Hans-Ulrich Rudel - The Flying Tank Buster Who Flew More Than 2,000 Missions And Killed Over 500 Tanks
Russell Hughes
Hans-Ulrich Rudel was shot down 30 times during his 2,530 missions. He destroyed one battleship, one cruiser, one destroyer, 70 landing craft, 800 vehicles, 150 gun positions, 519 tanks and nine aircraft. His story is simply incredible.
Like so many successful soldiers during World War Two, Rudel showed a great aptitude for adventure, risk and daring from an early age. His first brush with injury came when he was just eight years old as he jumped off a roof with an opened umbrella in an attempt to fly. It earned him a broken leg, but that was small fry in comparison with what would come later on.
Rudel initially came to prominence within the Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG.2), flying Stuka dive bombers in blackout-inducing dives and at speeds that other men would never consider – but when he first joined the force his commanders thought he didn’t fit into the squad of men.
Continued at: http://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/hans-ulrich-rudel-flying-tank-buster-flew-2000-missions-killed-500_tanks_m.html
This guy was hell in the air, I think I saw one story that he was called something like Germany's best fighter and, oh, he did most of his damage over in the Soviet Union.
Yes, and as the first paragraph says, he was shot down many times, often behind enemy lines where I believe he escaped. I'd really have to read into his bio.
