Wolfgang Schenck ( pilot ) Wolfgang Schenck ( 7 February 1913 – 5 March 2010 ) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II . He was born in Windhoek in German West Africa ( now Namibia ) . Wolfgang Schenck was an important figure in the Luftwaffe ' s development of the fighter - bomber , as well as pioneering work in the use of the Me 262 jet - bomber . Early life . Wolfgang ' Bombo ' Schenck , was born on 7 February 1913 in Windhoek , German South West Africa , the son of a farmer . On the death of his mother in 1923 , Wolfgang and his sister moved back to Germany to live with family in Berlin . In 1934 he returned to South West Africa to work on a coffee plantation . Career . By this time he held a ' C ' gliding flying certificate and an ' A ' certificate for powered flight . He entered the military in December 1936 as an officer - cadet , and posted to II . / JG 132 ' Richthofen ' in Jüterbog in 1938 . This unit was renamed I Gruppe , Zerstörergeschwader 1 ( ZG 1 — 1st Destroyer Wing ) and it was with 1 . Staffel that Schenck took part in the Polish campaign during September 1939 , and in the Norwegian campaign during spring 1940 . He scored his first aerial victory on 11 May 1940 , but on 16 May was seriously wounded in combat with Royal Air Force ( RAF ) Hurricanes , but managed to return to base . After months in hospital Schenck tried to rejoin his old Staffel . He established that 1 . / ZG 1 was now 1 . Staffel , Erprobungsgruppe 210 ( " Erpr . Gr . 210 " ) . Accordingly he travelled to their base at Denain , France on 4 September and arranged with " Gruppenkommandeur " ( group commander ) " Oberleutnant " Martin Lutz to join 1 . / Erpr . Gr . 210 . Wolfgang Schenck took up the post of Gruppe Adjutant on 5 September . On 27 September Lutz was lost in action , and " Generalfeldmarschall " Albert Kesselring visited Denain on 1 October 1940 , and appointed Werner Weymann as acting " Gruppenkommandeur . " and Schenck was appointed " Staffelkapitän " ( squadron leader ) of 1 . Staffel and promoted to " Oberleutnant " . Weymann was shot down into the Channel on 5 October , and Schenck was now acting ' Gruppenführer ' ( Gruppe leader ) of Erpr . Gr . 210 . The new " Gruppenkommandeur " , Major Karl - Heinz Lessmann from II . / ZG 2 , was posted in on 1 November although Schenck ' s superior knowledge of the use of the Bf 110 as a fighter - bomber meant Schenck led most missions . In mid - 1941 the unit was re - designated I . Gruppe , Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 and moved east to prepare for the attack on Russia . Schenck had flown over 50 fighter - bomber missions and continued to lead 1 . Staffel once the campaign in the East started , and was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 August 1941 after 9 aerial victories . He then spent a spell at Rechlin as head of the Eprobungsstaffel Me 210 , and in January 1942 he returned to ZG 1 , as Gruppenkommandeur of I . / ZG 1 , by which time he had claimed 18 aerial victories in 300 operational missions as well numerous claims for the destruction of enemy shipping , tanks and transport in the months of the Russian campaign . Schenck moved to a German Air Ministry staff position in August 1942 . He was awarded the " Eichenlaub " ( Oak Leaves ) to the Knight ' s Cross on 30 October 1942 , and in January 1943 was appointed " Geschwaderkommodore " of Schlachtgeschwader 1 in the Mediterranean theatre , flying the Focke - Wulf Fw 190 fighter - bomber . In December 1943 he was again wounded in combat . Hospitalisation followed and on release he was appointed as ' Inspizient der Schlachtflieger ' . In June 1944 Oberstleutnant Schenck was given responsibility for evaluating the Messerschmitt Me 262 as a fighter - bomber , and formed a specialist unit for this purpose , " Kommando Schenck " . His next posting was as " Geschwaderkommodore " of Kampfgeschwader 51 , then converting to the Me 262 . His final appointment was Inspector for Jet fighters from February 1945 to the war ' s end . Schenck had flown over 400 combat missions , 40 in the Me 262 . Later life and death . Post - war he returned to South Africa and took up bush flying , accumulating over 17 , 000 hours flying time . He returned to Germany and settled in Marburg . He died on March 5 , 2010 in Marburg , Germany .