He is credited with 70 aerial victories achieved in an unknown number of combat missions, becoming an "ace-in-a-day" on four separate occasions.

Linz was born on 14 February 1917 in Ilmenau, at the time in the Grand Duchy of Saxony of the German Empire.

Staffel (8th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5–5th Fighter Wing), at the time holding the rank of Unteroffizier.

Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 5 to which the squadron was subordinated was commanded by Hauptmann Günther Scholz.

Staffel moved to an airfield at Petsamo, present-day Pechenga in Murmansk Oblast, Russia.

[6] He was presented with the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse) by Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen Stumpff on account of his II.

[7] In 1943, Linz served as a fighter pilot instructor Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe West, a supplementary training unit based in Cazaux, France.

[8][9] Back from his tour as an instructor, Linz claimed two Lend-Lease Curtiss P-40 Warhawk on a mission to Murmashi and Warlamowo on 23 September 1943.

Staffel was led by Oberleutnant Horst Berger and Scholz had been replaced by Hauptmann Heinrich Ehrler as commander of III.

These claims cannot be linked to Soviet records which document the loss of a single P-39 fighter lost to aerial combat.

Staffel was scrambled at Salmiyarvi and intercepted a formation of Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft escorted by P-39 fighters 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of Petsamo.

Luftwaffe pilots claimed 33 aerial victories while Soviet records document the loss of five aircraft.

In parallel, further Soviet aircraft, including a number of Boston bombers, attacked the harbor at Kirkenes.

[30] On 9 February 1945, Linz was shot down and killed in action flying Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 732183—factory number) in defense of the German destroyer Z33 in an operation which was later called Black Friday by the Allied aircrews due to their heavy unit losses.

[31] It was intended that Z31, which had completed initial repairs at Bergen after being heavily damaged in the Action of 28 January 1945, would join her to make a joint passage to the Baltic.

[32] Z33 ran aground in Brufjord on 7 February, damaging her port shaft and propeller and causing both engines to fail.

[31] Z33 and the two tugboats with her chose to shelter in Førde Fjord during daylight on 9 February while en route to Trondheim.

[33] On the morning of 9 February, two Royal New Zealand Air Force Bristol Beaufighter torpedo bombers of No.

These aircraft sighted a Narvik-class destroyer accompanied by a minesweeper and two flak ships in Førde Fjord.

The strike force was joined by either ten or twelve North American P-51 Mustang fighters from 65 Squadron and two Vickers Warwick air-sea rescue aircraft from 379 Squadron carrying life rafts to help any aircrew forced to ditch.

Staffeln of JG 5 were scrambled from Herdla Airfield at 3:50 p.m. and ordered to attack the Dallachy Wing and its escorts.

[30] The Fw 190 A-8 flown by Linz in his last combat still exists, and is displayed in the Cottbus Hangar of the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia, USA as of 2014.