close friend of

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

, Schmid commanded the Luftwaffe's Military Intelligence Branch (''Abteilung 5'' as Chief IC) from 1 January 1938 to 9 November 1942.

Adolf Galland Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western Front and in the Defenc ...

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 Battle for Britain. In late 1942 he was put in charge of Division "General Göring" in Tunisia, known as

Kampfgruppe Schmid In military history, the German term (pl. ; abbrev. KG, or KGr in usage during World War II, literally "fighting group" or "battle group") can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the of Nazi German ...

. On personal orders from Göring, Schmid was flown out of the Tunisian pocket. Promoted to

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-s ...

on 1 February 1943 and

Generalleutnant is the Germanic 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 rank of ...

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 ''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 ''Luftwaffengr ...

'', 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 ''Luftwaffengr ...

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 Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The goal of ''Bodenplatte'' was to gain air superiority during th ...

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. 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 on the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War. Early life Born in Kensington, Beevor was educated at tw ...

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 (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), 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. The Knight' ...

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