Sunday, March 10, 2024

The Capitulation of Hans-Ulrich Rudel



In the last days of the war, Stuka ace Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel commanded the oldest and the best known close assault / support Stuka group - Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann". He was still operating with his unit in last days of war on the Eastern Front. At the end of the war, Rudel wanted to fly a suicide attack with his squadron but his superior ordered him not to take off because "he might be needed later", which might have been the only reason why he didn't do so. He also volunteered to fly his Stuka into Berlin in May of 1945 to rescue Hitler from the Red Army. On May 8th of 1945, when Germany surrendered, Oberst Rudel who was in Bohemia, flew his last mission in Ju-87 Stuka. He managed to contact American forces and arranged for himself and other planes to fly over to Kitzingen airfield (near Wurzburg) in the American zone, escaping the capture by the Soviets. Afterwards, Rudel was interrogated first in England and then in France and eventually returned to hospital in Bavaria for convalesce. In 1946, Rudel left the Bavarian hospital and started working as a haulage contractor and in 1948, left for Argentina, where he worked for the State Airplane Worksand organized with other escaped Nazis a NSDAP party-like structure.



Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel (left) in captivity.



Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel (second from left) in captivity.



Stuka ace Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel in a garden with American military officials shortly after the war ended in Europe. He meets with American officers and walks with crutches in a garden with his aide and American military officials. They sit on chairs and talk. Numerous medals and awards displayed on Oberst Rudel's uniform. Location: Germany. Date: May 1945.


Source :
Mark Felton Productions
Critical Past video archive
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen9.htm
https://reibert.info/threads/xans-ulrix-rudel-hans-ulrich-rudel.6079/page-3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZHCvPim0eA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMCMzejE9l4

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