Page 7 - James Eric Frederick Paton

Paul Szameitat 19 December 1919 – 2 January 1944
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Paul Szameitat was born on December 19 1919 in Wolittnik, near Vistula, East Prussia.
Szameitat was promoted as Leutnant to 6./NJG 3 (6 Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3) in the fall
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of 1941. He achieved his first confirmed victory on the night of 26 /27 February1942, achieving
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five victories by the end of that year.
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On the night of 17 /18 January 1943 Szameitat achieved the feat of shooting down three British
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bombers and from 10 February 1943, took command of 5./NJG 3, being awarded the Ehrenpokal
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der Luftwaffe (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe) on 6 May 1943. During the brief period when the
Night Fighter Force was tasked by the High Command of the Luftwaffe to play daytime missions
against the U.S.A.A.F, Szameitat managed to shoot down a four Consolidated B-24 Liberators on
10 August 1943.
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Promoted to Hauptmann and named Gruppenkommandeur with II./NJG 3 Szameitat shot down no
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less than four RAF Lancasters on the 2 /3 December 1943, which followed five more victories
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the next night. On 14 December 1943 he was appointed Kommandeur of I./NJG 3.
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On the night of 1 /2 January 1944, as he engaged British bombers, Szameitat was seriously
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injured by the defensive fire from one of the RAF gunners. When trying to make an emergency
landing in a spruce plantation, near Bückeburg his Junkers Ju 88 C-6 crashed, killing Szameitat
and his crew (Feldwebel Kübler and Feldwebel Blockus).
In recognition of his achievements, Hauptmann Paul Szameitat was posthumously awarded the
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Germanic Cross in Gold on 20 March 1944 and finally, the Cross of Knight of the Iron Cross,
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awarded on 6 April1944. Throughout his combat career, Szameitat achieved 29 aerial victories
(28 night and one day victories).