Hans Ulrich-Rudel was a German pilot in World War II who flew 2,530 combat missions at a time when most airmen failed to survive 25. He piloted primarily Stukas, which had powerful cannons but which were slow and unwieldy. He nonetheless destroyed 11 aircraft, 519 tanks, 4 armored trains, 70 landing craft, 150 artillery pieces, several bridges, over 1,000 trucks, 2 cruisers, 1 destroyer, and, with the assistance of another Stuka pilot, the Soviet battleship Marat. He was shot down 32 times by anti-aircraft fire, often behind enemy lines. In the middle of the war, one of his legs was shot off, but he continued to fly in combat.
The only German more decorated than Rudel was Herman Goering; however, Rudel was the only person ever to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with gold oak leaves, swords, and diamonds. Ironically, for nearly the first two years of the war, he was in a non-combat role because his superiors thought him to be a poor pilot.
After the war, Rudel went to Argentina and played tennis and climbed mountains while hobnobbing with the Perons and Joseph Mengele. He returned to Germany in 1953 and became a successful businessman until his death in 1982.
Purportedly, Rudel provided technical advice on the development of the American A-10 aircraft.
I wish I could tell you that Rudel was not a rabid Nazi and that he eventually had regrets about serving Hitler's agenda. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any evidence available which would support such assertions.
For further information about Hans Ulrich-Rudel, check out his biography at the Badass of the Week website. This site, which is one of my favorites, features extremely colorful accounts of extremely colorful people (or sometimes animals), both good and evil, doing extremely dangerous things without regard to personal safety. Be prepared, however, for a little profanity.
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