Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 6 linear feet of mostly correspondence and photographs gathered by Schulze or Toliver, of German aces and pilots, including the following: Hans Otto Boehm, Erich Hartmann, Adolf Garland, Gunther Rall, Dietrich Hrabak, Edward Neumann, Hajo Herrmann, Georg Elder, Johannes Steinnoff, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Jagerblatt Molder, Walter Schuck and Wolfgang Spate. There are also German combat reports, accounts by German test pilots on World War II captured aircraft, information on the Tirpitz raid, photographs of Knights' Cross and Oak Leaves recipients, and material relating to the JG5 and JG51 Squadrons. Besides the correspondence and photography, the collection consists of obituaries, programs, publications and over 70 videos.

Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.

Arrangement

The German World War II Ace Collection [Schulze] is arranged by content type.

Biographical / Historical

Kurt Schulze (b. 1921) began his German military service in 1939 as a cadet with the Air Service Corps. He started out as a wireless operator and air traffic controller before becoming a navigation officer. As a Navigator, he flew 23 night missions in Dornier Do 217s over England. In September of 1943, he received his wings as a pilot and in March 1944 he started fighter pilot training. From then until May 1945, Schulze flew 103 missions. Sixty-five of those missions were in Messerschmitt BF-109 on the Russo-Finnish border. When Finland signed a peace agreement with Russia, Schulze's unit was moved to Northern Norway. Schulze's last nine missions were in command of the first JG-51 squadron. After the war, he was turned over to the American Forces and then to the French. In 1951 he moved to California and in 1958 he became a US citizen. Schulze had a strong friendship with Colonel Raymond Toliver, author of books on German World War II pilots, and he translated German correspondence and documents for Toliver's research, as the author did not speak or write German.