He was the most feared soldier in the history of world war, in the battle of World War II, he carried out a total of 2530 combat missions, he destroyed 150 artillery positions, 519 tanks, nearly 1000 other vehicles, 70 landing ships, 2 La-3 fighters, 1 IL-2 strike aircraft, sank the battleship "Mara", injured the battleship "Red October", in addition to sinking 2 cruisers and 1 destroyer, as well as countless roads, bridges, bunkers and supply lines. He was so passionate about flying and destroying that he flew a total of 600,000 kilometers and used up 5 million litres of gasoline in battle; he threw 1 million kilograms of bombs, fired 1 million rounds of machine gun bullets, more than 150,000 20 mm shells, and more than 5,000 rounds of 37 mm shells.
He inflicted such a heavy blow on the Red Army that Stalin himself offered a reward of one hundred thousand rubles for his head!
His name is Hans Ulrich Rudel, the super ace pilot of the Luftwaffe in World War II!
Born on 2 July 1916 in the former German region of Silesia (most of Silesia was incorporated into Poland after World War II, and a small part belonged to the Free State of Saxony, Germany), Rudel was born into a family of priests.
In 1936 he joined the Luftwaffe while continuing to develop his athletic talents as a cadet at the Military Academy.
Stuka dive bomber
As if born for dive bombing, after becoming a full pilot through a flight training course, Rudel applied to learn dive bombing techniques, but was returned. He had to learn reconnaissance aircraft flight training and perform long-distance reconnaissance missions during the Polish Campaign in September 1939.
Because of his outstanding reconnaissance achievements, on October 11, 1939, he was awarded the Iron Cross Medal of the Second Class. He went on to apply for flight lessons for the Ju87 Stuka dive bomber.
On 11 November 1939, he was again awarded the Iron Cross of the Order of the Second Class.
By May 1940, Rudel had finally received flight course approval for the Ju87 Stuka dive bomber, and after successfully completing his training, he was transferred to the 1st Squadron of the 2nd Dive Bombing Wing. But in the Battle of France, the Battle of Crete, the mission was never carried out.
On June 23, 1941, the Barbaronsa Project, which germany invaded the Soviet Union, began. At 3 a.m., Rudel flew his first dive bombing mission and, over the next 18 hours, carried out 4 combat missions.
On 18 July 1941, he was awarded an Iron Cross, First Class.
On 23 September 1941, during an air strike on the port of Kronstadt in the Leningrad region, Rudel sank the Soviet battleship Mara with a 1,000 kg bomb, which hit her ammunition depot and blew her in two.
On December 24, 1941, Rudel flew his 500th mission on Christmas Eve.
On 30 December 1941, he received the Gold German Cross from Marshal Richterhofen himself and was sent to Graz to train new members of the "Stuka".
On 15 January 1942 he was awarded the Knight's Cross. At his own request, he returned to the front in June.
In September 1942, Rudel accepted command of the first detachment of the 1st Squadron of the 2nd Dive Bombing Wing and carried out combat missions in the Stalingrad area. At that time his detachment was often sent to deal with Soviet tanks.
On 10 February 1943, Hans Ruddell flew his 1,000th mission and became a national hero of Germany. He was then sent to a special air anti-tank unit newly formed in Bryansk to test the new Ju-87 D-3 (Tank Destroyer) dive bomber. The new Ju-87 D-3 carried two 37 mm anti-tank guns under the wings. The prototype was first used to attack Soviet landing craft in the Black Sea, and Rudel destroyed 70 in three weeks.
In March 1943, during a tank battle in Belgnaord, Rudel destroyed the first Soviet tank with his new Ju-87.
On 14 April 1943, Hans Rudel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Silver Oak Leaves. His detachment consisted of 9 Ju-87 G-1s and was sent to support the 3rd SS Panzer Division (Skeleton Division) at the Battle of Kursk. On the first day of the battle, Rudel destroyed 4 Soviet tanks in his first sortie, and by the end of that day, his record reached 12.
On 25 October 1943, Hans Rudel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Two Swords, Silver Oak Leaves.
Earlier in March 1944, he completed the 1500th Combat Mission and was promoted to major.
On 29 March 1944, for his bravery, Major Hans Ulrich Rudel was awarded the Order of the Knight of the Order of the Silver Oak Leaf, Germany's highest military honor at the time.
In November 1944, he was shot in the thigh during a battle near Budapest. A few days later, however, he returned to the unit with a plaster cast on his leg.
On 1 January 1945, Rudel was awarded the Order of the Iron Cross of the Diamond Double Sword, Gold Oak Leaf, becoming the only recipient of Germany's highest military honor (it could also be said that this honor was created for him personally).
In early 1945, he was awarded the Luftwaffe Joint Order of Pilot/Scout in Diamond Gold, the highest combat honour, and the Air Force Ground Support Medal in Diamond Gold, as well as 2,000 ornaments made of platinum, and was the only holder of the Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamond Ornaments on the Knight's Cross (Knight of the Order of the Oak Leaves in Diamonds and Gold).
In February 1945, his right thigh was wounded by anti-aircraft fire and subsequently amputated. Although he returned to combat positions after fitting up the prosthesis.
In March 1945 he voluntarily asked to fly to Berlin, surrounded by Soviet troops, to rescue Hitler.
When Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, Colonel Rudel made his last flight on the Stuka in Bohemia. He approached the U.S. military to arrange for him and his team to fly from the Soviet-occupied zone to the U.S.-occupied zone, and eventually succeeded. Surrendered to the U.S. Air Force. He was interrogated first in England and then in France, and was eventually taken to a hospital in Bavaria for a full recovery.
In 1946, Rudel left the Bavarian hospital to become a road transport contractor. In 1948, he moved to Argentina. Rudel became a close friend of Argentine President Juan Perón. After losing a leg, he remained an avid sports enthusiast, playing tennis, skiing, and even climbing Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, while in Argentina, and climbing the world's tallest volcano "Yuyeyako" in the Andes three times. He served at the Argentine State Aircraft Factory, but also joined an organization similar to the National Socialist Workers' Party, composed of escaped Nazis.
In 1953, Rudel returned to West Germany and joined a party called the German Reich Party. He was a successful businessman in post-war Germany.
He died in Rosenheim in 1982 and was buried in Dornhausen.
Rudel was an outstanding and experienced pilot who loved flying and destroying. He hated going home to visit relatives and being grounded due to illness, and even after the amputation he remained unfazed, continuing his favorites with a prosthetic leg — flying and destroying. In a career he has demonstrated astonishing strength, tenacity and fearlessness, unparalleled determination and arrogance. You can't find a hint of cringe and fear of war in his pictures. With his incredible personal courage and record, he will rightfully occupy a place in the world's military history. In fact, he did shoot down thirty-two times, many of them in Soviet-occupied territory.
Rudel is best known for his phrase "Verloren ist nur, wer sich selbst aufgibt" ("Only those who abandon themselves lose confidence").