Major
Karl-Heinz Langer was born on 19 April 1914 at Görlitz
in Schlesien. Langer held the post of Gruppenadjutant of III./JG 3 from
26 May 1941. However, Oberleutnant Langer gained his first victory on 14
July 1941 over the Eastern front flying with 7./JG 3. On 21 May 1942, Langer
ran out of fuel returning from a mission and was forced to make an emergency
landing in his Bf 109 F-4 (W.Nr. 13 234) at Krementshug. He escaped injury
and his aircraft was only slightly damaged. Langer suffered engine failure
in Bf 109 F-4 (W.Nr. 13 139) on 5 September necessitating an emergency
landing west of Golubinskaja which wrote off his aircraft but from which
he emerged unscathed. On 17 December, with his victory total at 10,
Langer was wounded when his Bf 109 G-2 (W.Nr. 13 739) rolled over an unexploded
bomb on the airfield at Pitomnik near Stalingrad and detonated. On his
recovery, he shot down a Russian Yak-1 fighter over Stalingrad on 28 December
to record his 11th victory. Langer became Staffelkapitän of 7./JG 3 on
1 June 1943, shortly before the Kursk offensive. He had 11 victories to
his credit at this time. Langer was appointed acting Gruppenkommandeur
of III./JG 3 on 14 July, following the capture of Major Wolfgang Ewald
(78 victories, RK) by the Russians. He led the unit until relieved by Hauptmann
Walter
Dahl (128 victories, RK-EL) on 20 July. The unit then moved back to
Germany for Reichsverteidigung duties. He shot down his first four-engine
bomber on the second Schweinfurt raid of 14 October 1943 for his 16th victory.
Langer was himself shot down on this raid. He baled out of his stricken
Bf 109 G-6 (WNr 26 024) near Hammelburg wounded. While he was recuperating
from his wounds he served as an instructor with Ergänzungsungs-Jagdgruppe
Ost before rejoining the Gruppe in spring 1944. On 25 May 1944, Langer
was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3, taking over from Walter Dahl.
On 26 July, he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold. He led the unit
on the 1 January 1945 Bodenplatte operation claiming two RAF Spitfire fighters
destroyed on the ground at Eindhoven airfield. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz
on 20 April 1945. Langer’s 30th and last victory was achieved over a Russian
Yak-3 fighter on 23 April 1945. Langer survived the war but died on 6 May
1955 in Remschied.
Karl-Heinz Langer was credited with 30 victories
in 486 missions. He recorded 10 victories over the Western
front, including four four-engine bombers.
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14.7.1941
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I-153 | 7./JG 3 | - |
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5.10.1941
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DB-3 | 7./JG 3 | - |
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9.3.1942
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I-61 | 7./JG 3 | 12km SW Salustsche |
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18.3.1942
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Pe-2 | 7./JG 3 | - |
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24.8.1942
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R-5 | III./JG 3 | Zarjew |
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24.8.1942
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MiG-1 | III./JG 3 | N.E. Leninsk |
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3.9.1942
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LaGG-3 | III./JG 3 | Akelin |
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1.10.1942
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LaGG-3 | 9./JG 3 | NE Gratschi |
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17.10.1942
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Il-2 | 9./JG 3 | W Rulew |
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26.10.1942
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Il-2 | 9./JG 3 | 49 351 |
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28.12.1942
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Yak-1 | III./JG 3 | - |
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5.7.1943
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LaGG-5 | 7./JG 3 | SE Rakitnoje |
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7.7.1943
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Il-5 | 7./JG 3 | NW Vollchansk |
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21.7.1943
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LaGG-5 | 7./JG 3 | 9km NW Bogoroditskoye |
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31.7.1943
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Il-2 | 7./JG 3 | W Kuybyshevo |
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14.10.1943
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B-17 | 7./JG 3 | Hammelburg |
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27.5.1944
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B-17 HSS | III./JG 3 | SW Strasbourg |
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30.5.1944
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B-17 | III./JG 3 | Dessau area |
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30.5.1944
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B-17 | III./JG 3 | Dessau area |
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21.6.1944
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P-47 | III./JG 3 | Houdan |
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21.6.1944
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P-51 | III./JG 3 | SE Dreux |
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26.7.1944
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P-38 | III./JG 3 | Bagnoles-de L’Orme |
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19.8.1944
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P-47 | III./JG 3 | Bernay |
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23.12.1944
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B-26 | III./JG 3 | - |
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27.12.1944
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P-47 | III./JG 3 | - |
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19.2.1945
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Boston | III./JG 3 | - |
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6.3.1945
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Il-2 | III./JG 3 | - |
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18.3.1945
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Il-2 | III./JG 3 | - |
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19.4.1945
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Il-2 | III./JG 3 | - |
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23.4.1945
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Yak-3 | III./JG 3 | - |
Victories : 30
Awards : Ehrenpokal (12 August 1944)
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (26 July 1944)
Ritterkreuz (20 April 1945)
Units : JG 3
