Hans-Ulrich Rudel Biography

Hans-Ulrich Rudel was Nazi Germany’s most decorated ground-attack pilot, who was the sole recipient of Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds from Hitler. He was born to a clergy man during the First World War, joined Hitler’s youth wing at the age of 17, became a Stuka pilot at 25 and rose to the rank of colonel by 28. He fought mostly on the eastern front, helping Germany to fight Soviet Union. He was credited with flying 2,530 ground-attack missions, destroying more than 800 vehicles, including one Soviet battleship, 519 tanks, 70 landing crafts and 150 artillery emplacements. Ruden was so dedicated to Hitler’s cause that even an amputated leg could not come in the way. He returned to duty around 45 days after it was smashed by an enemy shell. He spent the last years of his life in South America, writing books, helping those who had been accused of war crime and intermittingly returning to Germany to keep his German citizenship alive. Until his death at the age of 66, he remained a staunch supporter of the Nazi philosophy.