Career
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Feldwebel Schentke served with 9./JG 3 from March 1940. He participated in the Battle of France, where he earned his first victory.
Schentke also served during the Battle of Britain claiming 3 more victories.
He next took part in Operation Barbarossa, during 1941, flying wingman to Major Walter Oesau, who was his Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3. After 34 victories, Oberfeldwebel Schentke received the Ritterkreuz on 4 September 1941.
From November, over the winter, III./JG 3 was rotated from the front for recuperation, and including a short stint in Italy in January. Schentke briefly transferred to 2./JG 3 and flew escort missions for the transport planes flying in supplies to the Demyansk pocket.
He then returned to 9./JG 3 and continued to score regularly.
He returned to the Eastern Front in November 1942, joining 2./JG 3. Schentke was part of the volunteer Platzschutzstaffel (Airfield Defence squadron) Pitomnik. Over 6 weeks, in heavy snows and fogs and often with only 2 or 3 Bf 109"s serviceable, this small unit claimed some 130 Soviet aircraft shot down.
Schentke himself scored 29 victories including three on 10 December and six on 12 December in 5 missions.
On Christmas Day 1942 Schentke shot down a Soviet Il-2 but debris damaged his Bf 109G-2 (Black-3, WNr 13885) forcing him to bail out over Soviet positions to the west of the city. That was the last time he was seen alive.
He was posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant. During his career he was credited with 90 aerial victories, 4 over the Western Front and 86 over the Eastern Front, including at least 15 Il-2 Sturmoviks.
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