Friedrich Schwab joined the army in 1931 and transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1934. He started pilot training on the outbreak of WWII, receiving his night fighter training from July to October 1941. By September 1942, he was a Staffelkapitän in NJG 3 and promoted to Hptm. He transferred to Schulgeschwader NJG 101 as an instructor and was appointed Kommandeur of the Nachtjagd-Ausbildungs-Gruppe. Below; Schwab seen preparing for a sortie in his Bf 110 C/D..
Post-war Schwab founded 'Schwab Versand' (1954) in Hanau (near Frankfurt am Main) which grew into one of Germany's largest catalogue, mail-order and (later) on-line retailers, prior to undergoing 're-organisation' by parent group Otto in 2020. He died aged 79 in July 1992.