Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Date of Birth: 02.07.1916 - Konradswaldau-Landeshut, Schlesien (German Empire)
Date of Death: 18.12.1982 - Rosenheim, Bayern (West Germany)
Battles and Operations: German invasion of Poland (1939), Operation Barbarossa (1941), Battle of Moscow (1941), Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43), Operation Kerch–Eltigen (1943), Battle of Kursk (1943)
NSDAP-Number: unknown
SS-Number: 206.913
Parents: Johannes Rudel and Martha Rudel
Siblings: Ingeborg Rudel and Johanna Rudel
Spouse: Ursula "Hanne" Bergmann (married 1942), Ursula Daemisch (married 1965) and Ursula Bassfeld (married 1977)
Children: Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Siegfried Rudel, and Christoph Rudel (born 1969)
Promotions:
04.12.1936 Fahnenjunker
01.06.1938 Oberfähnrich
01.01.1939 Leutnant
01.09.1940 Oberleutnant
01.07.1943 Hauptmann (RDA 01.04.1943)
19.10.1943 SS-Sturmmann
01.03.1944 Major (RDA 01.10.1942)
01.09.1944 Oberstleutnant
29.12.1944 Oberst
Career:
00.00.1922 Volksschule
00.00.19__ - 00.00.1936 Gymnasium Lauben
00.00.1933: Hitlerjugend
00.00.1936 Served two months in the RAD (Reichsarbeitsdienst)
04.12.1936 - 00.06.1937 Entered the Luftwaffe. Basic training at Luftkriegschule, Wilpark-Werder
00.06.1937 With LKS Wildpark-Werder, started flight training (Ausbildung Flugzeugführer)
00.06.1938 Sturzkampfflieger-Ausbildung in I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 168 at Graz-Thalerhof on completion of Luftkriegsschule
01.12.1938 Transferred to Aufklärerschule Hildesheim for Beobachter (observer/navigator) training
01.06.1939 Transferred to 2.Staffel (Fern) / Aufklärungsgruppe 121, Prenzlau
00.09.1939 Beobachter in 2.Staffel (Fern) / Aufklärungsgruppe 121 during the invasion of Poland
02.03.1940 Regimentsadjutant Fliegerausbildungsregiment 43, Wien-Stammersdorf
00.07.1940 Transferred to Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) in France
30.04.1941 Transferred from Erg.St./St.G. 2 to I./St.G. 2 at Maloi, South Greece
23.06.1941 flew his first Stuka combat mission, hitting targets in the Grodno area of North-East Poland as a pilot in 1.Staffel / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2)
01.08.1941 Technische Offizier in III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2)
23.09.1941 Sunk the Russian battleship Marat with a 1000 kg bomb
00.09.1941 Sunk a cruiser (needs confirmation)
00.03.1942 - 00.08.1942 Staffelkapitän Ergänzungsstaffel / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), Graz
15.08.1942 2. Staffel / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2
00.11.1941 In hospital
22.11.1942 Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2)
25.11.1942 flew 17 combat missions in the Stalingrad area in a few hours of daylight in a single day
01.06.1943 Ergänzungsstaffel / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2)
18.07.1943 - 18.10.1943 Gruppenführer III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2)
09.10.1943 Reached his 1,500th combat sortie
18.10.1943 - 31.07.1944 Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2 (SG 2)
28.10.1943 Destroyed his 100th tank
09.02.1944 - 21.02.1944 at the same time, Geschwaderführer Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"
20.03.1944 Wounded and captured by the Soviets in Wolfaniwka but escaped - Ju 87 D-5 (T6+BD)
16.05.1944 MIA but later returned. Ju 87 G force-landed by fighter damage, 5 km North-East of Kishinev/Moldavia , but rescued by Ju 87 (T6+FT) of Uffz. Oechsler
01.06.1944 Reached 2,000 combat sorties and 301 tanks destroyed
01.08.1944 - 08.02.1945 Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"
06.08.1944 Destroyed his 329th tank and mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht a fourth time
19.08.1944 WIA - Ju 87 G-2 shot down by Anti-Aircraft North-East of Ergli/Latvia (Lithuania?) during a low level attack on tanks, force-landed
17.11.1944 WIA - Ju 87 G-2 (SO+FW) (WNr. 494 193) force-landed vic Budaörs, South-East of Gyngyos in the area of Budapest after damage from ground fire from tanks
23.12.1944 Reached 2,400 combat sorties
08.02.1945 - WIA - Ju 87 G-2 (<-+) shot down by ground fire South of Carzig, 5 km North-West of Lebus, 10 km North of Frankfurt/Oder (20 km West of Kustrin), resulting in partial amputation of right leg and at approximately same time credited with 516 tanks destroyed
25.03.1945 Returned to his unit
21.04.1945 - 08.05.1945 Back as Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"
08.05.1945 POW - Ju 87 G-2 (<+-) (WNr. 494110) surrendered to U.S. forces at Kitzingen airfield, unhurt - deliberately damaged upon landing
00.04.1946 Released from POW camp
Awards and Decorations:
00.00.1936 Goldenes Hitlerjugend Ehrenabzeichen
00.00.1937 Flugzeugführerabzeichen
00.00.1939 Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht IV.Klasse (4 Jahre)
00.00.1939 Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938
10.11.1939 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
18.07.1941 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
18.07.1941 Frontflugspange für Kampfflieger in Gold
20.09.1941 Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg (Mentioning in the Ehrenliste der Deutschen Luftwaffe on 20.10.1941)
00.00.194_ Medaglia d'argento al Valore Militare (Italy)
02.12.1941 Deutsches Kreuz in Gold #7/8, as the first Stuka pilot to complete 500 combat missions
06.01.1942 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän 9.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2). Awarded after flying over 400 sorties, during which he sank the Soviet battleship "Marat" (23600 GRT) as well as a cruiser and a destroyer.
00.00.1942 Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
00.00.1942 Frontflugspange für Schlagtflieger in Gold mit Anhänger
14.04.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #229, as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". Awarded for his achievements throughout 1942, by the end of which he had flown over 750 sorties. During this time he was credited with the following successes: Destroying Soviet batteries at Swinowojka and Marajewa through direct hits (21. and 30.01.1942); Paralyzing a Soviet attack on 27.01.1942 by destroying two buildings occupied by an hostile brigade staff in Barsuki. He also eliminated 3 vehicles and 2 trucks in this attack; Damaging a freighter (with 4000 GRT) in the harbour of Tuapse (23.09.1942); Destroying a Soviet supply dump (29.09.1942); Creating a landslide at the Induk pass, which blocked it to Soviet forces for quite some time; Destroying 3 aircraft, 2 batteries, 3 guns and 2 bunkers (23.09.-26.10.1942); and destroying 3 tanks, 1 battery, 9 vehicles and 2 trucks (13.11.-14.12.1942).
25.11.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #42, as Hauptmann and Gruppenführer III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". Awarded after flying 1600 sorties, during which he destroyed over 100 tanks.
27.03.1944 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht: "Major Rudel, Gruppemkommandeur of a Schlachtgeschwader, destroyed 17 enemy tanks in a single day in the south of the eastern front."
28.03.1944 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht: "Between Dnyestr and Pruth large German aerial assault units joined the battle. They destroyed numerous enemy tanks and a large number of motorized and horse-drawn vehicles. On this occasion Major Rudel once more destroyed nine enemy tanks. On more than 1800 missions he has destroyed 202 enemy tanks."
29.03.1944 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwerter und Brillanten #10, as Major and Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2 (SG 2) "Immelmann". Awarded after flying over 1800 sorties, during which he destroyed over 200 enemy tanks.
00.05.1944 Gemeinsames Flugzeugfuhrer-Beobachter Abzeichen mit Brillianten
00.06.1944 Frontflugspange für Schlachtflieger in Gold mit Brillianten (Received with operations number "2000")
03.06.1944 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht: "Major Rudel, decorated with the highest German award for bravery, flew his 2000th mission against the enemy on the eastern front."
06.08.1944 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht: "27 more tanks were destroyed by ground-assault aircraft. Major Rudel alone destroyed eleven, taking his total to 300 tanks destroyed with aircraft guns."
29.12.1944 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwerter und Brillanten #1, as Oberstleutnant and Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 2 (SG 2) "Immelmann". Awarded after flying over 2400 sorties, and bringing his total of tanks destroyed to 463.
14.01.1945 Magyar Tiszti Arany Vitézségi Érem (Hungary)
10.02.1945 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht: "Oberst Rudel destroyed eleven Soviet tanks in the last few days, increasing his personal score to 516 tanks."
00.02.1945 Verwundetenabzeichen in Gold (WIA 17.11.1944 + 09.02.1945)
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Hans-Ulrich Rudel was born on 2 July 1916, in Konradswaldau, in Lower Silesia, Prussia. He was the third child of Lutheran minister Johannes Rudel. As a boy, Rudel was a poor scholar but a keen sportsman. Rudel attended the humanities oriented Gymnasium, in Lauban. He joined the Hitler Youth in 1933. After graduating with Abitur in 1936, he participated in the compulsory Reich Labour Service (RAD). Following the labour service, Rudel joined the Luftwaffe in the same year and began his military career as an air reconnaissance pilot.
German forces invaded Poland in 1939 starting World War II in Europe. As an air observer, Rudel flew on long-range reconnaissance missions over Poland. During 1940, he served as a regimental adjutant for the 43rd Aviators Training Regiment, based at Vienna.
In early 1941, he underwent training as a Stuka pilot. He was posted to 1st Staffel of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), which was moved to occupied Poland in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, in June 1941. On 21 September 1941, Rudel took part in an attack on the Soviet battleship Marat of the Baltic Fleet. Marat was sunk at her moorings on 23 September 1941 after being hit by one 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) bomb near the forward superstructure. It caused the explosion of the forward magazine which demolished the superstructure and the forward part of the hull. 326 men were killed and the ship gradually settled to the bottom in 11 meters (36 ft) of water. Her sinking is commonly credited to Rudel alone, but Rudel dropped only one of the two bombs that sank her. Rudel's unit then took part in Operation Typhoon, Army Group Center's attempt to capture the Soviet capital.
Rudel's gunner from October 1941 was Erwin Hentschel, who served with Rudel for the next two and a half years, both men earning the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during that period. Hentschel completed 1,400 sorties with Rudel and drowned on 21 March 1944 when they were making their way to the German lines following a forced landing.
In early 1942, Rudel got married while home on leave. Later in the year, he took part in the Battle of Stalingrad. From May 1941 to January 1942, Rudel flew 500 missions. In February 1943, Rudel flew his 1,000th combat mission, which made him into a national hero. He then participated in the experiments with using the Ju 87 G in the anti-tank role. The anti-tank unit took part in operations against the Soviet Kerch–Eltigen Operation. The footage from an onboard gun camera was used in Die Deutsche Wochenschau, a Reich Ministry of Propaganda newsreel. In April 1943, Rudel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, receiving the Oak Leaves from Hitler personally in Berlin. Rudel participated in the Battle of Kursk with the same unit. On 12 July 1943 Rudel claimed 12 Soviet tanks in one day. In October 1943, Rudel was credited with the destruction of his 100th tank and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (one of only 160 awarded) on 25 November.
Rudel was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe on 22 February 1944. On 20 March, Rudel performed a forced landing behind Soviet lines and he and Hentschel (his gunner, mentioned above) escaped to the German lines. The men attempted to swim across the Dniester River but Hentschel drowned in the attempt. Upon his return, Ernst Gadermann, previously the troop doctor of III. Gruppe, joined Rudel as his new radio operator and air gunner. Rudel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (one of only 27 awarded) on 29 March 1944, the tenth member of the Wehrmacht to receive this award. The presentation was made by Hitler personally.
Rudel was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 September 1944, and appointed leader of SG 2, replacing Stepp, on 1 October 1944. On 22 December 1944, Rudel completed his 2,400th combat mission, and the next day, he reported his 463rd tank destroyed. On 29 December 1944, Rudel was promoted to Oberst (colonel), and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, the only person to receive this decoration. This award, intended as one of 12 to be given as a post-war victory award for Nazi Germany, was presented to him by Hitler on 1 January 1945, four months before Nazi Germany was defeated.
On 8 February 1945, Rudel was badly wounded in the right foot, and landed inside German lines as his radio operator shouted flight instructions. Rudel's leg was amputated below the knee. He returned to flying on 25 March 1945. He claimed 26 more tanks destroyed by the end of the war. On 19 April 1945, the day before Hitler's final birthday, Rudel met with Hitler in the Führerbunker at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. On 8 May 1945, Rudel fled westward from an airfield near Prague, landing in US controlled territory, and surrendered. The Americans refused to hand him over to the Soviet Union.
While Rudel had been interned, his family fled from the advancing Red Army and had found refuge with Gadermann's parents in Wuppertal. Rudel was released in April 1946 and went into private business. In 1948, he emigrated to Argentina via the ratlines, travelling via the Austrian Zillertal to Italy. In Rome, with the help of South Tyrolean smugglers, and aided by the Austrian bishop Alois Hudal, he bought himself a fake Red Cross passport with the cover name "Emilio Meier", and took a flight from Rome to Buenos Aires, where he arrived on 8 June 1948. Rudel authored books on the war, supporting the regime and attacking the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht for "failing Hitler".
After Rudel moved to Argentina, he became a close friend and confidant of the President of Argentina Juan Perón, and Paraguay's dictator Alfredo Stroessner. In Argentina, he founded the "Kameradenwerk" (lit. "comrades' agency"), a relief organization for Nazi war criminals. Prominent members of the "Kameradenwerk" included SS officer Ludwig Lienhardt, whose extradition from Sweden had been demanded by the Soviet Union on war crime charges, Kurt Christmann, a member of the Gestapo sentenced to 10 years for war crimes committed at Krasnodar, Austrian war criminal Fridolin Guth, and the German spy in Chile, August Siebrecht. The group maintained close contact with other internationally wanted fascists, such as Ante Pavelić and Carlo Scorza. In addition to these war criminals that fled to Argentina, the "Kameradenwerk" also assisted Nazi criminals imprisoned in Europe, including Rudolf Hess and Karl Dönitz, with food parcels from Argentina and sometimes by paying their legal fees. In Argentina, Rudel became acquainted with notorious Nazi concentration camp doctor and war criminal Josef Mengele. Rudel, together with Willem Sassen, a former Waffen-SS and war correspondent for the Wehrmacht, who initially worked as Rudel's driver, helped to relocate Mengele to Brazil by introducing him to Nazi supporter Wolfgang Gerhard. In 1957, Rudel and Mengele together travelled to Chile to meet with Walter Rauff, the inventor of the mobile gas chamber.
In Argentina, Rudel lived in Villa Carlos Paz, roughly 36 kilometers (22 mi) from the populous Córdoba City, where he rented a house and operated a brickworks. There, Rudel wrote his wartime memoirs Trotzdem ("Nevertheless" or "In Spite of Everything"). The book was published in November 1949 by the Dürer-Verlag in Buenos Aires. Dürer-Verlag (1947–1958) issued a variety of apologia by former Nazis and their collaborators. Besides Rudel, among the early editors were Wilfred von Oven, the personal Press adjutant of Goebbels, and Naumann. Sassen convinced Adolf Eichmann to share his view on The Holocaust. Together with Eberhard Fritsch, a former Hitler Youth leader, Sassen began interviewing Eichmann in 1956 with the intent of publishing his views. The Dürer-Verlag went bankrupt in 1958.
Discussion ensued in West Germany on Rudel being allowed to publish the book, because he was a known Nazi. In the book, he supported Nazi policies. This book was later re-edited and published in the United States, as the Cold War intensified, under the title, Stuka Pilot, which supported the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Pierre Clostermann, a French fighter pilot, had befriended Rudel and wrote the foreword to the French edition of his book Stuka Pilot. In 1951, he published a pamphlet Dolchstoß oder Legende? ("Stab in the Back or Legend?"), in which he claimed that "Germany's war against the Soviet Union was a defensive war", moreover, "a crusade for the whole world". In the 1950s, Rudel befriended Savitri Devi, a writer and proponent of Hinduism and Nazism, and introduced her to a number of Nazi fugitives in Spain and the Middle East.
With the help of Perón, Rudel secured lucrative contracts with the Brazilian military. He was also active as a military adviser and arms dealer for the Bolivian regime, Augusto Pinochet in Chile and Stroessner in Paraguay. He was in contact with Werner Naumann, formerly a State Secretary in Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in Nazi Germany. Following the Revolución Libertadora in 1955, a military and civilian uprising that ended the second presidential term of Perón, Rudel was forced to leave Argentina and move to Paraguay. During the following years in South America, Rudel frequently acted as a foreign representative for several German companies, including Salzgitter AG, Dornier Flugzeugwerke, Focke-Wulf, Messerschmitt, Siemens and Lahmeyer International, a German consulting engineering firm.
According to the historian Peter Hammerschmidt, based on files of the German Federal Intelligence Service and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the BND, under the cover-up company "Merex", was in close contact with former SS and Nazi Party members. In 1966, Merex, represented by Walter Drück, a former Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht and BND agent, helped by the contacts established by Rudel and Sassen, sold discarded equipment of the Bundeswehr (German Federal armed forces) to various dictators in Latin America. According to Hammerschmidt, Rudel assisted in establishing contact between Merex and Friedrich Schwend, a former member of the Reich Security Main Office and involved in Operation Bernhard. Schwend, according to Hammerschmidt, had close links with the military services of Peru and Bolivia. In the early sixties, Rudel, Schwend and Klaus Barbie, founded a company called "La Estrella", the star, which employed a number of former SS officers who had fled to Latin America. Rudel, through La Estrella, was also in contact with Otto Skorzeny, who had his own network of former SS and Wehrmacht officers.
Rudel returned to West Germany in 1953 and became a leading member of the Neo-Nazi nationalist political party, the German Reich Party (Deutsche Reichspartei or DRP). In the West German federal election of 1953, Rudel was the top candidate for the DRP, but was not elected to the Bundestag. According to Josef Müller-Marein, editor-in-chief of Die Zeit, Rudel had an egocentric character. In his political speeches, Rudel made generalizing statements, claiming that he was speaking on behalf of most, if not all, former German soldiers of World War II. Rudel heavily criticized the Western Allies during World War II for not having supported Germany in its war against the Soviet Union. Rudel's political demeanor subsequently alienated him from his former comrades, foremost Gadermann. Müller-Marein concluded his article with the statement: "Rudel no longer has a Geschwader (squadron)!" In 1977, he became a spokesman for the German People's Union, a nationalist political party founded by Gerhard Frey.
In October 1976, Rudel inadvertently triggered a chain of events, which were later dubbed the Rudel Scandal (Rudel-Affäre). The German 51st Reconnaissance Wing, the latest unit to hold the name "Immelmann", held a reunion for members of the unit, including those from World War II. The Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry of Defence, Hermann Schmidt authorized the event. Fearing that Rudel would spread Nazi propaganda on the German Air Force airbase in Bremgarten near Freiburg, Schmidt ordered that the meeting could not be held at the airbase. News of this decision reached Generalleutnant Walter Krupinski, at the time commanding general of NATO's Second Allied Tactical Air Force, and a former World War II fighter pilot. Krupinski contacted Gerhard Limberg, Inspector of the Air Force, requesting that the meeting be allowed at the airbase. Limberg later confirmed Krupinski's request, and the meeting was held on Bundeswehr premises, a decision to which Schmidt still had not agreed. Rudel attended the meeting, at which he signed his book and gave a few autographs but refrained from making any political statements.
During a routine press event, journalists who had been briefed by Schmidt questioned Krupinski and his deputy Karl Heinz Franke about Rudel's presence. In this interview, the generals compared Rudel's past as a Nazi and Neo-Nazi supporter to the career of prominent Social Democrat leader Herbert Wehner, who had been a member of the German Communist Party in the 1930s, and who had lived in Moscow during World War II, where he was allegedly involved in NKVD operations. Calling Wehner an extremist, they described Rudel as an honorable man, who "hadn't stolen the family silver or anything else". When these remarks became public, the Federal Minister of Defense Georg Leber, complying with §50 of the Soldatengesetz (Military law), ordered the generals into early retirement as of 1 November 1976. Leber, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), was heavily criticized for his actions by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) opposition, and the scandal contributed to the minister's subsequent retirement in early 1978. On 3 February 1977, the German Bundestag debated the scandal and its consequences. The Rudel Scandal subsequently triggered a military-tradition discussion, which the Federal Minister of Defense Hans Apel ended with the introduction of "Guidelines for Understanding and Cultivating Tradition" on 20 September 1982.
During the 1978 World Cup, held in Argentina, Rudel visited the German national football team in its training camp in Ascochinga. The German media criticized the German Football Association, and viewed Rudel's visit as being sympathetic to the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina following the 1976 Argentine coup d'état. During the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, he visited the German team at Malmö on 8 June 1958. There he was welcomed by team manager Sepp Herberger.
Rudel was married three times. His 1942 marriage to Ursula Bergmann, nicknamed "Hanne", produced two sons, Hans-Ulrich and Siegfried. They divorced in 1950. According to the news magazine Der Spiegel, one reason for the divorce was that his wife had sold some of his decorations, including the Oak Leaves with Diamonds, to an American collector, but she also refused to move to Argentina. On 27 March 1951, Der Spiegel published Ursula Rudel's denial of selling his decorations, and further stated she had no intention of doing so. Rudel married his second wife, Ursula née Daemisch, in 1965. The marriage produced his third son, Christoph, born in 1969. Rudel survived a stroke on 26 April 1970. Following his divorce in 1977, he married Ursula née Bassfeld.
Rudel died following another stroke in Rosenheim on 18 December 1982, and was buried in Dornhausen on 22 December 1982. During Rudel's burial ceremony, two Bundeswehr F-4 Phantoms appeared to make a low altitude flypast over his grave. Dornhausen was situated in the middle of a flightpath regularly flown by military aircraft, and Bundeswehr officers denied deliberately flying aircraft over the funeral. Four mourners were photographed giving Nazi salutes at the funeral, and were investigated under a law banning the display of Nazi symbols. The Federal Minister of Defence Manfred Wörner declared that the flight of the aircraft had been a normal training exercise.
Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions on the Eastern Front of World War II. The majority of these were undertaken while flying the Junkers Ju 87, although 430 were flown in ground-attack variants of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. He was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, severely damaging the battleship Marat, as well as sinking a cruiser (incomplete and heavily damaged Petropavlovsk), a destroyer (the Leningrad-class destroyer Minsk) and 70 landing craft. Rudel also claimed to have destroyed more than 800 vehicles of all types, over 150 artillery, anti-tank or anti-aircraft positions, 4 armored trains, as well as numerous bridges and supply lines. Rudel was also credited with 9 aerial victories, 7 of which were fighter aircraft and 2 Ilyushin Il-2s. He was shot down or forced to land 30 times due to anti-aircraft artillery, was wounded five times and rescued six stranded aircrew from enemy-held territory.
Rudel remained popular with the German far-right after his death, especially with the German People's Union, the DVU, and its leader Gerhard Frey. Frey and the DVU established the Ehrenbund Rudel – Gemeinschaft zum Schutz der Frontsoldaten (Honour federation Rudel – Community for the protection of the front soldiers) in 1983 during a memorial service for Rudel. British holocaust denier David Irving was given the Hans-Ulrich Rudel Award by Frey in June 1985; he delivered a memorial speech on the death of Rudel.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel and his sisters, Ingeborg (left) and Johanna. The picture was taken in 1925 when Rudel was 9 years old.
The Rudel family during the celebration of the golden wedding of the grandparents of Hans-Ulrich Rudel, school teacher Hermann and Maria Rudel (sitting in the center in the front row). Rudel's parents and his sister Johanna are on the far right in the second row, while Hans-Ulrich and his sister Ingeborg are on the right in the third row.
After promoted to the rank of Oberleutnant in September 1940, Hans-Ulrich Rudel was transferred to the dive bomber pilot school in Graz, Ostmark, before posted to I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) at Maloi, South Greece. On 23 June 1941 he flew his first Stuka combat mission, hitting targets in the Grodno area of North-East Poland as a pilot in 1.Staffel / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2).
Original caption: "1000. Feindflug eines Stuka-Fliegers. Oberleutnant Rudel erreichte als erster Flieger diese hohe Zahl. Ritterkreuzträger Oberleutnant Hans Ulricht Rudel, Flugzeugführer in einen Sturzkampfgeschwäder, führt dieser Tage seinen 1000. Feindflug durch. Er ist der erste deutsche Flieger, der diese hohe Zahl erreicht hat. Von seinen vielen Erfolgen ist die Versenkung zweier Kreuzer besonders zu erwähnen." (1000th enemy flight by a Stuka pilot. First Lieutenant Rudel was the first pilot to achieve this high number. Knight's Cross holder Oberleutnant Hans Ulricht Rudel, pilot in a dive squadron, is currently carrying out his 1000th combat flight. He is the first German pilot to achieve this high number. Of his many successes, the sinking of two cruisers deserves special mention).
Five
pilots of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) in early 1942. From left to
right: Hauptmann Martin Möbus (Staffelkapitän 4. Staffel. Ritterkreuz on
8 May 1940 and Eichenlaub on 25 April 1944. Killed in a car crash in
Pori, Finnland, on 2 June 1944), Leutnant Egbert Jaeckel (Flugzeugführer
in 3.Staffel. Ritterkreuz on 14 May 1942. Killed on 17 July 1943 during
the Battle of Kursk by Soviet fighters), Hauptmann Bruno Dilley
(Gruppenkommandeur I. Gruppe. Ritterkreuz on 4 June 1942 and Eichenlaub
on 8 January 1943. Survived the war), Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel
(Staffelkapitän 9. Staffel. Ritterkreuz on 6 January 1942, Eichenlaub on
14 April 1943, Schwerter on 25 November 1943, Brillanten on 29 March
1944, and Goldenem Eichenlaub on 29 December 1944. Survived the war),
and Oberleutnant Armin Thiede (Adjutant II. Gruppe. Ritterkreuz on 14
June 1941. Killed in a crash with a glider on 9 July 1943). These men
flew over 5,600 sorties in total, with Rudel alone achieving about 45%!
Stuka ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel is interviewed by unknown Kriegsberichter (war correspondent). The picture was taken in the Eastern Front, 1942 or 1943. From May 1941 to January 1942, Rudel flew 500 missions. In February 1943, Rudel flew his 1,000th combat mission, which made him into a national hero.
Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenführer III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") in a picture taken by Kriegsberichter Helmut Grosse in 1943. He is wearing the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes which he received on 14 April 1943 as as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), awarded for his achievements throughout 1942, by the end of which he had flown over 750 sorties. During this time he was credited with the following successes: Destroying Soviet batteries at Swinowojka and Marajewa through direct hits (21 and 30 January 1942); Paralyzing a Soviet attack on 27 January 1942 by destroying two buildings occupied by an hostile brigade staff in Barsuki. He also eliminated 3 vehicles and 2 trucks in this attack; Damaging a freighter (with 4000 GRT) in the harbour of Tuapse (23 September 1942); Destroying a Soviet supply dump (29 September 1942); Creating a landslide at the Induk pass, which blocked it to Soviet forces for quite some time; Destroying 3 aircraft, 2 batteries, 3 guns and 2 bunkers (23 September - 26 October 1942); and destroying 3 tanks, 1 battery, 9 vehicles and 2 trucks (13 November - 14 December 1942). Other pictures from this series can be seen HERE.
"Um 12.10 Uhr startet die Gruppe!" (The group starts at 12.10 p.m.!). The Junkers Ju 87s are at the start with their engines throttled down, waiting for the operational order. In the foreground is the machine of the Gruppenkommandeur of III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), Eichenlaubträger Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel. The picture was taken in the summer of 1943.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel's Junkers Ju 87G "Stuka", with twin BK 3,7 gun pods attached to the underside of the wings. The aircraft is being started with a hand crank. BK 3,7 equipped ground attack aircraft were developed for tank hunting on the Eastern Front in an effort to blunt the massive numerical superiority of the Soviet T-34 tank as the war turned against Germany. The concept was rather rudimentary, suffered from poor accuracy, severe weight penalty making the craft vulnerable to fighters, and low ammunition capacity; but could be extremely effective when operated by a sufficiently skilled and practised ground-attack pilot, such as Rudel. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Helmut Grosse in the Eastern Front, summer 1943.
The knowledge of the weak points of the enemy armored weapons was the key to further success. Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel studies recognition chart with his gunner Oberfeldwebel Erwin Hentschel (holding model of KV-1) and his aircraft mechanic Obergefreiter Wolfgang Slabbers, September 1943. On 21 May 1941, Erwin Hentschel flew his first combat missions on the Eastern Front of World War II. In late September 1941, he became Hans-Ulrich Rudel 's regular air gunner. Flying with the I. and III. Gruppe of StG 2, he received the Ehrenpokal on 16 March 1942, was promoted to Feldwebel (technical sergeant) on 1 December 1942, received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 9 January 1943, and was promoted to Oberfeldwebel (senior technical sergeant) on 1 June 1943. Hentschel flew his 1,200th combat mission on 9 October 1943, and was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 December 1943 after approximately 1,300 combat missions. On 20 March, Rudel landed behind enemy lines, trying to rescue a downed aircrew. The takeoff failed due to the soft ground. Walking back to German held territory, the four attempted to swim across the Dniester River. Hentschel drowned in the attempt. In total he shot down 7 Soviet fighters as a rear gunner. Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.
9 October 1943: The jubilant return from the historic combat sortie of III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". At left is Oberfeldwebel Erwin Hentschel (1,200th sortie) with bottles of Champagne, while at right is Gruppenführer Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (1,500th sortie) with a piglet. At center is Gruppe Adjutant Leutnant Helmut Fickel. The story of this amazing achievement can be read HERE.
Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (sitting, Führer III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") with a map in conversation with unknown Feldwebel shortly before a new mission against the enemy. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Gervais in the Eastern Front on 12 October 1943.
Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2) after making an emergency landing in a German held territory in the Eastern Front, October 1943. He immediately rushed to call his superior to ask for a few minutes to move his unit. There was still tension on his face, and he called without feeling the need to clean his oil-smeared face first!
Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenführer III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") posed for the photographer after the audience with Hitler at Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg (East Prussia), December 1943. Previously on 25 November 1943 Rudel was being awarded the Schwerter #42 for his achievement after flying 1600 sorties, during which he destroyed over 100 tanks. The picture was taken by Walter Frentz. Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.
Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2) in front of the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" aircraft on a snowy field airfield in winter; before 1 March 1944. He is wearing the Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes which he received on 25 November 1943. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Sperling, January-February 1944. From 9 to 21 February 1944 Rudel became the temporary Geschwaderführer of Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann".
Brillantenträger Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel in a Tita Binz postcard Nr. P 365. Tita Binz (1903-1970) was a German photographer, who portrayed in her Atelier Binz many of the film stars of the Third Reich. For Film-Foto-Verlag, she also made portraits of the soldiers who were Ritterkreuzträger (holders of the Knight's Cross). Of course that is uncommon for a typical entertainment company, but apparently they were also under the control of the new rulers who needed as much means for propaganda. It is at this point that two differend worlds seems to run together at least in pictures. The actor, the hero of the silver screen and the soldier, the hero of the theater of war were both raised in the same way. Remarkably Binz photographed no soldiers of the Waffen-SS. This might be due to the fact that she was friends with Hans Oster (1887-1945), a convinced opponent of the Nazi regime. She knew by that friendship also the 'conspirators' Erwin von Witzleben (1881-1944) and Erich Hoepner (1886-1944) which she portrayed all three. These pictures where not made for Film-Foto-Verlag.
Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Geschwaderführer Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") spoke before domestic and foreign journalists on Wednesday, 6 April 1944, about the use of air power in defensive combat on the Eastern front. Here he also talks about his terrible experience when he had to make an emergency landing behind Soviet territory so he had to return to territory controlled by German troops many kilometers away on foot in the middle of the shivering winter! In this incident he also lost his radio operator and best friend Erwin Hentschel, who drowned while crossing the frozen Dniester river (600 meters long). The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Ketelhohn.
This picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Rothkopf and it shows Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2) celebrates the successful completion of his 2,000th combat mission - and 301 tanks destroyed - on 1 June 1944. He was among the first pilots of l./St.G 2 "Immelmann" to test the Ju 87D, armed with two Flak 18 cannons, which became the prototype of the Ju 87G. A true master of anti-tank combat, Rudel fought almost exclusively with Stukas until the end of the war, ending it with no less than 519 Soviet tanks destroyed. Saluting at left is Oberleutnant Hendrik Stahl (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2). Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.
Brillantenträger Oberstleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (left, Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") with his Stuka rear gunner, Stabsarzt Dr.med. Ernst Gadermann. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Rothkopf in early September 1944 and was first published on 18 September 1944. Gadermann joined the Luftwaffe in 1941, where he worked as a doctor in Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" on the Eastern Front. In addition to his medical work, he was quickly coopted to the wing staff. Later he became an observer and gunner in the III. Group. During World War II he flew more than 850 combat missions in Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) aircraft as a rear gunner. From May 1944 until 8 February 1945, he flew with the most decorated German serviceman of the war, Hans-Ulrich Rudel. On this last mission, a 40 mm shell hit their Ju 87. Rudel was badly wounded in the right foot and crash landed inside German lines. Gadermann saved Rudel's life by pulling him from the severely damaged Ju 87 and stemming the bleeding. Later, Rudel's leg was amputated below the knee. Gadermann served the remainder of the war in a Medical Observation Center in Brunswick.
The first, the last and the only award ceremony of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds) for Stuka ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel, which were held at the Führerhauptquartier Adlerhost near Langenhain-Ziegenberg, Hesse, on 1 January 1945 (Rudel had already received the announcement from 29 December 1944). He received the fifth grade of the Ritterkreuz after completing his 2,400th combat mission with his dive-bomber aircraft and destroying his 463rd tank! This picture was taken by Heinrich Hoffmann and it first published in "12 Uhr", 4 January 1945 edition. From left to right: Joachim von Ribbentrop (Reichsminister des Auwärtigen), Oberstleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"), SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Hermann Fegelein (Verbindungsoffizier der Waffen-SS zum Führerhauptquartier), Generaloberst Alfred Jodl (Chef der Wehrmacht-Führungsamt)), Adolf Hitler (Führer und oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht), Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef des Oberkommando der Wehrmacht), General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf (Leiter des Heeres-Personalamt), Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe), Großadmiral Karl Dönitz (Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine), and Generaloberst Heinz Guderian (Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres). Other pictures from this ceremony can be seen HERE.
This picture was published on 2 January 1945, shortly after Stuka ace Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") received the Goldenem Eichenlaub for his Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, while it is actually an older photo by Kriegsberichter Fiedler that was taken while he was still as a Major and Gruppenkommandeur (note the edited kragenspiegel and schulterklappen!). Original caption: "Goldenes Eichenlaub mit Schwertern und Brillanten für Oberst Rudel. Der Führer hat durch Verordnung vom 29.12.44 das Goldene Eichenlaub mit Schwertern und Brillanten zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes als höchste deutsche Tapferkeitsauszeichnung gestiftet. Sie wird im ganzen höchstens 12 Mal verliehen. - Als erster Soldat der deutschen Wehrmacht erhielt am 1.1.45 Oberstleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Kommodore des Schlachtgeschwaders "Immelmann", diese höchste deutsche Auszeichnung aus der Hand des Führers. Gleichzeitig beförderte der Führer Oberstleutnant Rudel in Würdigung seines unablässig bewiesenen höchsten Heldentums, seiner einmaligen fliegerischen und kämpferischen Erfolge zum Oberst." (Golden oak leaves with swords and diamonds for Colonel Rudel. By decree of December 29, 1944, the Führer donated the Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as the highest German award for bravery. It will be awarded a maximum of 12 times in total. - On January 1, 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Hans-Ulrich Rudel, commodore of the battle squadron "Immelmann", was the first soldier in the German Wehrmacht to receive this highest German award from the Führer. At the same time, the Führer promoted Lieutenant Colonel Rudel to colonel in recognition of his consistently demonstrated supreme heroism and his unique flying and fighting successes.)
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. Other pictures from Rudel in captivity can be seen HERE.
This picture was taken on 8 August 1953 and it shows the former State Secretary in the Goebbels Ministry, Dr. Werner Naumann, and the retired Luftwaffe Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel (right). Rudel just came from Argentina to compete in the elections in Germany. He is attempting to become a candidate of the SRP party. He gave an election speech in Lüneburg. After Germany's defeat, Dr. Naumann lived under an assumed name for five years and worked as a farm worker, later completing an apprenticeship as a mason. He reemerged in early 1950 after an amnesty law had taken effect, and became the manager of an import-export company in Düsseldorf. Naumann soon began making contact with other former Nazi functionaries politically active on the far-right, including Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Ernst Achenbach, Artur Axmann, Otto Skorzeny and many others. This group came to be known as the "Naumann Circle" (Naumann-Kreis) or the Gauleiter Circle. They infiltrated the Free Democratic Party for a period of about two years. Naumann, together with six co-conspirators, was arrested by the British Army on 15 January 1953 for being the leader of a Neo-Nazi group that attempted to infiltrate West German political parties. Naumann was turned over to the German authorities on 1 April and, after over six months in custody, was released from pre-trial detention on 28 July 1953 by a decision of the Federal Constitutional Court at Karlsruhe. On 5 August 1953, barely a week after his release, Naumann declared his intention to run for a seat in the Bundestag as a candidate of the right-wing Deutsche Reichspartei (DRP), which had benefited heavily from the banning of the Socialist Reich Party the previous year. However, on 23 August, just two weeks before the election, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia, acting as a denazification tribunal, classified him as a Category II offender. As such, he was prohibited from belonging to any political party, engaging in any political activity, holding any political office, or working as an author, journalist or broadcaster for a period of five years. His Bundestag candidacy was thus abruptly ended.
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Hans-Ulrich Rudel, a former Oberst in the German Luftwaffe, attends a meeting of the DRP (Deutsche Reichspartei) in the Rotmain Hall, Bayreuth, 2nd September 1953. He is accompanied by his mother. Rudel was forbidden to address the meeting by the Bavarian Ministry for the Interior, but others were permitted to read portions of his speech to the assembly.
22 December 1982: The funeral of Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the only Ritterkreuzträger (Knight's Cross winner) with Goldenem Eichenlaub (golden oak leaves) and a member of the right-wing radical DRP, took place amidst a group of old and young fans of Adolf Hitler. Several of his mourners saluted with the "Heil Hitler". Photo by Klaus Rose. Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.
Source :
Bundesarchiv photo archive
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek photo archive
Mark Felton Productions
"Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries" by Henry L. deZeng IV and Douglas G. Stankey
"Mein Kriegstagebuch" by Hans-Ulrich Rudel
"St.G2 Immelmann" by Marek J. Murawski
"Stuka Pilot" by Hans-Ulrich Rudel
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen9.htm
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/hans-ulrich-rudel.html?sortBy=relevant
https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/beelden/?q=rudel&mode=gallery&view=horizontal
https://biography.wikireading.ru/85230
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=hans-ulrich+rudel&_sacat=0&_odkw=rudel&_osacat=0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Ulrich_Rudel
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/search/2/image?family=editorial&phrase=hans%20ulrich%20rudel
http://pantorijn.blogspot.com/2013/06/tita-binz.html
https://reibert.info/threads/xans-ulrix-rudel-hans-ulrich-rudel.6079/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/205/Rudel-Hans-Ulrich-Schlachtgeschw-2-Immelmann.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZHCvPim0eA
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