It was not until late June of 1941, when JG 51 along with the majority of the Luftwaffe were transferred to the Eastern Front in preparation for the invasion of USSR. On 24 June, the second day of the assault, Lt. Karl-Heinz Weber would file his first claim of the war when he shot-down a SB-2 bomber.

He would add another four Abschüsse before joining III./JG 51's Gruppenstab flying as wingman to Hptm. Richard Leppla. In the Stabskette he would claim another six victories thus increasing his total to 11 before being forced to leave the skies over Moscow.

On 18 February 1942, Weber would continue to score when he and his commander Leppla downed two VVS aircraft each. Back at the Eastern Front in May of 1942, Weber claimed his 15th on 1 May while flying in the Stab. For his next two victories however, claimed on 5 June, he was back with his old 7. Staffel.

During the Battle of Rzhev on 3 September Weber claimed a Pe 2 for his 25th Abschuss. Later that day unfortunately, he was shot down and wounded in his Bf 109 F-2 "White 0" while trying to defend his airfield at Dugino.

When Weber recovered from his injuries, the III. Gruppe had been relocated to Jesau, near Königsberg in East Prussia, for conversion to the Fw 190 A. On 24 November the Red Army launched their Velikiye Luki offensive trapping the German LIX Korps with over 50 000 men in the pocket. III./JG 51 operated over the battlefield up to late January 1943 with Weber claiming another three Abschüsse.

On 16 March 1943, he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold for a total of 35 confirmed victories. On 5 July when the Operation Citadel commenced Weber was given temporary command of the 7. Staffel with the III. Gruppe, flying missions in support of the 9. Armee in its attack against the salient from the north. That day, Weber became an "ace-in-a-day" for the first time by downing two La-5, one Boston, a Yak-1, and a LaGG-3 in three separate missions.

He would continue to score heavily when on the next day he claimed his 50th, and little more than a month later, on 12 August he bagged another four VVS aircraft thus reaching 100 victories and becoming the 49th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.

Oblt. "Benjamin" Weber was then officially appointed Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel the next day. During early February 1944 heavy fighting continued in the section south of Bobruisk, however, hampered by bad weather flight activities were restricted.

The III. Gruppe later flew in support of both the 9. and 4. Armees with "Feuerwehr" missions trying the help the ground troops wherever serious enemy breaches or advances at the frontline happened. Occupied with flying fighter sweeps and escort missions for the Stuka Gruppen the number of claims increased significantly from 6 February up to the end of the month with II./JG 51 claiming a further 71 VVS aircraft for an own loss of three pilots missing or taken prisoner and with them three Fw 190 As. Weber would add no less than 13 Abschüsse to his tally during February thereby reaching 127 kills.

On 29 May 1944, when 7./JG 51 was transferred to the west and the Normandy Front, Weber was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 1. He would fly his last combat mission on 7 June when leading his III. Gruppe against Allied fighters south of Rouen.

On this his first mission over the Invasion Front he was reported missing in action, probably shot-down in his Bf 109 G-6/AS by a P-51 from the Polish No. 315 Squadron. Karl-Heinz "Benjamin" Weber, credited with 136 confirmed victories in over 500 combat missions, was posthumously awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub.

Note this rather worn Focke-Wulf with the numeral a stylized zero, which more resembles an inverted letter 'Q'. This stylized 0 was also seen on other III./JG 51 Bf 109 F-2s and G-6s and was said to be a hallmark of the fighters used by Weber.

This profile was included as profile No 77. in my Profile Book No 14. During the week I have manage to make an additional 13 fighter profiles, all of them allied machines.