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. As a fighter ace, he claimed 206 enemy aircraft shot down in over 500 combat missions, eight of which while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. Schuck was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

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. After a period of training at various pilot and fighter pilot schools, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing), operating on the most northern section of the Eastern Front, the Arctic Front, in April 1942. In April 1944 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 84 aerial victories. Following his 171st aerial victory he was injured in combat and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during his convalescence. In early 1945 Schuck transferred to Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing) which operated the then revolutionary Me 262 jet fighter. Claiming a further eight aerial victories, he was forced to bail out when his aircraft was shot down by Lieutenant (later Colonel) Joe Peterburs flying in his P-51 Mustang on 10 April 1945. Schuck sustained minor injuries, preventing him from flying further combat missions.

Schuck was born on 30 July 1920 in Frankenholz, 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. Schuck was one of five children of Jakob Schuck, a coal miner and veteran of World War I, and his wife. After graduation from the Volksschule (primary school), he unsuccessfully applied for an apprenticeship at the coal mine in Falkenhorst. Money was tight in the family and higher education was out of reach. He then jobbed at a local brickyard. After a plebiscite on 13 January 1935, Saar was restored to Germany on 1 March 1935. 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. Schuck volunteered for service in the Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht at the age of 16, before he could be conscripted into the infantry.

Schuck received a letter in early 1937 that he had been accepted by the Luftwaffe. Prior to enlisting he had to complete his six months of the Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst), which he began on 3 April 1937. His recruit training began in November 1937 with the 2. Fliegerersatzabteilung 24 (2nd Flier Replacement Unit 24) in Quakenbrück. On 1 April 1938 he was transferred to the Flughafenbetriebskompanie (Airport Operation Company) of Kampfgeschwader 254 (KG 254—254th Bomber Wing) to Gütersloh. 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. Schuck did not possess a driver's license, but he was unofficially taught how to drive the 3-tonne Mercedes truck. 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. After a few weeks at Schüren, Schuck returned to Gütersloh in mid-November 1938.

In February 1939, Schuck attended a three-month course at the Luftfahrttechnische Schule (aeronautical technical school) at Bonn-Hangelar. Following this, he was transferred back to Quakenbrück, this time to the A/B Fliegerschule (flight school for the pilot license) of Fliegerausbildungsregiment 82 (flight training regiment). Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations. Schuck logged his first solo flight after only 18 takeoff and landings. Normally the first solo flight was flown after 30 to 40 accompanied flights. Schuck completed his B2 flight training just prior to the start of the Battle of France on 10 May 1940. He received his A/B pilot license on 14 May 1940.

Schuck initially wanted to become an aerial reconnaissance pilot, flying the Dornier Do 17. 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. To avoid further escalations Schuck was transferred to the Jagdfliegerschule (fighter pilot school) at Werneuchen. He arrived at Werneuchen on 16 June 1940 where he was assigned to the 3. Staffel (3rd squadron). The entire Gruppe was under the command of Oberleutnant Klaus Quaet-Faslem. Schuck's fighter pilot instructor was Oberfeldwebel Hobe, who was aware of Schuck's disciplinary history. Hobe commented "Schuck, we don't want problems here. We now go on a test flight and I am sure that you will be leaving afterwards". 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. Schuck's flying career was saved. At Werneuchen the pilots were first trained on the Messerschmitt Bf 109 B-2, later the Bf 109 E-1, which had a more powerful engine. Schuck scored more than 90% hits during target practice, the highest score then achieved at Werneuchen. After his graduation from the fighter pilot school, he was transferred to the 3. Staffel of Ergänzungsjagdgruppe Merseburg (Supplementary Fighter Group) on 2 September 1940.

Schuck's first operational assignment was with Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in October 1940, when I. Gruppe (1st group) JG 3 was tasked to give top cover to Adolf Hitler en route to Belgium, which was not known at the time. There he was assigned to the Ergänzungsjagdgruppe 3 under the command of Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) Hans-Curt Graf von Sponeck, son of Hans Graf von Sponeck. On 25 October 1940, Schuck's Bf 109 E-3 (Werknummer 946—factory number) veered off the runway at Saint-Omer-Wizernes. In this accident, Schuck was injured and the aircraft destroyed. According to his own account, he suffered a concussion and was hospitalized. After his release, he was promoted to Unteroffizier (non-commissioned officer) on 1 December. Schuck claims that his nickname "Sohndel" (the hypocoristic form of "son" in the German language) was given to him by his friend Franz Dörr. Dörr, who was seven years older than Schuck, became a fatherly figure to him and the nickname stuck.

Ergänzungsjagdgruppe 3 was moved to Esbjerg on 8 September 1941. On 29 December 1941, the unit received the order from the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) that it would be detached from JG 3 on 31 December and was renamed to 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing) and subordinated as an autonomous Staffel to Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen. Relocation north began on 2 January 1942, at first to Stavanger-Forus and then to Bodø on 1 February. On 24 April 7. Staffel arrived in Pechenga, also referred to as Petsamo, where it was subordinated to III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 5 under the command of Hauptmann Günther Scholz.