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Friedrich Lang
File:Friedrich Lang.jpg
Friedrich Lang
Born (1915-01-12)12 January 1915
Died 29 December 2003(2003-12-29) (aged 88)
Place of birth Mährisch-Trübau, Austria-Hungary
Place of death Hanover, Germany
Allegiance Flag of German Reich (1935–1945) Nazi Germany (to 1945)
Flag of Germany West Germany
Service/branch Balkenkreuz Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht)
Bundeswehr Kreuz Luftwaffe (Bundeswehr)
Years of service 1935–1945, 1956–1973
Rank Major (Wehrmacht)
Oberst (Bundeswehr)
Unit StG 2, SG 1
Commands held 1./StG 2, III./SG 1
Battles/wars

World War II

Awards Knight's 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[]

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"[8]
  3. According to Scherzer on 28 November 1942.[8]

References[]

Citations
  1. 1.0 1.1 Brütting 1992, p. 113
  2. Brütting 1992, p. 114.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Brütting 1992, p. 129.
  4. Patzwall 2008, p. 131.
  5. Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 267.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Thomas 1998, p. 5.
  7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 283.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Scherzer 2007, p. 491.
  9. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 43.
Bibliography
  • Berger, Florian (1999) (in German). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War]. Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6. 
  • Brütting, Georg (1995) (in German). Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 – 1945 [These were the German Stuka Aces 1939 - 1945]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch. ISBN 978-3-87943-433-6. 
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [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]. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1976) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Band II Stuka- und Schlachtflieger [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe 1941 – 1945 Volume II Dive Bomber and Attack Aircraft]. Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-021-3. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001) (in German). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2]. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008) (in German). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War]. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3. 
  • Schaulen, Fritjof (2004) (in German). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe II Ihlefeld - Primozic [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color II Ihlefeld - Primozic]. Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-21-8. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). 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]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1998) (in German). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z]. Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. 

External links[]

Military offices
Preceded by
Major Fritz Thran
Commander of Schlachtgeschwader 101
July 1, 1944-February 9, 1945
Succeeded by
unknown
Preceded by
Oberstleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Acting Commander of Schlachtgeschwader 2 Immelmann
February 9, 1945-February 13, 1945
Succeeded by
Oberstleutnant Kurt Kuhlmey



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