Rudel was to a Stuka as Hartmann was to a Bf109.
People have things that they are comfortable with, and add to that a good work ethic, and you end up with people that rise to the top of thier class.
Rudel flew a total of 2,350 combat missions and in those missions, he took out 2,000 targets. This includes 800 vehicles, 519 tanks, 150 artillery units, 11 confirmed aircraft kills (some argue 9), 4 armored trains, 70 assault boats, 1 destroyer, 2 Cruisers and a battleship. His tail-gunner may have also shot down one of the Soviet Union's top aces, Lev Shestakov, during an encounter.
He was also credited with innovating the 37 m/m cannon adaptation on the Stuka, the prototype being the Ju87D.
His service began in 1936, his first combat being in 1941 and last in 1945, having survived some of the most intense combat assignments of the war, he even had a bounty on his head placed by Joe Stalin (100,000 Rubles).
Even at war's end, flying a Fw190, he used it as ground attack more than a fighter.
His decorations read like a book, having some of the highest decorations Germany awarded, and he was wounded many times.
And years later, he was an advisor to the developement of the U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt...
Not bad for a guy who likes to blow stuff up, huh?
Linear Mode
