Friedrich Lang stuka unit

[philippe1]

hello,
Can any of your readers tell me if a certain friedrich Lang who served with a stuka unit survived the war?and in what unit he served.
thank you in advance
phil

[Larry deZeng]

Yes, he survived.

LANG, Friedrich. (RES, DKG).
†29 December 2003 in Hannover.

[philippe1]

Thanks Larry,well apreciated
phil

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by philippe1

Can any of your readers tell me if a certain friedrich Lang who served with a stuka unit survived the war?and in what unit he served.

Friedrich Lang's autobiography, "Aufzeichnungen aus der Sturzkampffliegerei", was self-published in 1999 (a slightly revised edition appeared in 2002.)

In July 1938 Lang joined 1./StG 163, which later became 1./StG 2. He served in the Polish and Western Campaigns, and after being wounded in Aug 1940, was appointed as the Technical Officer of the I. Gruppe. After his recovery in April 1941, he rejoined the 1. Staffel, flying in the Balkan and Crete campaigns and from June onwards, in the Russian campaign. In Oct 1941, Lang became Staka of 1./StG 2 and was awarded the Knight's Cross shortly thereafter. In Feb 1942, he became the first Stuka pilot to fly 500 missions. In Nov 1942, after over 600 missions, he received the Oak Leaves and was assigned as the Fliegerverbindungsoffizier (Air Liaison Officer) for Luftflotte 4 to Armeeoberkommando 17 in the Kuban.

In April 1943, he became Kommodore of III./StG 1. In March 1944, he flew his 1000th mission, earning him the Swords. He was given command of Schlachtflieger-Schulgeschwader 101 in May 1944, and flew his last mission on Feb 2 1945, when he was injured due to his Fw 190 flipping over on landing. He was released from US captivity in Sep 1945, and served in the Bundeswehr from 1956 to 1971.

Leon Venter

[philippe1]

thanks Leon, well apreciated

[Larry Hickey]

Leon,

Does the autobiography cover significantly Lang's service during 1939-40 in any detail.

Any idea where one might obtain a copy of this autobiorgraphy? Sounds like it could be a gold mine of info on a rather underreported unit.

Does anybody know if any KTB information survives for the 1939-40 period for I./StG2?

Regards,

[ChrisS]

Hello Larry

These 2 booksellers have a copy:

http://www.booklooker.de/app/detail....22&pid=3331297
http://www.zvab.com/displayBookDetai...5237854&ref=bf


Regards

Chris

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Thanks Cris, for helping me locate a copy. I appreciate the time you went to to find these for me.

Before I order a copy, can anyone who already has a copy tell me whether this has a lot of good details on his unit and his operational career during the 1939-40 period with I./StG2, including the circumstances of his being WIA during the Battle of Britian? What about photos? Some good ones from the 39-40 period? Does it include a copy of his FB entries and the like?

Can someone who has this give me some idea of how valuable a reference source that his will likely be?

Regards,

Larry

[leonventer]

Hi Larry,

Originally Posted by Larry Hickey

...can anyone who already has a copy tell me whether this has a lot of good details on his unit and his operational career during the 1939-40 period with I./StG2, including the circumstances of his being WIA during the Battle of Britian?

No, it doesn't contain any such detail for the early war years. It's a shortish book of about 60 single-sided pages, with the following chapter titles:

• Die fliegerische und taktische Durchführung des Einsatzes eines Sturzkampfverbandes (20 pages)
  General notes about Stuka unit organization and missions, the Ju 87, radio usage, defensive practices, fighter escorts, etc. Provides examples of attacks against bridges, trains and railroad installations, ships, tanks, artillery and infantry positions, as well as fortifications and buildings.
• Die verschiedenen Verlegungsarten eines Ju87 Sturzkampfverbandes (10 pages)
  Overview of the various ways in which Stuka units could be relocated, depending on circumstances. Describes airfield and accommodation requirements and preparation, and describes some of the airfields used by 1./StG 2 in the first year of the Russian campaign.
• Der Einsatz der III./StG 1 in der Zeit vom 1 April 1943 bis 30 April 1944 im Osten (11 pages)
  HIgh-level descriptions of the Gruppe's activities, primarily missions to Orel and Kursk. Mentions receiving the new Ju 87D-5 in Nov 1943, and describes the conversion to Fw 190s in March 1944. Includes a map of airfields used by III./StG 1 during this period.
• Tabellarischer Lebenslauf des Verfassers (4 pages)
  Detailed timeline of Lang's assignments, promotions, awards and career events up to 1973, plus a reproduction of his one-page biography from Stockert's "Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945, vol.1"
• Bilder (12 pictures)
  Mainly portrait photos of Lang at successive stages of the war, plus a couple of generic Ju 87 and Fw 190 pictures.

What about photos? Some good ones from the 39-40 period? Does it include a copy of his FB entries and the like?

No.

Can someone who has this give me some idea of how valuable a reference source that his will likely be?

Not particularly valuable as a reference, but a unique resource for those interested in Stuka/Schlacht operations because it provides a perspective from the Gruppe/Geschwader command level. The book is subtitled: "Geschrieben auf Wunsch des letzten Generals der ehemaligen Schlacht- und Sturzkampfflieger, Generalmajor Hubertus Hitschold", which befits its contents.

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter