Helmut Schönfelder

Helmut Schönfelder (30 April 1914 – 23 September 2003) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Schönfelder was credited with 56 aerial victories.

Career
Schönfelder was born on 30 April 1914 in Nienburg an der Weser in the Province of Hanover within the German Empire.

Aerial victory claims
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Schönfelder was credited with 56 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that he claimed 56 aerial victories, all of which on the Eastern Front.

Awards

 * Flugzeugführerabzeichen
 * Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
 * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
 * Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 19 June 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot
 * German Cross in Gold on 1 January 1945 as Oberfeldwebel in the Stabstaffel/Jagdgeschwader 51
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 March 1945 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the Stabstaffel/Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"