 Promoted to Major, he led this wing during the invasion of the Balkans in Spring 1941, scoring a 24th victory in Greece (20 April 1941), before the unit was pulled out, to central Poland in June, to prepare for the invasion of the Soviet Union.On 22 June 1941, Schellmann was probably the highest profile German casualty of the opening day of Operation Barbarossa.Schellmann's Messerschmitt Bf 109-E was rammed by an I-153 "Chayka" piloted by Lt Kuzmin near Grodno.