Walter Schuck (30 July 1920 – 27 March 2015) was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe from 1937 until the end of World War II.

Born in the Saargebiet (Territory of the Saar Basin), Schuck volunteered for service in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1936 and was accepted in 1937.

Claiming a further eight aerial victories, he was forced to bail out when his aircraft was shot down by Lieutenant Joseph Peterburs flying in his P-51 Mustang on 10 April 1945.

Schuck was born on 30 July 1920 in Frankenholz,[2] now part of Bexbach, in the Saargebiet, at the time a region of Germany occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate.

The introduction of the compulsory military service on 16 March 1935 was seen by Schuck as a career opportunity and a chance to fulfil his dream of flying.

His father, who had experienced the trench warfare during World War I, advised him to take every opportunity to avoid service in the infantry.

Initially Schuck was tasked with security guard duties before he was assigned to help a fellow soldier, a truck driver, haul material around the airbase.

This impressed his commanding officer, Hauptmann (Captain) Schneiderberger, who transferred him to the glider pilot school at Schüren, near Meschede in the Sauerland, after the Sudeten Crisis.

[8] In February 1939, Schuck attended a three-month course at the Luftfahrttechnische Schule (aeronautical technical school) at Bonn-Hangelar.

[9] However, due to disciplinary problems following unauthorized aerobatics on a Focke-Wulf Fw 56 "Stösser" and an open conflict with his commanding officer, Oberleutnant Brunner, Schuck ran the risk of a potential court-martial.

Fearful that this might have end his flying career, Schuck followed Hobe's every maneuver, which impressed Quaet-Faslem who had witnessed their test flight.

[16] Schuck claims that his nickname "Sohndel" (the hypocoristic form of "son" in the German language) was given to him by his friend Franz Dörr.

[23] At 06:03 and 06:05 on 19 March 1943, claimed his 27th and 28th aerial victory over two Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters flying at an altitude of 6,000 meters (20,000 ft).

Staffel encountered a flight of five Hawker Hurricane fighters approximately 18 kilometres (11 miles) east of Murmashi.

At 17:03, a Rotte of Bf 109 G-2s sighted and reported an enemy formation consisting of Douglas A-20 Havoc, also known as "Boston" bombers, Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft, as well as Bell P-39 Airacobra and Hurricane fighters.

[27] These four claims took his number of aerial victories to 50 and earned him a congratulatory note from Generaloberst Stumpff, at the time commander-in-chief of Luftflotte 5.

That day, all three Staffeln took off at 11:40 and encountered a number of Yakovlev Yak-7 fighters from 122 IAD PVO (Istrebitel'naya Aviatsionnaya Diviziya Protivo-Vozdushnaya Oborona—Fighter Aviation Division of the Home Air Defense) south of Murmashi.

[31] At 05:40 on 7 April, Schuck and his wingman Feldwebel Josef Bößenecker take off from Pechenga, providing escort for a westbound convoy.

On this mission, Schuck claimed the destruction of three P-40s and an Il-2 approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) west of the northern tip of the Rybachy Peninsula.

Later that day, Schuck flew another convoy escort mission and claimed a P-39 shot down at 10:18 and another P-39 at 10:21, bringing his total to 84 aerial victories.

[32] On evening of the next day, Schuck received a phone call from General der Flieger (General of the Aviators) Josef Kammhuber, successor of Generaloberst Stumpff as commander-in chief Luftflotte 5, who informed him that he had been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).

This time the Germans reported combat with approximately 100 Soviet aircraft and claimed 40 aerial victories, among them four by Schuck.

Schuck and Leutnant Werner Gayko were scrambled and sighted a single Supermarine Spitfire taking pictures of the Kirkenes harbor.

This short burst shot down Senior Lieutenant I. J. Popowitsch from 3./118 RAP (Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment) who managed to bail out wounded.

This career advancement was triggered on 1 August when Major Ehrler replaced Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) Scholz as Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) of JG 5.

[49] The presentation of the Oak Leaves was made on 7 November 1944 at the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Ministry of Aviation) in Berlin by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring.

Schuck immediately set course for the enemy formation and spotted a Lockheed P-38 Lightning F-5 reconnaissance aircraft escorted by two P-51 fighters of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).

[62][Note 4] On 10 April 1945, the USAAF Eighth Air Force targeted airfields, transportation hubs, and various military infrastructures at Oranienburg, Rechlin, Neuruppin, Stendal, Brandenburg-Briest, Zerbst, Burg, Parchim and Wittenberge.

In total 1,232 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers, escorted by approximately 900 fighters, were committed to this attack.

[72] Spick also lists him with 206 aerial victories, 198 of which on the Eastern Front, and eight over the Western Allies flying the Me 262 jet fighter, including four our-engined heavy bombers.