Herbert Schmid

Oberleutnant Herbert Schmid (1 April 1914 -) was a German World War II pilot, who defected to north-east Scotland in May 1943, piloting a German nightfighter with advanced interception radar which allowed British scientists to jam German nightfighter radar.

He was born in Saxony-Anhalt.

He was a pilot in the Luftwaffe, serving with Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3).

On 9 May 1943 when aged 29, Schmid took his Junkers Ju 88 R-1 (360043), equipped with the most advanced German nightfighter interception radar, to an RAF station at Aberdeen. He had set off from Aalborg in Denmark at 1503, flying to Norway to refuel at 1603. It took off at 1650, to take part in a mission over the Skagerrak, between Norway and Denmark. At 1710, a false message was sent to the German nightfighter headquarters in Denmark, saying that the aircraft's starboard engine was on fire; the aircraft dropped down to sea level and dropped three life rafts.

Interception

Two Spitfires from 165 Squadron were sent to intercept the Ju-88, making contact with the Ju-88 at 1805, west of Aberdeen; the Ju-88 dropped its flaps, and undercarriage and launched red flares. The Ju-88 landed at Aberdeen at 1820. One of the German aircrew was not compliant with landing at Aberdeen and he had to be taken at gunpoint.

Schmid was detained as a prisoner of war, after being detained in the Officer's Mess for a week, with the other crew of his aircraft.

Aircraft testing

Once the aircraft was captured, German nightfighters could be detected much earlier. The aircraft was flown to Iceland many times, behind a Vickers Wellington that dropped the tin foil window. The radar-jamming technique known as window was found to work.

Within five days, the Ju-88 had been given the designation PJ876, later being tested at RAF Collyweston in Northamptonshire. The aircraft was moved to the RAF Museum in London in November 1978, when the museum opened.