Date of birth:

September 15th, 1911 (Nieder-Erlenbach/Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, Germany)

Date of death:

September 14th, 1956 (Alamogordo/Otero County/New Mexico, USA)

Nationality:

German

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

September 28th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Flight Lieutenant)

Unit:

Gruppenkommandeur

Awarded on:

October 20th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann

Unit:

Kampf-Geschwader 30

Awarded on:

February 25th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Major (Squadron Leader)

Unit:

Kommodore Kampfgeschwader 1 "Hindenburg"

Awarded on:

May 10th, 1943

The following newspaper excerpt (dated 20.05.1943) describes why Lau received the Knight’s Cross…

“Major Lau distinguished himself as a bomber pilot and Kommodore over the course of 200 sorties on all fronts.”

During the summer of 1941 he sank a Soviet destroyer and destroyed several trains in attacks on the Murmansk railway line.

• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
  - PATZWALL, K. D., Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2008.
  - URBANKE, AXEL & KAISER, JOCHEN, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger, Luftfahrtverlag-Start, 2011.
  - Luftwaffe Officer Career
  - Die Grenz-Zeitung (Edition 137)