Ludwig Häfner was born on 17 February 1921 at Ingolstadt in Donau. Häfner was posted to JG 3 in mid-1941.  Leutnant Häfner was assigned to 6./JG 3. He participated in the invasion of Russia and recorded his first victory on this front when he shot down what he reported was a Potez 63 twin-engine bomber. On 25 June, he force-landed at Hostynne after returning from a defensive patrol. On 7 September, whilst ferrying new Bf 109 F-1 (W.Nr. 5728) from Germany, Häfner was obliged to make a forced-landing at Przmysl. The aircraft overturned on landing and the Häfner received injuries that required several months hospitalisation. In spring 1942, 6./JG 3 relocated to the Mediterranean theatre. Häfner operated over Malta and North Africa without adding to his victory total. Häfner relocated back to the Eastern front in May 1942 with 6./JG 3. He recorded his third victory on 20 May. In July, Häfner claimed 24 victories, including four Russian LaGG-3 fighters shot down on 9 July to record his 10th through 13th victories, four enemy aircraft shot down on 30 July (24-27) and three on 31 July (28-30). He recorded his 40th victory on 29 September. On 1 October 1942, Leutnant Häfner was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 3. He recorded his 50th victory on 1 November, when he shot down a Russian MiG-1 fighter. Häfner led a bomber escort mission from Pitomnik on 10 November 1942. No contact was made with the bombers to be escorted so Häfner decided on a freie Jagd and flew towards the Russian fighter base at Kolobovka. Contact was made with a Russian Yak-1 fighter over the airfield and Häfner shot it down for his 52nd, and last, victory. Häfner was then surprised by a large number of Yaks and shot down and killed from low altitude in Bf 109 G-2 (W.Nr. 13 631).
    Ludwig Häfner was credited with 52 victories. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern front and included at least 12 Il-2 Sturmoviks.
 

No	Date	Time	A/c Type	Unit	Location
1	24.6.1941	13:22	Potez 63	6./JG 3	-
2	25.6.1941	7:01	DB-3	6./JG 3	-
3	20.5.1942	14:25	Il-2	6./JG 3	2km SE Wagislaska
4	29.5.1942	6:14	MiG-1	6./JG 3	-
5	13.6.1942	10:23	Il-2	6./JG 3	-
6	13.6.1942	10:43	MiG-1	6./JG 3	-
7	1.7.1942	12:05	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	Voronezh
8	2.7.1942	8:04	R-5	6./JG 3	-
9	4.7.1942	13:37	Il-2	6./JG 3	-
10	6.7.1942	16:32	Yak-1	6./JG 3	-
11	9.7.1942	17:55	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	Nowo-Ussman
12	9.7.1942	18:10	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	Demschtuhliak
13	9.7.1942	18:13	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	N Losow
14	9.7.1942	18:33	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	-
15	10.7.1942	4:37	P-39	6./JG 3	92 474
16	10.7.1942	9:17	MiG-1	6./JG 3	-
17	13.7.1942	4:55	Pe-2	6./JG 3	-
18	13.7.1942	11:55	R-5	6./JG 3	-
19	14.7.1942	11:22	Il-2	6./JG 3	-
20	23.7.1942	9:30	Yak-1	6./JG 3	-
21	25.7.1942	9:55	Yak-1	6./JG 3	-
22	25.7.1942	10:12	MiG-1	6./JG 3	-
23	29.7.1942	17:52	Il-2	6./JG 3	39 411
24	30.7.1942	5:32	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	39 253
25	30.7.1942	5:47	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	32 294
26	30.7.1942	5:48	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	-
27	30.7.1942	-	Pe-2	6./JG 3	-
28	31.7.1942	13:45	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	39 282
29	31.7.1942	13:55	Il-2	6./JG 3	39 192
30	31.7.1942	14:03	Il-2	6./JG 3	39 183
31	6.8.1942	5:35	Pe-2	6./JG 3	Stalingrad
32	7.8.1942	5:47	Il-2	6./JG 3	49 752
33	7.8.1942	10:25	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	49 521
34	20.8.1942	6:20	MiG-1	6./JG 3	40 471
35	23.8.1942	-	MiG-1	6./JG 3	-
36	23.8.1942	-	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	-
37	21.9.1942	-	LaGG-3	6./JG 3	-
38	21.9.1942	-	MiG-1	6./JG 3	-
39	29.9.1942	9:35	LaGG-3	3./JG 3	59 174
40	29.9.1942	12:10	LaGG-3	3./JG 3	49 263
41	9.10.1942	14:40	LaGG-3	3./JG 3	49 133
42	9.10.1942	14:48	LaGG-3	3./JG 3	49 132
43	14.10.1942	7:10	Il-2	3./JG 3	40 751
44	14.10.1942	-	Il-2	3./JG 3	-
45	17.10.1942	10:40	E/a	3./JG 3	-
46	26.10.1942	11:40	Il-2	3./JG 3	49 474
47	27.10.1942	-	E/a	3./JG 3	-
48	30.10.1942	14:12	Il-2	3./JG 3	49 231
49	1.11.1942	14:25	LaGG-3	3./JG 3	59 172
50	2.11.1942	12:12	MiG-1	3./JG 3	49 422
51	3.11.1942	11:08	Yak-1	3./JG 3	59 192
52	10.11.1942	11:54	Yak-1	3./JG 3	80km E Stalingrad

Victories : 52
Awards : Ehrenpokal (21 September 1942)
                Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (25 September 1942)
                Ritterkreuz (21 December 1942)
Units : JG 3