The comparison to Micheal Wittman is really good too, because he was so very similar, my having read about him also. Well-explained ! - In being the only recipient of their highest award can only really be construed as being an 'ardent Nazi' and it appears that this was so - What I read from his book was that he was indeed 'a devoted warrior & very skilled'.

It all broadens the knowledge of Human Nature ~ Got to say tho', those Russians real flew low, low down.- Another one ready in the blocks now is about 'Soviet Airwomen in WW2 combat', and the Foreword is by John Ericson from University of Edinburgh, a man I highly respect, have often seen him in History Channel programmes, he is an esteemed authority on 'Conflicts'.

I also have an ancestor who flew & died flying Typhoons, I have read extensively on them and their Tempest collegues. I read Rudel's straight after I had finished an Il-2 Shturmovik pilot's story, 'Red Star against the Swastika' - Wow, quite a unique comparison of Ground-attack styles and that Russian 'grit yer teeth' style of war. He was the highest decorated of ALL German pilots, yet he didn't come over as a Nazi - I've also got Hanna Reitsch's book to get into sometime soon. It really bought into focus how fit & devoted to duty some become, I was impressed.

This is the uncensored edition first published by his friend the British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley in 1948, and includes maps and photographs.Yeah, I just finished it recently, a real good read. Hans Rudel remains a complex character, and arguably one of WW2's most heroic figures. Until his death in 1982 Hans Rudel remained a loyal supporter of Adolf Hitler, and he refused to denounce Hitler, or the Nazis, and believed that the war against Germany was created by powerful Jews and international finance. His flying record of over 2,500 missions remains unmatched by any pilot since. Shot down over 24 times, Hans Rudel is credited with destroying over 500 tanks, 2,000 ground targets, the Russian battleship Marat, two cruisers and a destroyer, and was so successful against Russian forces that Joseph Stalin put up a 100,000 rouble ransom on his head. Autobiography of WW2 Nazi pilot Hans Rudel the most highly decorated German serviceman of WW2, and the only one to be awarded the Third Reich's most prestigious medal which was specially created for Rudel by Hitler himself, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

Stuka pilot book