Friedrich Lang

Friedrich Lang
Friedrich Lang
Born	12 January 1915 Mährisch-Trübau, Austria-Hungary
Died	29 December 2003 (aged 88) Hanover, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe  German Air Force
Years of service	1935–45 1956–73
Rank	Major (Wehrmacht) Oberst (Bundeswehr)
Unit	StG 2, SG 1
Commands held	1./StG 2, III./SG 1
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Battle of Crete Operation Barbarossa
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Other work	Teacher at a Volksschule in Gundelsheim Civil engineer Oberst in the Bundeswehr

Major Friedrich Lang (12 January 1915 – 29 December 2003) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Stuka ace.^{[Note 1]} He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Friedrich Lang flew 1008 combat missions, from the first until the very last day of World War II. During all these missions he was never shot down, never crash landed his aircraft and never had to bail out.^[1]

Early life

Friedrich Lang was born on 12 January 1915 in Mährisch-Trübau, Austria-Hungary as the son of a professor at a Gymnasium (secondary school). Lang grew up in Linz and in Czernowitz. He attended the German Gymnasium at Czernowitz, which was directed by his father since 1919, and graduated with his Abitur (diploma) in 1932.^[1]

He then attended the Chernivtsi University where he studied four semesters of Physics and Mathematics. In October 1934 he decided to transfer to the technical University of Breslau where he studied aeronautical engineering. He received German citizenship on 17 April 1935.^[2]

After World War II

After the war Friedrich Lang initially stayed by fellow soldier in Heilbronn. After he passed the necessary examinations he became an assistant teacher at a Volksschule in Gundelsheim am Neckar. In May 1946 a directive by the Office of Military Government of the United States led to his dismissal.^[3]

Lang then moved to Neumünster in Holstein in November 1946. He married in 1947 and became a mason. He passed his journeyman's examination and attended the construction school at Bremen in 1950. His parents had settled here after they had been expelled from Silesia. Lang worked as a construction engineer in Bremen until 1955.^[3]

Friedrich Lang rejoined the military service of the emerging Bundeswehr on 1 January 1956. He was declared unfit for flight service due to chronic venous insufficiency. From 1960 until 1963 he commanded the military school of the Luftwaffe. He received his promotion to Oberst (Colonel) in 1961. From 1967 until his retirement in 1971 he was commander of the military defense district 22 in Hanover.^[3]

Awards

• Verwundetenabzeichen in Black
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1.000"
• Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (30 March 1942)^[4]
• "Kreta" Cuffband
• German Cross in Gold on 24 April 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 1./StG 2^[5]
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd class (October 1939)^[6]
  • 1st class (May 1940)^[6]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 23 November 1941 as Oberleutnant and pilot in the 1./StG 2 "Immelmann"^{[7][8][Note 2]}
  • 148th Oak Leaves on 21 November 1942 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 1./StG 2 "Immelmann"^{[9][Note 3]}
  • 74th Swords on 2 July 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./SG 1^[9][11][12]

Notes

1. For a list of Luftwaffe ground attack aces see List of German World War II Ground Attack aces
2. According to Scherzer as pilot and technical officer in the I./StG 2 "Immelmann"^[9]
3. According to Scherzer on 28 November 1942.^[9] According to Von Seemen as Staffelkapitän of the 2./StG 2 "Immelmann".^[10]

References

Citations

1. Brütting 1992, p. 113
2. Brütting 1992, p. 114.
3. Brütting 1992, p. 129.
4. Patzwall 2008, p. 131.
5. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 267.
6. Thomas 1998, p. 5.
7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 283.
8. Von Seemen 1976, p. 216.
9. Scherzer 2007, p. 491.
10. Von Seemen 1976, p. 31.
11. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 43.
12. Von Seemen 1976, p. 17.

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
• Brütting, Georg (1992) [1976]. Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 – 1945 [These were the German Stuka Aces 1939 – 1945] (in German) (7th ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch. ISBN 978-3-87943-433-6.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Band II Stuka- und Schlachtflieger [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Volume II Dive Bomber and Attack Aircraft] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-021-3.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2004). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe II Ihlefeld - Primozic [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color II Ihlefeld - Primozic] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-21-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
• Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.