Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Hans-Ulrich Rudel (July 2nd 1916 - December 18th 1982) was the German pilot of Stuka more decorated during the Second world war.

Biography

Difficult beginnings

Hans Ulrich Rudel is the son of protesting Pasteur with Konradswaldau (Silesia) in Germany, (in Poland after 1945). After a short school course, it makes a success of the tests of admission in the reserve officers and joined the Luftwaffe in December 1936 like junior within the military academy by Wildpark-Wendel. After six months of instruction, it starts the drive in flight then at the end six other months obtains its pilot's license. It takes down the rank of Second lieutenant and, not to be affected on bomber, goes voluntary to control the Stukas.

In June 1938, it incorporates the group of attack I. /St.G 168 based in Graz in Austria. Slow progress of Rudel, promoted Lieutenant, does not satisfy his superior who sends it to the school of pilot of recognition of Hiddesen in January 1939. Affected in the flotilla of Recognition II. /121 when the war bursts, it takes part in the countryside of Poland and carries out long missions of observation before being affected in a regiment of instruction.

October 11th, 1939, it receives the Croix of iron of second class and, in May 1940, it is affected with the drive on the bomber in piqué Junkers Ju 87. After having completed its formation, Rudel is sent in a base close to Stuttgart. He is then not regarded as a particularly good pilot.

After many insistent requests, it reinstates, like Oberleutnant ( first lieutenant ), the Group of Attack I. /St.G 3 based with Caen and which takes share with the countryside of France but is not authorized to fight. When its unit is moved in Italy, Rudel is returned to him to Graz for a handing-over on level. It is then affected with the Group of Attack I. /St.G 2 in Greece but, still not having been recognized ready to fly on mission of combat, is again kept away of the engagements at the time of the invasion of the Peak in which its flotilla takes part.

Within I. /St.G 2 of return in Germany, Rudel knows finally its baptism of fire on June 23rd 1941 at the time of the Opération Barbarossa (the invasion of the the USSR by the German Armée). Its talents of pilot appear and it gains its Croix of iron of first class as of on July 18th. During an attack, Rudel reaches the poop of the Soviet Cuirassé Marat of: 23606 tons and two days later runs a cruiser. The September 23rd, during the attack of the port of Kronstadt, not far from Leningrad and at the time of a new attack on the Marat , Rudel launches a bomb of a ton which divides the ship in two and runs it.

Continuous Rudel with being committed on the face of the East to support the terrestrial forces and receives the German Croix gold on December 8th, 1941. January 6th 1942 it is decorated with the iron cross of knight and in March is sent far from the face, in Graz, to direct the school of the reservists of Luftwaffe.

Rudel and Ju 87G

At the end of a few months, he manages to find an active station on the face of the Crimea and takes part in the Bataille of Stalingrad. Afterwards: 1000 missions of combat, Rudel, in February 1943 takes share with the development of an alternative anti-tank device of JU 87D-3: Ju 87G. The bomb throwers of this version are deposited and replaced by two enormous anti-tank guns BK3,7 of 37 mm, derived from the anti-aircraft gun FlaK 18 of the same gauge laid out in gondole under the wings. Rudel takes part then in the unit in load of the operational test of the apparatus, Panzerjagdkommando Weiss then, once the finished tests and the dissolved unit, it supports the creation of a flotilla specialized on this apparatus within each StukaGeschwader (squadron of dive bombing). Rudel was associated so much with this specific version of Ju 87 that any mention of is inevitably accompanied by the other, even at present.

The Ju87G version being categorized in Luftwaffe as being a “Panzerjäger” (“tank destroyer”), Rudel taken the word “hunter” with the first degree so much so that it made paint on its plane of the marks of identification normally reserved for the apparatuses of hunting. The links between Rudel and Ju 87 were so close and if glorifiés by propaganda that when the apparatus disappeared from the other units of Luftwaffe for reasons of Obsolescence, only StuKaGeschwader 2 qu ' it ordered preserved it, even if were to use it in parallel with more modern apparatuses of designs such as the Focke-Wulf 190.

Rudel and end of the conflict

Within group I. /St G2, Rudel, which set up two escadrilles of Ju 87G2 anti-tank, destroyed more than 70 boats in the area of Kuban when the Russian troops cross the Don. In May 1943, Hitler allots the iron Cross to him with sheets of oak.

At the time of its first mission on Koursk, Rudel destroys 12 Soviet tanks and receives in July the command of Group III within I. /St G2. At November he manages to put out of combat more than 100 tanks and then receives the Cross of iron with sheets of oak and swords. Rudel is promoted Commander in March 1944 and, the 26 of the same month, is destroyed 17 new tanks. Shortly after this new exploit, Hitler decorates it with the Cross with iron with sheets of oak, swords and diamonds, decoration allotted to only 27 recoveries.

September 1st 1944, Rudel is promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and receives one month later the command of a flotilla of attack. January 1st 1945, Fuhrer allots to him the Cross of iron with sheets of oak and gold swords and diamonds, supreme decoration created on December 29th, 1944 and whose Rudel remains the only holder. Thus, at the beginning of 1945, Rudel become the German combatant more decorated with in particular the German Croix out of gold, the badge of the diamond Pilots, the clasp of the close combat out of diamonds for two thousand exits, and the Cross of iron with sheets of oak and gold swords and diamonds

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