Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") and Hauptmann Martin Möbus (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") enjoying the meal that was organized to celebrate the return of Oberleutnant Rudel from his 1000th mission, 10 February 1943.
On 10 February 1943, flying from an airfield near Tatsinskaya in the Voroshilovgrad region, Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") completed his 1000th combat mission (Feindflug). He thus became the first pilot in history to reach this extraordinary tally. The sortie took place amid operations near Izyum (Roven'ky-Horlivka area), where StG 2 supported ground forces in defensive and counter-attacking actions following the Soviet winter offensive.
Details of the specific target for this milestone flight are not extensively documented, consistent with the routine nature of many ground-attack missions - likely involving strikes on Soviet troop concentrations, artillery positions, or armored vehicles. What made the occasion remarkable was the sheer volume of sorties flown in under two years of active combat, a testament to the high sortie rate demanded on the Eastern Front and Rudel's exceptional endurance.
His comrades in StG 2 celebrated the achievement with traditional Luftwaffe gestures of good luck: a chimney sweep figure and a pig, along with an honor goblet filled with milk (reflecting Rudel's known abstinence from alcohol). The milestone received widespread coverage in German media, turning Rudel into a propaganda icon. It symbolized the Luftwaffe's commitment and the individual prowess of its pilots amid the grinding attrition of the war in the East.
Shortly after, Rudel was promoted to Hauptmann. He was granted leave, during which the propaganda apparatus further amplified his image as a model Stuka ace.
The 1000th mission served as a springboard for further innovations. Following this milestone, Rudel became involved in testing and developing the anti-tank variant of the Ju 87, the Ju 87G (Kanonenvogel), equipped with two 37 mm Bordkanone BK 3,7 cannons under the wings. He participated in experiments with this platform and later achieved notable successes against Soviet armor, including during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, where he claimed multiple tank kills in single sorties.
In the months after February 1943, Rudel continued flying with StG 2 (later redesignated SG 2). He sank numerous landing craft in the Kuban bridgehead and destroyed his first tanks with the new weaponry. His awards accumulated rapidly: the Eichenlaub followed in April 1943, presented personally by Adolf Hitler. By the end of the war, Rudel had flown over 2,530 missions, claiming 519 tanks destroyed, among other targets, and received the unique Ritterkreuz mit Goldenem Eichenlaub.
Rudel's 1000th mission occurred during a critical phase of the Eastern Front war. After Stalingrad, German forces were on the defensive but still mounted major operations like the one at Kharkov. The high number of sorties reflected both the pilot's dedication and the desperate need for close air support in a theater where air superiority was increasingly contested.
While Rudel's achievements were heavily promoted by the Nazi regime, they also came at great cost. Many Stuka crews were lost to flak and fighters. Rudel himself was shot down multiple times but survived through skill and luck until late in the war. His post-war activities, including emigration to Argentina and involvement in far-right circles, remain controversial and separate from his wartime record.
Source :
© Willibald Wanderer/ECPAD/Defense
DAA 2705 L02A and DAA 2705 03
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