Willy Unger (27 March 1920 – 23 June 2005) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II.

Following the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, he joined the Luftwaffe and served as an aircraft mechanic.

In late 1942, he began pilot training, following completion in early 1944, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing).

[2] World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland.

Staffel (2nd squadron) of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, a supplementary training unit based at La Rochelle-La Leu, France.

The Sturmstaffel was an experimental unit flying the so-called Sturmböcke (battering ram) up-gunned Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-7 and A-8 aircraft.

The USAAF Eighth Air Force sent 803 heavy bombers to attack transportation infrastructure in western Germany, including the marshalling yard at Hamm.

[14] The USAAF Eighth Air Force flew its next daylight mission on 29 April, attacking Berlin with 679 heavy bombers of which 618 reached the target area.

The Luftwaffe pilots claimed twelve aerial victories and nine Herausschüsse, including one by Unger, for the loss of five Fw 190 fighters damaged in combat.

[15] In May 1944, the Luftwaffe experimented with rearwards firing Werfer-Granate 21 rocket-propelled mortars, also known as the Krebsgerät (Crab Device).

While based at Barth, Unger was one of the pilots who tested the Krebsgerät, reporting that the weight of the device further deteriorated the performance of the heavily armored Sturmbock variant of the Fw 190 in both speed and maneuverability.

[16] On 8 May 1944 he was shot down by defensive fire from one of the B-17s, but managed to make a gear-up landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 at Uelzen.

[18] The authors Prien, Stemmer and Bock state that the consolidated attack flown in close formation by the Sturmgruppe resulted in overclaiming of aerial victories caused by the confusing combat situation.

[1] On 12 January 1945, Soviet forces launched the Vistula–Oder offensive advancing into German-held territory, capturing Kraków, Warsaw and Poznań on the Eastern Front.

Sturmgruppe was ordered to relocate from Gütersloh Airfield to Märkisch Friedland, present-day Mirosławiec, located approximately 75 kilometers (47 miles) east of Stargard.

Flieger-Division (1st Air Division), commanded by Generalmajor Robert Fuchs, and subordinated to II.

Sturmstaffel of JG 3, succeeding Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz von den Steinen who was transferred.

[26] On 27 January, Märkisch Friedland had to be abandoned and the Sturmgruppe retreated to an airfield 75 kilometers (47 miles) southwest of Stargard.

Over the next weeks, the Sturmgruppe predominantly flew fighter-bomber missions in support of German ground forces retreating towards the Oder.

During this mission, Luftwaffe pilots claimed five aerial victories, including a Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter aircraft by Unger.

[32] Obermaier lists Unger with 22 aerial victories, including 19 heavy bombers and three on the Eastern Front, claimed in 59 combat missions.

This figure includes three aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 18 Western Allies heavy bombers.