Kurt Schulze
Luftwaffe Wireless Operator, Navigator, Air Traffic Controller, and Fighter Pilot
By Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette
Aviation Art Store
This is a photo of Kurt Schulze with JG5 and his Bf-109G.
This is my painting of his Bf-109G-6 which he flew on the mission that the Tripitz was attacked and sank.
This painting is for sale. I will use the monies from the sale to publish the print.
Painting size is 2 feet by four feet.
Oberleutnant Kurt Schulze
Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6 and G-10
Kurt Schulze began service as a cadet in the
Air Signals Corp in 1939. In 1942, 2nd Lt. Schulze advanced to a
wireless operator as well as qualified as an aircraft controller. Being able to
fly was Kurt’s goal and as a wireless operator Schulz was able to fly six long
distance recon missions as a crew member in the Me110C over southern
From the fall of 1942 through spring 1944
Schulze was stationed in
Schulze continued training and became a
pilot in September of 1943. In March 1944 he started fighter aircraft training.
After becoming a fighter pilot, Schulze was stationed in
Kurt also participated in photo reconnaissance missions as well as with the defensive air-arm for the German battleship Tirpitz. He was assigned to JG/5 from July to December 1944. He was friends with Major Heinrich Ehrler who was the group commander. Schulze was either flying as a wingman with Heinrich or paling around with him at the airfield at Bardufoss in northern Norway. Major Heinrich Ehrler was the 13th highest scoring ace in history ending the war flying with JG-7. Ehrler was credited with 208 confirmed aerial victories; seven of these were four-engine bombers.
On November 12, 1944 the day that the
Tripitz was sunk, the British pulled a surprise attack on the battleship. Ehrler
and Schulze were blamed for the loss of the Tripitz. Kurt was blamed because
they accused him of being formally with a bombing unit and was not yet an
aggressive fighter pilot. Heinrich was court-marshaled for the loss. Yet it was
not their fault. The British bombers flew over
By the time Heinrich and Kurt arrived to defend the battleship, the Tripitz was capsized. There were also complications on the airfield as well in taking off and pursuing the attackers. It was too late. The British approached the target from the very direction that they were not exposed to be flying in from. This gave the RAF a great advantage. A great enough advantage in that by the time Heinrich and Kurt got the order to take off the British bombers were lining up on their bombing run and their target.
Kurt started discussing the blame that they could endure for the loss of the Tripitz. Kurt told me that he was discussing the seriousness of the accusations against them to Heinrich. After Heinrich listened for a few minutes he told Kurt, “To hell with those guys, let them come up here and hang their asses over this ice cold water for a while”. Heinrich was definitely defiant, yet he was indeed in a lot of trouble. He was in fact court marshaled and sentenced to death, but his life was spared because Heinrich was after all one of the top Luftwaffe Aces of the war.
In the last months of 1945, Schulze
commanded l/JG51 in
This my painting of the Me-109K that Kurt flew as commander of JG-51.
This painting is for sale.
This is a page from a Luftwaffe aircraft book showing Horst Petzschler who flew to what he though was freedom. When it came down to surrendering, Horst wanted to be taken by the American and not the Russians so he flew the Me-109K that Kurt flew as the commander of JG-51 west to Sweden. If he had more gas he would have flown further. He was taken prisoner and turned over to the Russians where he was a prisoner for five years! Anyway, the photo shows I did a good job on the painting.
If you are interested in investing into one of the paintings shown above for sale, please call or e-mail me for details.
Sir Hamilton 1-904-282-4198
October 8, 2008