Rudel question

[Marc Garlasco]

All,

I just got some great DRAGON ARMOR tanks - the Carius and Wittmann limited editions. I noticed they have one for Rudel - but it is a FW-190D-9!? I always thought he was a Stuka-only guy. Dragon is known for authenticity - did they just blow the missionon this one?
Marc

[Ian Jewison]

According to this page at least he flew them!!!
http://www.pilotenbunker.de/Stuka/Rudel/rudel.html

However at the end of the war he surrendered in a Ju 87 G2
http://fw190.hobbyvista.com/kitzingen.htm

[Ian Jewison]

And here it is:

http://wald.heim.at/wienerwald/55016..._rudel_e.htm&1

[Marc Garlasco]

Thanks! This forum is the best! But he nails over 500 tanks and the model has him in the FW-190...oh well!
Marc

[Ian Jewison]

Maybe it was easier and cheaper to make than a Stuka!?!?!!?

Unless they are doing both!?

I just checked their webpage and there are 5 Stuka's and 17 Fw 190's...why they chose him as a Fw pilot got knows.....however they have already done a tank buster!

[Theodor]

Indeed he surrendered with the good old Stuka, he lead his men to surrender to the American forces and when landing they landed heavily the machines, thus breaking the wheels, not to give intact aircraft to the enemy
But indeed he also flew FW190, including the long-nose Dora. It was with the FW aircraft that he shot the 9 aircraft that are on his victory list.

[Wolffen]

Wow did not know that though he was stuka only guy!<O</O

Love this Forum you learn something new every day!

[WalterB]

Indeed he surrendered with the good old Stuka, he lead his men to surrender to the American forces and when landing they landed heavily the machines, thus breaking the wheels, not to give intact aircraft to the enemy
But indeed he also flew FW190, including the long-nose Dora. It was with the FW aircraft that he shot the 9 aircraft that are on his victory list.

Theodor, I believe that is incorrect. I remember reading his book "Stuka Pilot" and I recall him describing how he once shot down an enemy fighter using one cannon shell from his tank busting gun in his Ju87.

[Matt L]

Walter's right- here are some examples:

"On the tail of Kufner's aircraft, with Niermann aboard it, flies a Lag [sic] 5. I warn them and Niermann asks "Where?" He doesn't see it because the Lag [sic] has sneaked up from behind. Now it has already opened fire at close range. I had immediately turned back though without of much hope of getting there in time. In the nick of time I shoot him off their tail before he realizes what is happening." (Stuka Pilot, p.64)

Even more amazing is this action:

"With our slow Ju87s we always do our best to break up and chase away these IL II [sic] formations... I am circling around above because I am flying the cannon-carrying aircraft and have not yet succeeded in finding any tanks to attack. A [sic] IL II [sic] formation flies past diagonally ahead of us, 900 feet below on a S.E. course, escorted by Lags [sic] and Aircobras [sic]. My No. 2 is carrying bombs. I tell him that we are attacking the IL formation. We are already losing altitude. When I have got [sic] to within three hundred feet of them I see that I cannot gain on them any more and that the Iron Gustavs are again travelling faster than I am. ... It is a longish shot, but I get one of the ungainly birds into my sights and send off a round of anti-tank ammunition from each of my slow-firing cannons. The Gustav becomes a ball of flame and disintegrates into a rain of firey particles." (Stuka Pilot, p. 103)

Actually, Rudel wasn't the only pilot to shoot down a Soviet fighter with his Ju87:

"We are just flying over our front line when someone yells: "Fighters!" I can see them, a long distance away; they show no signs of attacking us. Jäckel turns around and takes issue with them. He shoots one of them down..." (Stuka Pilot, p.82)

Amazing- trying to use a Stuka as a fighter And I'm sure there are one or two other instances in the book of Rudel using his MG17s or MG151/20s to shoot down a Soviet fighter (I just quickly skimmed through and the three I quoted above were those that just caught my eye).

Matt

Stuka Pilot. Hans Ulrich Rudel. 1987, Noontide Press, Newport Beach, CA USA.

[WalterB]

Thank you, Matt It has been a while since I read that book. It is a great book!!

[Stirling]

New Smileys! oh, Joy!

So what was he doing switching to a long nosed 190? these aircraft were thorough bred fighters right? (unlike the short nosed fighter-bomber variants)

why did such a supurb ground attack pilot change to a fighter?
And is it true he lost part of one leg during the war and continued as a pilot?

Stirling

[Ian Jewison]

All the Stuka Geschwader's were redesignated Schlacth Geschwader in 1943, then they started being retraining with the FW 190, this took place 1943/44.....many of the older Ju 87's were given to the Nacht and Schlachtgruppe.

Not sure about the tank busters however........

/Ian

[WalterB]

And is it true he lost part of one leg during the war and continued as a pilot?

Stirling

Yes, absolutely true. The loss of his leg did not slow him down much, since he kept flying and fighting. Despite being a hardcore nazi, I do have to admire his resolve and courage. The man was very hardcore.

[Matt L]

He was hit by AA fire after making a couple of passes on a Stalin tank- his 13th of the day. He had just set it on fire with his last cannon round when he was hit. Interestingly, at the time he was flying with one leg in a cast!

The unit's Ju87Gs were kept- Rudel was actually out tank-hunting on 8. May before he got word of the surrender.

Matt

[Matt L]

So what was he doing switching to a long nosed 190? these aircraft were thorough bred fighters right? (unlike the short nosed fighter-bomber variants)
why did such a supurb ground attack pilot change to a fighter?

Rudel seems to have switched back-and-forth as he saw fit:

"One day at the beginning of September I am out early with my 3rd Squadron, the 2nd accompanying us as escort; I myself am tank-hunting in the Oitoz pass with an anti-tank aircraft. The situation up there does not look too pretty. I decide, therefore, to take off again as soon as we return in my FW190." (Stuka Pilot, p. 155)

Matt