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Heide -> (8/7/2002 11:45:18 PM)
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Rudel was the only receipient of Germany's highest award of the war, the Knights Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. His final tally:
[URL=http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/iron_cross/golden_diamonds/golddiamonds_recipient/rudel.htm]Hans Rudel[/URL]
-2530 sorties (including some 400 in a Folke-Wulf 190).
-11 air to air victories (in the FW-109).
-519 Tanks Destroyed (30+of these came when he was only flying with one leg).
-150 Artillery pieces destroyed.
-1000 vehicles destroyed.
-70 landing crafts.
-Sunk Battleship “Marat”.
-2 Cruisers and a Destroyer sunken.
Hmm, some conflict here, Feldgrau says the air-to-air victories were in the Stuka.
[URL=http://www.feldgrau.com/rkgosd.html]Feldgrau[/URL]
The Knight's Cross with Golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds was the highest single grade of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and was awarded only once during WWII - an exception to the rule for this award which was only to be awarded 12 times once WWII ended. It was awarded to Hans Ulrich Rudel in honor of his unrivaled heroism as a Luftwaffe Stuka pilot. Rudel was responsible for the destruction of 530 Soviet tanks, enough tanks for five complete Soviet Tank Corps! He also destroyed 150 anti-aircraft and anti-tank positions, 800 motor vehicles, the Soviet Battleship Marat, a Soviet Cruiser, a Soviet Destroyer, 70 Soviet landing craft, and numerous bridges and bunkers. He also heavily damaged another Soviet Battleship, the October Revolution. Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions, claimed 11 air victories in his Stuka, and was shot down 30 times.
And yeah, the luftwaffe kept its pilots on duty almost continually for most of the war. Fly or die. :)
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