Hans-Ulrich Rudel
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Hans-Ulrich Rudel (July 2, 1916 - December 18, 1982) was a highly decorated German Stuka dive-bomber pilot during World War II.
Rudel was born to a Protestant minister in Konradswaldau (Silesia), Germany (Polish after 1945). After a limited education, he joined the German Luftwaffe in 1936 as an officer cadet. He was initially only trained as a reconnaissance observer pilot, primarily because of his poor educational background.
When war broke out in 1939 he was in the reconnaissance wing of the Luftwaffe, and he spent the Polish Campaign as a Lieutenant flying long range missions. He earned the Iron Cross Second Class on October 11, 1939. He was then admitted to dive-bombing Stuka training in May 1940, and after completing it, he was assigned to a Stuka wing near Stuttgart. Rudel spent the French campaign as an Oberleutnant, however, in a non-combat role. Although he took part in the invasion of Crete, it was also in a non-combat role.
Rudel flew his first combat mission on June 23, 1941, with the German invasion of the Soviet Union. His piloting skills earned the Iron Cross First Class on July 18, 1941. On September 23 1941, Rudel sunk the Soviet battleship Marat during an air attack on Kronstadt harbor in the Leningrad area.
He went on to become the most highly decorated combatant in Germany, earning by early 1945 the German Cross in Gold, the Pilots and Observers badge with Diamonds, the Close Combat Clasp with 2000 sorties in Diamonds, and the only holder of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. In February, 1945, he was wounded in the right thigh by anti-aircraft fire; the leg was later amputated, although he returned to combat duties with an artificial limb. Eventually, he surrendered to American forces in May, 1945. He moved to Argentina in 1948.
After the war Rudel became a close friend and confidante of the Argentinian dictator Juan Peron. Rudel wrote a book titled In Spite of Everything, and memoirs book titled Stuka Pilot which supported most of the Nazi policy. Even without a leg, he remained an active sportsman, playing tennis, skiing and even climbing the highest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua (7020 meters, more than 21000 feet), as well as three times up the highest volcano on Earth, Llullay-Yacu in the Argentine Andes (6,920 meters).
Rudel's input was also used during development of A-10 attack craft. In total, it is estimated that he flew almost 2,000 Stuka sorties, plus an estimated 400 in Focke-Wulf 190, during which time he destroyed almost 2,000 ground targets (more than 500 tanks), as well as a battleship, two cruisers and a destroyer, amongst other "kills". He was shot down 32 times (behind enemy lines), always somehow managing to escape capture despite Stalin personally having a 100.000 rouble bounty placed on his head.
External links
- Rudel at 'Achtung Panzer!' (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen9.htm)
- A short overview of Rudel's career (http://members.aol.com/ab763/rudel.htm)
de:Hans-Ulrich Rudel he:הנס אולריך רודל ja:ハンス・ウルリッヒ・ルーデル no:Hans-Ulrich Rudel fi:Hans-Ulrich Rudel sv:Hans-Ulrich Rudel