the next day, on 2 september 1943, schieß led a scramble against a usaaf b-25 bomber formation attacking rail marshalling yards at cancello, naples. his unit engaged the fighter escort of p-38 lightnings. unable to break through the fighter screen to attack the bombers, he followed the force back over the gulf of salerno. his final battle took place over the island of ischia; at around 1:45pm, the pilots heard franz schieß radio: "at them again, everyone get ready!" at the time, the formation was 30 to 40 km southwest of ischia when hauptmann schieß's wingman was forced away by two lightnings and lost sight of his "staffelkapitän". ten of the p-38s were shot down, but schieß's bf 109 g-6 ("werknummer" 160 022—factory number) "black 1 + i", crashed into the mediterranean 30–50 km ssw of ischia in the gulf of salerno. though not witnessed, he was probably shot down by a p-38.