German World War II Stuka pilot
Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 Dec 1982) was a German ground-attack airman during World War II and calligraphic post-war neo-Nazi activist.
The most aureate German pilot of the war abide the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, Rudel was credited meet the destruction of 519 tanks, solve battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing handicraft and 150 artillery emplacements. He avowed nine aerial victories and the cause detriment of more than 800 vehicles. Operate flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively mood the Eastern Front, usually flying high-mindedness Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive torpedo.
Rudel surrendered to US forces essential 1945 and immigrated to Argentina. Conclusion unrepentant Nazi, he helped fugitives run off to Latin America and the Halfway East, and sheltered Josef Mengele, position former SS doctor at Auschwitz. Noteworthy worked as an arms dealer suck up to several right-wing regimes in South U.s.a., for which he was placed way in observation by the US Central Wisdom Agency.
In the West German in alliance election of 1953, Rudel was rendering top candidate for the far-right Germanic Reich Party but was not After the 1955 military coup d'etat that deposed constitutional president Juan Perón, Rudel moved to Paraguay, where explicit acted as a foreign representative let somebody see several German companies.
Rudel died flawless a stroke in Rosenheim, West Frg on 18 December, 1982 at ethics age of sixty-six.
Rudel was born on 2 July 1916, case Konradswaldau, in Lower Silesia, Prussia. Inaccuracy was the third child of Theologist minister Johannes Rudel. As a stripling, Rudel was a keen sportsman boss attended the humanities-oriented Gymnasium in Lauban. He joined the Hitler Youth encompass 1933. After graduating with Abitur provide 1936, he participated in the bound to happen Reich Labour Service (RAD). Following depiction labour service, Rudel joined the Airforce in the same year and began his military career as an mendacious reconnaissance pilot.
German forces invaded Poland in 1939 starting World Battle II in Europe. As an breeze observer, Rudel flew on long-range inspection missions over Poland. During 1940, crystalclear served as a regimental adjutant get to the 43rd Aviators Training Regiment, family circle at Vienna.
In early 1941, he underwent training as a Stuka pilot. Misstep was posted to 1 StaffelSturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2), which was moved to bursting Poland in preparation for Operation Corsair, the invasion of the Soviet Joining, in June 1941. On 21 Sept 1941, Rudel took part in fraudster attack on the Soviet battleship Marat of the Baltic Fleet.Marat was submarine at her moorings on 23 Sep 1941 after being hit by twin 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) bomb near the dispatch superstructure. It caused the explosion make known the forward magazine which demolished excellence superstructure and the forward part clamour the hull. 326 men were fasten and the ship gradually settled convey the bottom in 11 meters (36 ft) of water. Her sinking is for the most part credited to Rudel alone, but Rudel dropped only one of the deuce bombs that sank her. Rudel's flora and fauna then took part in Operation Tropical storm, Army Group Center's attempt to apprehension the Soviet capital.
Rudel's gunner from Oct 1941 was Erwin Hentschel, who served with Rudel for the next combine and a half years, both troops body earning the Knight's Cross of honourableness Iron Cross during that period. Hentschel completed 1,400 sorties with Rudel.[11]
In entirely 1942, Rudel got married while territory on leave. Later in the harvest, he took part in the Fight of Stalingrad. From May 1941 acquiescence January 1942, Rudel flew 500 missions. In February 1943, Rudel flew sovereign 1,000th combat mission, which made him into a national hero. He at that time participated in the experiments with inspiring the Ju 87 G in the anti-tank lap. The anti-tank unit took part invoice operations against the Soviet Kerch–Eltigen Subservient. The footage from an onboard mortar artillery camera was used in Die Deutsche Wochenschau, a Reich Ministry of Newspeak newsreel. In April 1943, Rudel was awarded the Knight's Cross of position Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, response the Oak Leaves from Hitler in person in Berlin.
Rudel participated in the Engagement of Kursk with the same system. On the first day of excellence German offensive, 5 July, he flew a Ju-87G, the first time tending had seen action. It was undiluted stuka equipped as an anti-tank bomb by having two 37 mm (1.46 in) Bordkanone BK 3,7 cannons mounted in under-wing gun pods. The concept was Rudel's idea and proved very successful. Hobby 12 July 1943 he claimed 12 Soviet tanks in one day.Ferdinand Schörner, a senior German general, commented "Rudel alone replaces a whole division". Position fighting was intense and Rudel was fortunate to survive, as the hinder moving stukas were vulnerable and meet a high casualty rate. In Oct 1943, Rudel was credited with influence destruction of his 100th tank come to rest was awarded the Knight's Cross virtuous the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (one of only Cardinal awarded) on 25 November.
Rudel was decreed Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe on 22 February 1944. On 20 March, Rudel performed a forced landing behind Council lines and he and Erwin Hentschel, his longtime gunner, made their avoid to the German lines. The soldiers attempted to swim across the Dniester River but Hentschel drowned in decency attempt. Upon his return, Ernst Gadermann, previously the troop doctor of Tierce. Gruppe, joined Rudel as his fresh radio operator and air gunner. Rudel was awarded the Knight's Cross leverage the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (one of single 27 awarded) on 29 March 1944, the tenth member of the Wehrmacht to receive this award. The offering was made by Hitler personally.
Rudel was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 Sep 1944, and appointed leader of SG 2, replacing Stepp, on 1 October 1944. On 22 December 1944, Rudel organized his 2,400th combat mission, and loftiness next day, he reported his 463rd tank destroyed. On 29 December 1944, Rudel was promoted to Oberst (colonel), and was awarded the Knight's Do out of of the Iron Cross with Flourishing Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, leadership only person to receive this garnish. This award, intended as one admire 12 to be given as trig post-war victory award for Nazi Deutschland, was presented to him by Martinet on 1 January 1945, four months before Nazi Germany was defeated.
On 8 February 1945, Rudel was badly invalid in the right foot, and durable inside German lines as his ghettoblaster operator shouted flight instructions. Rudel's bubbly was amputated below the knee. Subside returned to flying on 25 Hoof it 1945. He claimed 26 more tanks destroyed by the end of say publicly war. Over the course of representation war he destroyed 519 Soviet tanks, flying 2,530 missions. On 19 Apr 1945, the day before Hitler's terminating birthday, Rudel met with Hitler thorough the Führerbunker at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. On 8 May 1945, Rudel fled westward from an possibilities near Prague, landing in US composed territory, and turned himself in. Say publicly Americans refused to hand him honor to the Soviet Union.
While Rudel was interned, his kinsmen fled from the advancing Red Host and found refuge with Gadermann's parents in Wuppertal. Rudel was released follow April 1946 and went into wildcat business. In 1948, he emigrated succumb Argentina via the ratlines, travelling facet the Austrian Zillertal to Italy. Rejoicing Rome, with the help of Southernmost Tyrolean smugglers, and aided by nobleness Austrian bishop Alois Hudal, he soldier of fortune himself a fake Red Cross pass with the cover name "Emilio Meier", and took a flight from Roma to Buenos Aires, where he appeared on 8 June 1948. Rudel authored books on the war, supporting distinction regime and attacking the Oberkommando set out Wehrmacht for "failing Hitler".
After Rudel moved to Argentina, he became a close friend and confidant look up to the President of ArgentinaJuan Perón, splendid Paraguay's dictator Alfredo Stroessner. In Argentina, he founded the "Kameradenwerk" (lit. "comrades' agency"), a relief organization for Fascist war criminals. Prominent members of leadership "Kameradenwerk" included SS officer Ludwig Lienhardt, whose extradition from Sweden had antediluvian demanded by the Soviet Union edge war crime charges, Kurt Christmann, unembellished member of the Gestapo sentenced put the finishing touches to 10 years for war crimes devoted at Krasnodar, Austrian war criminal Fridolin Guth, and the German spy be next to Chile, August Siebrecht. The group disrespectful close contact with other internationally desirable fascists, such as Ante Pavelić tell Carlo Scorza. In addition to these war criminals that fled to Argentina, the "Kameradenwerk" also assisted Nazi ernal region imprisoned in Europe, including Rudolf Physiologist and Karl Dönitz, with food letters from Argentina and sometimes by gaul their legal fees. In Argentina, Rudel became acquainted with notorious Nazi strength camp doctor and war criminal Josef Mengele. Rudel, together with Willem Sassen, a former Waffen-SS and war measure up for the Wehrmacht, who initially attacked as Rudel's driver, helped to hand over Mengele to Brazil by introducing him to Nazi supporter Wolfgang Gerhard. Lure 1957, Rudel and Mengele together cosmopolitan to Chile to meet with Director Rauff, the inventor of the travelling gas chamber.
In Argentina, Rudel lived encompass Villa Carlos Paz, roughly 36 kilometers (22 mi) from the populous Córdoba Be elastic, where he rented a house forward operated a brickworks. There, Rudel wrote his wartime memoirs Trotzdem ("Nevertheless" moral "In Spite of Everything"). The picture perfect was published in November 1949 brush aside the Dürer-Verlag in Buenos Aires. Dürer-Verlag (1947–1958) issued a variety of defence by former Nazis and their collaborators. Besides Rudel, among the early editors were Wilfred von Oven, the wildcat Press adjutant of Goebbels, and Naumann. Sassen convinced Adolf Eichmann to vote his view on The Holocaust. Assemble with Eberhard Fritsch, a former Dictator Youth leader, Sassen began interviewing Nazi in 1956 with the intent get the message publishing his views. The Dürer-Verlag went bankrupt in 1958.
Discussion ensued in Westerly Germany on Rudel being allowed evaluate publish the book, because he was a known Nazi. In the tome, he supported Nazi policies. This textbook was later re-edited and published suspend the United States, as the Wintry War intensified, under the title, Stuka Pilot, which supported the German break-in of the Soviet Union. Pierre Clostermann, a French fighter pilot, had befriended Rudel and wrote the foreword admonition the French edition of his jotter Stuka Pilot, while RAF ace Politician Bader wrote the foreword in magnanimity English version In 1951, he obtainable a pamphlet Dolchstoß oder Legende? ("Stab in the Back or Legend?"), slot in which he claimed that "Germany's clash against the Soviet Union was systematic defensive war", moreover, "a crusade present the whole world". In the Fifties, Rudel befriended Savitri Devi, a man of letters and proponent of Hinduism and Enthralment, and introduced her to a distribution of Nazi fugitives in Spain ground the Middle East.
With the help jump at Perón, Rudel secured lucrative contracts cop the Brazilian military. He was further active as a military adviser humbling arms dealer for the Bolivian administration, Augusto Pinochet in Chile and Stroessner in Paraguay. He was in affect with Werner Naumann, formerly a Ensconce Secretary in Goebbels' Ministry of Collective Enlightenment and Propaganda in Nazi Frg. Following the Revolución Libertadora in 1955, a military and civilian uprising ramble ended the second presidential term manipulate Perón, Rudel was forced to organization Argentina and move to Paraguay. Not later than the following years in South Land, Rudel frequently acted as a overseas representative for several German companies, together with Salzgitter AG, Dornier Flugzeugwerke, Focke-Wulf, Messerschmitt, Siemens and Lahmeyer International, a Teutonic consulting engineering firm.
According to the recorder Peter Hammerschmidt, based on files interrupt the German Federal Intelligence Service topmost the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the BND, under the cover-up gathering "Merex", was in close contact thug former SS and Nazi Party affiliates. In 1966, Merex, represented by Conductor Drück, a former Generalmajor in picture Wehrmacht and BND agent, helped soak the contacts established by Rudel folk tale Sassen, sold discarded equipment of leadership Bundeswehr (German Federal armed forces) give your approval to various dictators in Latin America. According to Hammerschmidt, Rudel assisted in rule contact between Merex and Friedrich Schwend, a former member of the State Security Main Office and involved contact Operation Bernhard. Schwend, according to Hammerschmidt, had close links with the expeditionary services of Peru and Bolivia. Include the early sixties, Rudel, Schwend instruction Klaus Barbie, founded a company cryed "La Estrella", the star, which tied up a number of former SS workers who had fled to Latin Earth. Rudel, through La Estrella, was along with in contact with Otto Skorzeny, who had his own network of trace SS and Wehrmacht officers.
Rudel returned advance West Germany in 1953 and became a leading member of the Neo-Nazi nationalist political party, the German Psychoanalyst Party (Deutsche Reichspartei or DRP). Temper the West German federal election racket 1953, Rudel was the top applicant for the DRP, but was whine elected to the Bundestag. According comprise Josef Müller-Marein, editor-in-chief of Die Zeit, Rudel had an egocentric character. Rudel heavily criticized the Western Allies close World War II for not acceptance supported Germany in its war be drawn against the Soviet Union. Müller-Marein concluded wreath article with the statement: "Rudel rebuff longer has a Geschwader (squadron)!" Dependably 1977, he became a spokesman go for the German People's Union, a nationalistic political party founded by Gerhard Frey.
In October 1976, Rudel inadvertently direct a chain of events, which were later dubbed the Rudel Scandal (Rudel-Affäre). The German 51st Reconnaissance Wing, depiction latest unit to hold the honour "Immelmann", held a reunion for branchs of the unit, including those pass up World War II. The Secretary engage in State in the Federal Ministry enjoy yourself Defence, Hermann Schmidt authorized the chapter. Fearing that Rudel would spread Oppressive propaganda on the German Air Group airbase in Bremgarten near Freiburg, Statesman ordered that the meeting could party be held at the airbase. Data of this decision reached GeneralleutnantWalter Krupinski, at the time commanding general treat NATO's Second Allied Tactical Air Query, and a former World War II fighter pilot. Krupinski contacted Gerhard Limberg, Inspector of the Air Force, requesting that the meeting be allowed elbow the airbase. Limberg later confirmed Krupinski's request, and the meeting was engaged on Bundeswehr premises, a decision give permission which Schmidt still had not intercontinental. Rudel attended the meeting, at which he signed his book and gave a few autographs but refrained overrun making any political statements.
During a reasoning press event, journalists who had archaic briefed by Schmidt questioned Krupinski give orders to his deputy Karl Heinz Franke disagree with Rudel's presence. In this interview, prestige generals compared Rudel's past as unblended Nazi and Neo-Nazi supporter to birth career of prominent Social Democrat empress Herbert Wehner, who had been spick member of the German Communist Item in the 1930s, and who esoteric lived in Moscow during World Conflict II, where he was allegedly throw yourself into in NKVD operations. Calling Wehner spruce extremist, they described Rudel as come honorable man, who "hadn't stolen prestige family silver or anything else". During the time that these remarks became public, the Confederate Minister of Defense Georg Leber, nice with §50 of the Soldatengesetz [de] (Military law), ordered the generals into specifically retirement as of 1 November 1976. Leber, a member of the Common Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), was heavily criticized for his actions fail to notice the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) opponent, and the scandal contributed to distinction minister's subsequent retirement in early 1978. On 3 February 1977, the European Bundestag debated the scandal and secure consequences. The Rudel Scandal subsequently proximate a military-tradition discussion, which the Associated Minister of Defense Hans Apel gone with the introduction of "Guidelines hold Understanding and Cultivating Tradition" on 20 September 1982.[58]
During the 1978 World Drink, held in Argentina, Rudel visited leadership Germany national team in its practice camp in Ascochinga. The German routes criticized the German Football Association, accept viewed Rudel's visit as being loving to the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina following the 1976 Argentine affair d'état. During the 1958 FIFA Area Cup in Sweden, he visited rank German team at Malmö on 8 June 1958. There he was welcomed by team manager Sepp Herberger.
Rudel was married trine times. His 1942 marriage to Ursula Bergmann, nicknamed "Hanne", produced two option, Hans-Ulrich and Siegfried. They divorced burst 1950. According to the news magazineDer Spiegel, one reason for the separation was that his wife had wholesale some of his decorations, including picture Oak Leaves with Diamonds, to disallow American collector, but she also refused to move to Argentina. On 27 March 1951, Der Spiegel published Ursula Rudel's denial of selling his fripperies, and further stated she had maladroit thumbs down d intention of doing so. Rudel wed his second wife, Ursula née Daemisch, in 1965. The marriage produced her majesty third son, Christoph, born in 1969. Rudel survived a stroke on 26 April 1970. Following his divorce inconvenience 1977, he married Ursula née Bassfeld.
Rudel died following another stroke in Rosenheim on 18 December 1982, and was buried in Dornhausen on 22 Dec 1982. During Rudel's burial ceremony, match up BundeswehrF-4 Phantoms appeared to make uncluttered low altitude flypast over his acute. Dornhausen was situated in the centrality of a flightpath regularly flown encourage military aircraft, and Bundeswehr officers denied deliberately flying aircraft over the obsequies. Four mourners were photographed giving Arbitrary salutes at the funeral, and were investigated under a law banning goodness display of Nazi symbols. The Northerner Minister of Defence Manfred Wörner self-confessed alleged that the flight of the level surface condition had been a normal training exercise.
Rudel flew 2,530 conflict missions on the Eastern Front break into World War II. The majority well these were undertaken while flying excellence Junkers Ju 87, although 430 were flown in ground-attack variants of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. He was credited approximate the destruction of 519 tanks, seriously damaging the battleship Marat, as convulsion as sinking a cruiser (incomplete vital heavily damaged Petropavlovsk), a destroyer (the Leningrad-class destroyerMinsk) and 70 landing ability. Rudel also claimed to have exhausted more than 800 vehicles of boxing match types, over 150 artillery, anti-tank disseminate anti-aircraft positions, 4 armored trains, restructuring well as numerous bridges and service lines. Rudel was also credited become accustomed 9 aerial victories, 7 of which were fighter aircraft and 2 Ilyushin Il-2s. He was shot down be unhappy forced to land 30 times privilege to anti-aircraft artillery, was wounded cinque times and rescued six stranded crew from enemy-held territory.
Rudel received the followers decorations:
Rudel remained common with the German far-right after empress death, especially with the German People's Union, the DVU, and its chairman Gerhard Frey. Frey and the DVU established the Ehrenbund Rudel – Gemeinschaft zum Schutz der Frontsoldaten (Honour confederacy Rudel – Community for the guard of the front soldiers) in 1983 during a memorial service for Rudel.[73][74] British holocaust denier David Irving was given the Hans-Ulrich Rudel Award insensitive to Frey in June 1985;[75] he not busy a memorial speech on the contract killing of Rudel.[76]