The 1000th Mission of Stuka Ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel

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
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Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Three Stuka Pilots of StG 2: Gustav Pressler, Hans-Karl Stepp and Wilhelm Kaiser

A photograph shows three German Luftwaffe officers, from left to right: Hauptmann Gustav Pressler (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"), Oberleutnant Hans-Karl Stepp (Staffelkapitän 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"), and Oberleutnant Wilhelm Kaiser (Adjutant III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"). They were standing in formation in front of a Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" aircraft during Ritterkreuz award ceremony on 4 February 1942. Pressler received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes after flying about 300 combat missions, Stepp after 418, and Kaiser after 130.

In the bitter winter of 1941–42 on the Eastern Front, the Luftwaffe’s dive-bomber units played a critical role in supporting the hard-pressed German ground forces during the defensive battles around Moscow and the subsequent Soviet counteroffensives. Among the most distinguished formations was Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann” (StG 2), a veteran wing named after World War I ace Max Immelmann. Operating the iconic Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, StG 2 flew thousands of ground-attack sorties in appalling weather, targeting Soviet tanks, troop concentrations, and supply lines. It was in this demanding environment that three officers from the Geschwader—Hauptmann Gustav Preßler, Oberleutnant Hans-Karl Stepp, and Oberleutnant Wilhelm Kaiser—were simultaneously awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 February 1942. Their joint ceremony symbolized the collective heroism and professionalism of StG 2’s aircrews during one of the most grueling phases of the campaign.

The Recipients and Their Achievements

Hauptmann Gustav Preßler (born 13 October 1912 in Hamburg; died 9 October 1985 in Lippstadt) served as Gruppenkommandeur of III./StG 2 “Immelmann”. A seasoned Stuka pilot and leader, Preßler had already earned the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse and the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (awarded 13 January 1942). By early February 1942, he had accumulated an impressive record of combat missions, demonstrating exceptional leadership in directing his Gruppe’s operations amid the harsh Russian winter. His Ritterkreuz citation highlighted his personal bravery in the air and his skill in coordinating close air support that repeatedly blunted Soviet attacks. Preßler would later command Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (later redesignated Schlachtgeschwader 1) and receive the Eichenlaub (188th recipient) to his Ritterkreuz on 16 January 1943. He continued serving postwar in the Bundeswehr, retiring as Oberstleutnant.

Oberleutnant Hans-Karl Stepp (born 2 September 1914 in Gießen; died 12 December 2006 in Leipzig) was Staffelkapitän of 7./StG 2 “Immelmann”. A former law student who joined the Luftwaffe in 1936, Stepp had flown in the invasions of Poland and France before the Eastern campaign. By 4 February 1942 he had completed 418 combat missions—an extraordinary number for a Stuka pilot at that stage of the war. His precise dive-bombing attacks on enemy armor and artillery positions, often under heavy anti-aircraft fire, earned him the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe and Deutsches Kreuz in Gold. The Ritterkreuz recognized not only his personal flying skill but also his leadership of the 7. Staffel during the winter fighting. Stepp later rose to Geschwaderkommodore of SG 2 “Immelmann” and was awarded the Eichenlaub (462nd recipient) on 25 April 1944 after more than 800 missions. Postwar, he practiced law.

Oberleutnant Wilhelm Kaiser (born 30 November 1914 in Pockau, Saxony; died 24 September 1993 in Niedernhausen) served as Adjutant of III./StG 2 “Immelmann”. Kaiser had joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and flown with the Gruppe since its early days (originally II./St.G. 163). He was wounded twice—once in May 1940 during the Western campaign and again in Crete in May 1941—yet consistently returned to duty. By early 1942, as Adjutant, he had flown 130 ground-attack sorties, providing vital administrative and operational support while leading from the front. His awards prior to the Ritterkreuz included the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (20 October 1941) and Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (19 January 1942). The Ritterkreuz citation emphasized his reliability, courage under fire, and contributions to the Gruppe’s combat effectiveness. Kaiser was promoted to Hauptmann on 1 April 1942 and later held staff positions with the General der Schlachtflieger and various Fliegerkorps. He flew a total of 180 sorties during the war.

The Ceremony on 4 February 1942

On 4 February 1942, in a modest but solemn ceremony at one of StG 2’s forward airfields on the Eastern Front (exact location most likely near the Smolensk or Vyazma sector), the three officers stood together in formation to receive their Ritterkreuze. Contemporary photographs capture the moment: Hauptmann Preßler, Oberleutnant Stepp, and Oberleutnant Kaiser in their blue-grey Luftwaffe uniforms, the black-and-white crosses gleaming against their chests. The image of the three men standing side-by-side has become one of the most recognizable group portraits of Luftwaffe Ritterkreuzträger from the early Eastern Front period.

Such ceremonies were typically conducted by the Geschwaderkommodore or a senior officer from the Luftflotte, often in the presence of the unit’s pilots, ground crews, and mechanics. The awards served a dual purpose: to honor individual valor and to boost morale among the exhausted Stuka crews who faced constant danger from Soviet fighters, flak, and the brutal winter conditions. For StG 2 “Immelmann,” which had been in continuous action since June 1941, these three simultaneous Ritterkreuze underscored the wing’s elite status and the effectiveness of its close air support doctrine.

Legacy and Historical Significance

The shared award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes to Preßler, Stepp, and Kaiser on 4 February 1942 highlighted the extraordinary demands placed on Stuka units during the winter of 1941–42. Their achievements—hundreds of missions flown in sub-zero temperatures, often with limited maintenance and against numerically superior opposition—exemplified the courage and professionalism of the Luftwaffe’s Schlachtflieger. All three men survived the war and went on to distinguished postwar careers, but their service with StG 2 “Immelmann” remained the defining chapter of their military lives.

Today, the photograph of the three officers remains a powerful visual testament to that day—an enduring image of comradeship forged in the crucible of aerial warfare. The Ritterkreuz awards to Hauptmann Gustav Preßler, Oberleutnant Hans-Karl Stepp, and Oberleutnant Wilhelm Kaiser on 4 February 1942 stand as a lasting record of the sacrifices and achievements of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann” on the Eastern Front.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=29879&start=20880
https://www.alamy.com/a-photograph-shows-three-german-luftwaffe-officers-hauptmann-preler-oberleutnant-stepp-and-oberleutnant-kaiser-standing-in-formation-in-front-of-a-junkers-ju-87-stuka-aircraft-taken-during-operation-barbarossa-in-1941-these-officers-were-awarded-the-knights-cross-for-their-heroic-actions-as-stuka-pilots-image613765085.html?imageid=47DB67F0-5E6E-4CD2-B293-B1CA8849BC86&pn=1&searchId=347e21719b006df67cab1bf72a2b34f9&searchtype=9

Ritterkreuzträger of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann"

Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann" was one of the most famous and effective dive-bomber wings of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, operating exclusively with the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka and carrying the honorary title of the First World War ace Max Immelmann. Officially formed on 1 May 1939, the Geschwader traced its origins to the pioneering Stuka formations of the mid-1930s and quickly became a key component of German air power. StG 2 participated in nearly every major campaign fought by the Luftwaffe, including the invasion of Poland, the Westfeldzug, Battle of Britain, the Balkan campaign, the Battle of Crete, operations against Malta, North Africa, and the vast campaigns of the Ostfront. Under notable commanders such as Oskar Dinort, Paul-Werner Hozzel, Ernst Kupfer, and Hans-Karl Stepp, the unit earned a formidable reputation for precision dive-bombing, close air support, maritime strike missions, and anti-tank warfare. During Operation Barbarossa and subsequent battles around Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk, StG 2 became particularly renowned through the exploits of pilots such as Hans-Ulrich Rudel, whose extraordinary combat record made him the most decorated servicemen in German military history. The Geschwader developed innovative battlefield techniques, including specialized anti-tank attacks and the use of modified munitions for maximum effect against ground targets. As Soviet fighter strength and anti-aircraft defenses increased, the vulnerability of the Ju 87 in traditional dive-bombing operations became increasingly apparent, leading the Luftwaffe to reorganize its Stuka formations. Consequently, on 18 October 1943, StG 2 was redesignated as Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann", marking the end of the Geschwader's existence under its original title while preserving its combat traditions within the new ground-attack formation. Throughout its wartime service, StG 2 produced numerous recipients of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and its higher grades, making it one of the most highly decorated combat wings in the Luftwaffe.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Generalmajor Oskar Dinort (1901-1965) was one of the Luftwaffe’s most prominent Stuka leaders and later rose to the rank of Generalmajor. A pre-war aviation pioneer, glider record holder, and early Luftwaffe officer, Dinort gained particular distinction as commander of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" during the Polish Campaign and subsequently as Geschwaderkommodore of StG 2. His aggressive leadership and the effectiveness of his dive-bomber formations during the campaigns in Poland, France, and the early stages of the air war against Britain led to the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 June 1940 while holding the rank of Major and Gruppenkommandeur of I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". Under his command, the Geschwader achieved notable successes against Allied ground forces, shipping, and logistical targets, including the highly effective attack on Convoy OA 178 in July 1940. Dinort’s greatest operational achievement came during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa in June–July 1941, when StG 2, operating under Fliegerkorps VIII, played a decisive role in supporting Army Group Centre during the encirclement battles of Białystok–Minsk and Smolensk. The precision attacks of his Ju 87 units against Soviet troop concentrations, airfields, transport routes, and retreating formations contributed significantly to the rapid German advance and the destruction of large Soviet forces. In recognition of these successes and his outstanding leadership of one of the Luftwaffe’s most effective Stuka formations, Dinort was awarded the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 July 1941 as Oberstleutnant, becoming the 21st recipient of the decoration and the first Stuka pilot to receive the Eichenlaub. He remained in command of StG 2 until October 1941, later serving in senior staff and training commands, and also became known for introducing the “Dinort-Stäbe,” an innovation that improved the blast effect of Luftwaffe bombs during operations in Greece and Crete.



Generalmajor Hubertus Hitschhold (1912-1966) was an experienced ground-attack pilot in the Luftwaffe who, after joining the Reichswehr in 1930, completing pilot training including secret instruction at Lipetsk in the Soviet Union, and transferring to the newly formed Luftwaffe, rose through the ranks as a Stuka pilot to become Staffelkapitän and then Gruppenkommandeur of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"; as Hauptmann and Kommandeur of I./StG 2 he led his Gruppe with outstanding success throughout the Westfeldzug, earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 July 1940 for the unit’s decisive contributions that included precision attacks on the Belgian forts of Eben-Emael, Pontisse and Flamelle, the destruction of key French positions and artillery batteries near Gembloux which paved the way for the decisive German armoured breakthrough across the Dyle position, repeated strikes against retreating British troops and shipping at Boulogne, Calais, Dunkirk and Gravelines that heavily damaged three destroyers, three cruisers and ten transports while accounting for the destruction or severe damage of shipping totalling 164,000 GRT, the elimination of six enemy batteries during the Aisne crossing near Soissons, the halting of an armoured counter-attack in the Nesle-Roye area, the neutralisation of batteries at Vailly-Bourg on the Aisne sector, and further missions against the Marne sector at Château-Thierry and along the Seine. Promoted to Major shortly afterwards, Hitschhold continued to command I./StG 2 through the Luftschlacht um England, the Balkanfeldzug and Unternehmen Merkur; the Gruppe particularly distinguished itself by supporting the breakthrough at the Rupel Pass, attacking the British evacuation fleet in Megara Bay, and during the Crete landings sinking the destroyers HMS Greyhound on 22 May 1941 and HMS Kelly together with HMS Kashmir on 23 May 1941, achievements that, together with the Gruppe’s early successes in Operation Barbarossa, brought him the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941 as the 57th recipient. He later commanded the Sturzkampffliegerschule 1 in Wertheim, returned to the front in June 1942 as Kommandeur of Schlachtgeschwader 1 where he oversaw its conversion to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, served as Fliegerführer Sardinien, and from November 1943 as General der Schlachtflieger until the end of the war, by which time he had been promoted to Generalmajor.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturzkampfgeschwader_2

Bio of Major Friedrich Lang (1915-2003)

Full name: Friedrich Lang
Nickname: Fritz

Date of Birth: 12.01.1915 - Mährisch Trübau, Sudetenland (Austria-Hungary)
Date of Death: 29.12.2003 - Hannover, Niedersachsen (Germany)

Battles and Operations: Polish Campaign, Western Campaign (including Sedan, Arras, St. Quentin, Calais, Dunkirk), Balkans Campaign (Yugoslavia, Greece), Crete, Eastern Front (Leningrad, Kronstadt, Smolensk, Donets Basin, Stalingrad area, Kuban Bridgehead, Kursk region)

Religion: No information
Family:
Parents: Son of a professor at a Gymnasium (name unknown); father directed the German Gymnasium in Czernowitz since 1919
Siblings: No information
Spouse: Unknown (married 1947)
Children: No information

Promotions:
01.01.1938 Leutnant
01.10.1941 Oberleutnant (Staffelkapitän)
00.00.1942 Hauptmann
01.09.1943 Major
00.00.1961 Oberst (Bundeswehr)

Career:
1932 Abitur
1935 joined 9. Kompanie Infanterie-Regiment 28
1936 transferred to Bodenpersonal Kampfgeschwader 153
Luftkriegsschule Dresden and Kampffliegerschule Lechfeld
1938 assigned to 1. Staffel Sturzkampfgeschwader 163 (later StG 2 Immelmann)
1939 Poland Campaign
1940 Western Campaign, severely wounded in back near Soissons on 08.06.1940, out until September
1941 Mediterranean and Balkans operations (Piraeus, Athens airfields, British naval units off Crete)
1941 Eastern Front (Leningrad, Kronstadt, Smolensk, Donets Basin)
01.10.1941 Staffelkapitän 1./StG 2 Immelmann
Ende Oktober 1942 Verbindungsoffizier Luftflotte 4 zum AOK 17
01.04.1943 Kommandeur III./StG 1 (later Schlachtgeschwader 1)
07.03.1944 1000th combat sortie south of Witebsk
Temporarily Gruppenkommandeur I./Schlachtgeschwader 151
09.02.1945-13.02.1945 temporary Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 2 (deputy for Hans-Ulrich Rudel)
01.01.1956 joined Bundeswehr (Referent Führungsstab Luftwaffe, later Kommandeur Truppenschule der Luftwaffe 1960-1963, Leiter Abteilung Infrastruktur WBK II, Kommandeur Verteidigungsbezirkskommando 22 until retirement 1971)

Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (Oktober 1939)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (Mai 1940)
Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (08.06.1940)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #376 (23.11.1941) as Oberleutnant and Flugzeugführer in the 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". By late 1941 Lang had already completed roughly 300 combat sorties as a Ju 87 pilot. The decisive actions that earned him the Ritterkreuz occurred during the Mediterranean and early Eastern Front campaigns. In May 1941, while supporting the airborne invasion of Crete, Lang dove through dense flak and fighter opposition east of the island and planted his bombs with lethal precision: one British destroyer was sunk outright and a second was left burning and crippled in the same attack. These naval strikes, combined with earlier close-support missions in Poland, the breakthrough at Sedan, the fighting at Arras, St. Quentin and Dunkirk, and the opening weeks of Barbarossa (attacks on Leningrad, Kronstadt harbour, Smolensk and the Donets Basin), demonstrated his unmatched accuracy and unbreakable nerves. Never once shot down or forced to land, Lang’s record of consistent, devastating strikes on high-value targets – ships, tanks, bridges and troop concentrations – convinced the high command to award him the prestigious award.
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (24.04.1942)
Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg (30.03.1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #148 (21.11.1942) as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". Still flying with StG 2, Lang had pushed his total to approximately 700 sorties. The period between the Ritterkreuz and the Eichenlaub (148th award) was spent almost entirely on the southern Eastern Front. He flew endless missions over the Donets Basin, supporting the drive toward Stalingrad and later covering the withdrawal into the Kuban bridgehead. In wave after wave he led his Staffel against Soviet artillery positions, tank columns and fortified river crossings under murderous anti-aircraft fire and ever-present fighter threats. One typical day saw his Stukas scream down through smoke and explosions to destroy several T-34s that were threatening German infantry; another saw direct hits on a vital railway bridge that halted an entire Soviet supply train for days. His cool leadership and personal example – still never bailing out or force-landing – turned the Gruppe’s attacks into decisive tactical successes at the very moment the Sixth Army was fighting for its life in Stalingrad. These cumulative achievements, performed under extreme pressure, brought him the award.
Ärmelband Kreta
Frontflugspange für Kampf- und Sturzkampfflieger in Gold mit Anhänger Einsatzzahl 1000
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #74 (02.07.1944) as Major and Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 1 (SG 1). By the summer of 1944 Lang had flown more than 1,000 combat sorties. The milestone that stood out most vividly occurred on 7 March 1944 south of Witebsk. On that day, during heavy defensive fighting in the central sector, Lang took off for his 1,000th mission. Diving through a curtain of Soviet flak and fighter patrols, he and his Gruppe hammered enemy troop concentrations, artillery batteries and armoured reserves that were massing for a breakthrough. His bombs tore gaps in the Soviet lines exactly where German ground forces needed them most; the attack helped stabilise the front for several critical days. By July 1944 he had reached 1,007 sorties and had also taken temporary command of larger formations, including a brief spell as Geschwaderkommodore. The combination of his personal record – still undefeated in the air after five years of war – and his proven ability to lead entire Gruppen in the most desperate battles earned him the Schwerter (74th award).

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Friedrich Lang was a German Luftwaffe pilot and one of the most accomplished Stuka aces of the Second World War. Born on 12 January 1915 in Mährisch Trübau in the Sudetenland, he flew a total of 1,008 combat sorties from the first day of the invasion of Poland until February 1945 without ever being shot down, bailing out or force-landing, a record believed to be unique in its length and consistency. Known to his comrades as Fritz, Lang served primarily with Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 Immelmann before commanding elements of Schlachtgeschwader 1 and briefly standing in as Geschwaderkommodore of Schlachtgeschwader 2. His precision in the steep dive of the Junkers Ju 87 and his leadership under extreme pressure earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. After the war he rebuilt his life as a mason and construction engineer before rejoining the Bundeswehr, where he rose to the rank of Oberst and held several key training and command posts until his retirement.

Lang came from a family with academic roots. He was the son of a professor who directed the German Gymnasium in Czernowitz from 1919 onward, and his parents later settled in Bremen after being expelled from Silesia. After attending the German Gymnasium in Czernowitz he passed his Abitur in 1932 and studied physics and mathematics for four semesters at Chernivtsi University before transferring to the Technical University of Breslau in October 1934 to study aeronautical engineering. He acquired German citizenship in April 1935. In October 1935 he joined the 9th Company of Infantry Regiment 28, then transferred to ground crew duties with Kampfgeschwader 153 in March 1936. He attended the Luftkriegsschule in Dresden and the Kampffliegerschule in Lechfeld, where he trained as an observer on Dornier Do 23, Junkers Ju 52 and Heinkel He 46 aircraft before converting to dive-bombers. On 1 January 1938 he was commissioned as Leutnant and posted to the 1st Staffel of Sturzkampfgeschwader 163, flying Henschel Hs 123 and then Ju 87 Stukas.

The outbreak of war in September 1939 saw Lang's unit renamed 1st Group of StG 2 Immelmann and thrown immediately into the Polish Campaign. He supported the assault on the Belgian fortress of Eben Emael on 10 May 1940 and played a direct role in the breakthrough at Sedan during the Western Campaign, delivering close air support against French and British forces at Arras and a French armoured column near St Quentin. Over Calais and Dunkirk his Stukas tangled with British fighters while covering the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. On 8 June 1940 he was severely wounded in the back by French fighters near Soissons and spent the following months in a Heidelberg hospital, missing the Battle of Britain. Recovered by early 1941, he rejoined his unit for operations in the Balkans, raiding the Greek port of Piraeus and airfields around Athens before shifting to Crete, where he attacked British naval units.

The decisive actions that brought Lang his Knight's Cross occurred during the Mediterranean phase and the opening of Operation Barbarossa. In May 1941, east of Crete, he dove through intense flak and fighter screens and scored direct hits that sank one British destroyer outright while leaving a second burning and crippled in the same attack. Transferred to the Eastern Front, his Gruppe struck at Leningrad and Kronstadt harbour in the north, then supported the advance through Smolensk and the Donets Basin. By late 1941 he had completed roughly 300 sorties, demonstrating unerring accuracy against ships, tanks, bridges and troop concentrations while never suffering an aircraft loss. Promoted Oberleutnant and appointed Staffelkapitän of 1st Staffel StG 2 on 1 October 1941, he received the Knight's Cross on 23 November 1941. In the following months he continued to fly over the southern sector, supporting the drive toward Stalingrad and later covering the German withdrawal into the Kuban bridgehead.

By November 1942 Lang had flown approximately 700 sorties, mostly against Soviet artillery positions, tank columns and fortified river crossings under heavy anti-aircraft fire and constant fighter threats. On typical missions his Stukas screamed down through smoke and explosions to destroy T-34s threatening German infantry or scored direct hits on vital railway bridges that halted entire Soviet supply trains for days. His calm leadership and personal example turned these attacks into decisive tactical successes at the height of the fighting for Stalingrad. Promoted Hauptmann, he was awarded the Oak Leaves on 21 November 1942. In April 1943 he took command of III Group of StG 1, later redesignated Schlachtgeschwader 1, and continued operations over the Kursk region and the central sector. On 7 March 1944 south of Witebsk he flew his 1,000th combat sortie, leading his Gruppe through curtains of flak and fighters to hammer massing Soviet troops, artillery and armoured reserves exactly where German ground forces needed relief most. The strikes helped stabilise the front for several critical days.

Lang reached 1,007 sorties by the summer of 1944 and had also taken temporary command of larger formations, including a brief spell as Gruppenkommandeur of I Group Schlachtgeschwader 151. On 2 July 1944, after assuming acting command of Schlachtgeschwader 2 in February 1945 for the wounded Hans-Ulrich Rudel, he received the Swords. From 9 February to 13 February 1945 he led the Geschwader before overshooting a landing and being sidelined. At war's end he held the rank of Major. Captured while hospitalised, he spent several months as a prisoner of war before release in August 1945. In civilian life he married in 1947, passed a mason's journeyman's examination and attended construction school in Bremen, working as a construction engineer there until 1955.

On 1 January 1956 Lang joined the newly formed Bundeswehr. Declared unfit for flying duties because of a heart condition that impaired blood re-oxygenation, he served first as a staff officer in the Luftwaffe leadership section of the Defence Ministry. In 1960 he became commander of the Luftwaffe training school, a post he held until 1963, and was promoted Oberst in 1961. He later headed the infrastructure department of Wehrbereichskommando II and from 1967 commanded Defence District Command 22 in Hanover until his retirement in 1971. Friedrich Lang died in Hanover on 29 December 2003 at the age of eighty-eight. His extraordinary survival record, precision bombing and steady leadership across five years of continuous combat made him one of the Luftwaffe's most respected Stuka pilots.

Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=units
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
Additional cross-referenced data from https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Lang_(Pilot), https://aircrewremembered.com/lang-friedrich.html, https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/24372/Lang-Friedrich-LW-Flieger.htm and books Georg Brütting "Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939-1945" as well as Mike Spick "Luftwaffe Bomber Aces".

Bio of Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel (1916-1982)

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.

Leutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel as a Beobachter (Observer) in Dornier Do 17 reconnaissance plane of 2.Staffel / Fernaufklärungsgruppe 121 during the German invasion of Poland, September 1939. He is on the way to the command post of his squadron.



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).

Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Flugzeugführer in 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2) in Molai, on the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece, spring 1941. The distrust of his superiors deprived him of the opportunity to take part in combat missions against the British fleet and during the capture of Crete.

Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Flugzeugführer in 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2) doing some microphone check before his 333rd combat mission on Volkhov front near Leningrad, September 1941. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Karl Bayer. 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.



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.

Visit of Reichsminister Dr. Albert Speer to the base of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann", which is one of a series of events from the Speer visit session to the Eastern Front which took place from 14 to 18 June 1943. From left to right: unknown, Dr. Albert Speer (Reichsminister für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion), Hauptmann Walter Krauß (Führer III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2. Ritterkreuz 29 July 1940 and Eichenlaub 3 January 1944), Oberleutnant Steffen "Egbert" Jaeckel (Staffelkapitän 2.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2. Ritterkreuz 14 May 1942), Hauptmann Alwin Boerst (blocked by Kupfer, Gruppenkommandeur I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2. Ritterkreuz 5 October 1941, Eichenlaub 28 November 1942 and Schwerter 6 April 1944), Major Dr.jur. Ernst Kupfer (Führer Sturzkampfgeschwader 2. Ritterkreuz 23 November 1941, Eichenlaub 8 January 1943 and Schwerter 11 April 1944), and Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2. Ritterkreuz 6 January 1942, Eichenlaub 14 April 1943, Schwerter 25 November 1943, Brillanten 29 March 1944 and Goldenem Eichenlaub 29 December 1944).



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.



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
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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
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZHCvPim0eA