That said, theres no doubt in my mind that even if we divide his claims by the proverbial factor of 3 for a more realistic approach to the his achievements, hans ulrich rudel was the closest thing to a one man airforce the world has ever seen or for that matter, is ever likely to see. An organization that was purported to facilitate secret escape routes for ss members out of germany and austria to south america and the middle east. Lieutenant hansulrich rudel and the rest of his dive bomber wing had gathered in midseptember 1941 to strike another blow in operation barbarossa, germanys campaign to conquer the ussr. Rudel was a teenager when the nsdap took charge and became indoctrinated at very early age. Relentlessly driven to the of point obsession, rudels combat record is a testimony to the determination of germanys elite aviators. Hans ulrich rudel, who died monday at the age of 66, was awarded nazi germanys highest military honor, a special form of the iron cross created specifically for him. Jamil walker is a retired american soccer forward and midfielder, who played professionally in major league soccer and the usl first division.
His thousand pound bomb hit the deck which erupted in flames. Postwar, he was a prominent neonazi activist in latin america and west germany. Rudel landed at amsterdam last night and was spirited into germany today in a car. He was never good at school and received limited education. That said, theres no doubt in my mind that even if we divide his claims by the proverbial factor of 3 for a more realistic approach to the his achievements, hans ulrich rudel was the closest thing to a one man airforce the world has ever seen or for that. Im luftraum des gegners, da fuhlt er sich zu haus, bei 150 metern. Junkers ju 87 g2, flown by stuka colonel hansulrich rudel. Hans ulrich rudel 2 july 1916 18 december 1982 was a german groundattack pilot during world war ii. Hans ulrich rudel, stuka pilot, ballantine books, new york, 1958, p 267 7. Jul 15, 2019 engineer pierre sprey, a former pentagon procurement official who helped design the a10, confirmed to the daily beast that none other than legendary luftwaffe colonel hansulrich rudel was.
Rudel, the son of lutheran minister johannes, was born in konradswaldau silesia, germany it became part of poland after 1945. Hans ulrich rudel july 2, 1916 december 18, 1982 was a stuka divebomber pilot during world war ii. Hansulrich rudel simple english wikipedia, the free. On the stone you can see his final rank, oberst colonel, his function, commodore of stukageschwader immelmann, and a picture of his knights cross. Relentlessly driven to the of point obsession, rudel s combat record is a testimony to the determination of germanys elite aviators. In 1999, walker spent his freshman season at the united states air force academy where he was a member of the mens soccer team, he played in ten of the falcons nineteen games, adding one assist. In contrast to his later accomplishments and bravery his childhood was rather peaceful and mundane.
Just would become the first recipient of the hansulrichrudelaward donated by gerhard frey in 1983. The day that stuka pilot hans ulrich rudel sank the soviet. It does however shed an interesting light on rudels opposite numbers on the eastern front, the russian air force pilots. Rudel was the most decorated german serviceman of world war ii, being the sole recipient of the knights cross with golden oak leaves, swords, and diamonds in january 1945. He destroyed one battleship, one cruiser, one destroyer, 70 landing craft, 800 vehicles, 150 gun positions, 519 tanks and nine aircraft. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Stuka pilot ballantine books by rudel, hans ulrich and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. He was a commited nazi without apology but also a first class aviator. Shot down over 24 times, hans rudel is credited with destroying. Hans ulrich rudel, a 37yearold ace who lost one leg in the war, hoped to electrify the campaign and lead the nazis to a serious political comeback. Rudolf steiner and anthroposophy fourth edition by carlgren, frans rudel, joan translator rudel, siegfried translator and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Engineer pierre sprey, a former pentagon procurement official who helped design the a10, confirmed to the daily beast that none other than legendary luftwaffe colonel hansulrich rudel was. July 2nd, 1916 konradswaldaulandeshutsilesia, germany. Hansulrich rudel 2 july 1916 18 december 1982 was a german ground attack pilot. Jul, 2015 colonel hans ulrich rudel was undoubtedly the greatest ground attack pilot that ever lived. Apr 01, 2018 ace german air force stuka dive bomber pilot hans ulrich rudel in a garden with a. Find highquality hans ulrich rudel stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. Rudel is famous for being the most highly decorated german serviceman of the war. Rudel does a good job of putting you into the cockpit with him as. Unlike most books, you might never forget this book once you have read it.
The most highly decorated german serviceman of the war, rudel was one of only 27 military men to be awarded the knights cross of the iron cross with oak leaves, swords and diamonds, and the only person to be awarded the knights cross of the iron cross with golden oak leaves, swords and. Hans rudel writes a brilliant book here being both modest and truthful in describing war the in the air in what was not the best aircraft in the war to fly his history of the war is described in good detail and he does not seek to enhance his own part in it. Hansulrich rudel was born on july 2nd 1916 in konradswaldau, silesia. Hansulrich rudel, a former oberst in the german luftwaffe. His record is unsurpassed by any combat pilot flying ground attack missions. Aa fire followed rudels stuka back into the clouds. Rudolf steiner and anthroposophy fourth edition by carlgren, frans rudel, joan translator rudel, siegfried translator and a great selection of related books, art. The surrender is quite relevent to the fw 190, because accompanying rudels ju 87 g2 along with some other ju 87s. Nazi combat pilot who repeatedly risked his aircraft and his life to save his comrades going to any extreme to never miss a mission. Rudel does a good job of putting you into the cockpit with him as he flies and fights his way through the eastern front. The surrender is quite relevent to the fw 190, because accompanying rudel s ju 87 g2 along with some other ju 87s were a number of fw 190s. Hansulrich rudel was shot down 30 times during his 2,530 missions. Conducted by lonnie otis ratley iii as a contribution to the a10 program.
Hansulrich rudel, who died monday at the age of 66, was awarded nazi germanys highest military honor, a special form of the iron cross created specifically for him. Hansulrich rudel 2 july 1916 18 december 1982 was a german groundattack pilot during world war ii. Hans ulrich rudel was shot down 30 times during his 2,530 missions. Later it is confirmed that the marat survived, lying in repair in heavily defended kronstadt harbor. His exploits on the eastern front with his dive bomber were from time to time given much publicity in the german press. Rudel, hans ulrich, the son of lutheran minister johannes, was born on 02071916, in konradswaldau, silesia. Nazi sympathizers at funeral of german ace upi archives. Stuka pilot is the autobiography of germanys most decorated serviceman, dive bomber pilot, hans ulrich rudel. Kitzingen the surrender of oberst hansulrich rudel. This page is dedicated to the surrender of oberst hansulrich rudel, kommodore of schlachtgeschwader 2, at kitzingen on 8 may 1945, the final day of the war in europe. In general, how effective was the ju87g with the two 37mm cannons against enemy tanks.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by bruce marvin at german wikipedia of the gravestone of hans ulrich rudel in dornhausen, has been released into the public domain worldwide by its author. He was the most highly decorated german serviceman of the war. Oberst colonel hansulrich rudel 2 july 1916 in konradswaldau 18 december 1982 in rosenheim was a stuka dive bomber pilot on the eastern front during world war ii. Autobiography of world war two luftwaffe pilot hans ulrich rudel, the most highly decorated german serviceman of ww2, and the only one to be awarded the third reichs most prestigious medal which was specially created for rudel by hitler himself, the knights cross of the iron cross with golden oak leaves, swords and diamonds. Justs work is neither an independent nor a reliable source. His mother was martha mueckner and they were very happy with their wished family heir. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else. On this occasion major rudel once more destroyed nine enemy tanks. Hansulrich rudel left with ernst gadermann who was hansulrich rudels rear gunner in his junkers ju 87 stuka dive bomber after the death of henschel in 1944. Hansulrich rudel was buried in the small town of dornhausen, near gunzenhausen in mittelfranken. Hansulrich rudel the flying tank buster who flew more than. It was therefore with great interest that i met him when he came over in june 1945. Out in the gulf of finland, the soviet baltic fleets 23,000ton dreadnought marat was hurling 12inch, 1,000pound shells 18 miles onto german forces.
He had two older sisters ingeborg and johanna as a boy he was a poor scholar but a very keen sportsman. Stukaoberst hansulrich rudel gunther just not in library. Rudel, hans ulrich eagle of the east front ww2 gravestone. Before the end of the war he was awarded a medal especially made for him by the fuhrer, the only soldier in german history to receive the golden oak leaves with swords and diamonds to the knights cross of the iron cross. Decorations unlike the situation with the soviets, german decorations were awarded without regard to rank. During the war, rudel was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, as well as a number of ships. Ace german air force stuka dive bomber pilot hansulrich rudel in a garden with a. May 04, 2012 autobiography of world war two luftwaffe pilot hans ulrich rudel, the most highly decorated german serviceman of ww2, and the only one to be awarded the third reichs most prestigious medal which was specially created for rudel by hitler himself, the knights cross of the iron cross with golden oak leaves, swords and diamonds. According to official luftwaffe records he flew 2350 combat missions beginning in june 1941 and may 8th 1945. This page is dedicated to the surrender of oberst hans ulrich rudel, kommodore of schlachtgeschwader 2, at kitzingen on 8 may 1945, the final day of the war in europe. This is perhaps the most revealing part of the whole book. Hansulrich rudel 2 july 1916 18 december 1982 was a stuka divebomber pilot during world war ii. Rudel was the only person to be awarded the knights cross with golden oak leaves, swords, and diamonds.
Rudel followed hauptman ernst steen into the attack. Il est le fils dun pasteur protestant a konradswaldau silesie en allemagne, en pologne apres 1945. Hansulrich rudel 1916 1982, a former oberst in the german luftwaffe, attends a meeting of the drp deutsche reichspartei in the rotmain hall, bayreuth, 2nd. Hans ulrich rudel stock pictures, royaltyfree photos. Not long before he arrived rudel had lost one leg below the knee, as he describes in this book. The book is not broad in its scope because it is confined to the activities of one manand a brave onewaging a war in very singleminded fashion. Autobiography of ww2 nazi pilot hans rudel the most highly decorated german serviceman of ww2, and the only one to be awarded the third reichs most.
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