{"id":7037790,"date":"2026-07-24T10:08:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T10:09:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:09:01","slug":"hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/","title":{"rendered":"The Stuka Ace Who Wouldn&rsquo;t Stop"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<p>By any measure of raw combat output, Hans-Ulrich Rudel is one of the most extraordinary military pilots who ever lived. He flew 2,530 combat missions, was shot down some thirty times, lost a leg and kept fighting, and was decorated more than any other German serviceman of the Second World War.<\/p>\r\n<p>He was also an unrepentant Nazi to the end of his life, a man who spent his postwar decades helping war criminals escape justice. His story is a study in how remarkable skill and courage can sit alongside a thoroughly reprehensible cause.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><h3 style=\"padding-top:0;margin-top:0\">Kurzinfo<\/h3><ul style=\"margin:0;line-height:1.8\"><li><strong>Pilot:<\/strong> Hans-Ulrich Rudel (1916&ndash;1982), Luftwaffe Ju 87 Stuka pilot<\/li><li><strong>Missions:<\/strong> 2,530 combat sorties, overwhelmingly on the Eastern Front<\/li><li><strong>Credited with:<\/strong> 519 tanks, the Soviet battleship Marat, and hundreds of vehicles and guns<\/li><li><strong>Shot down:<\/strong> Around 30 times &mdash; almost always by ground fire<\/li><li><strong>Wounded:<\/strong> Right leg amputated below the knee in 1945; he flew again within weeks<\/li><li><strong>After the war:<\/strong> A committed, unrepentant Nazi who aided fugitive war criminals<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gPWeIgkznt4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The tank killer<\/h2>\r\n<p>Rudel made his name in the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, the gull-winged dive bomber that had terrorised Europe in 1940 and was, by the mid-war years, dangerously obsolete. Flying it low and slow over the Eastern Front, into massed Soviet anti-aircraft fire, was close to suicidal. Rudel did it thousands of times.<\/p>\r\n<p>German records credit him with destroying 519 tanks, along with a Soviet battleship, the Marat, which he crippled in a September 1941 attack, plus a cruiser, a destroyer and hundreds of vehicles and artillery pieces. Even allowing for the uncertainty of wartime claims, no other ground-attack pilot came close.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1867000837  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:3oLL.c7ac\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/ju-87-stukas-in-flight.jpg\" alt=\"Junkers Ju 87 Stukas in flight\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Ju 87 Stukas in flight. By the time Rudel was flying 2,500 missions in the type, it was already outdated and desperately vulnerable. Bundesarchiv \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The leg and the medal<\/h2>\r\n<p>In February 1945 a shell smashed his right leg, which was amputated below the knee. Most men would have finished the war in a hospital. Rudel was back in a cockpit within weeks, flying combat missions on a prosthetic leg.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=1483406705  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:do_k.c7ab\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/hans-ulrich-rudel.jpg\" alt=\"Hans-Ulrich Rudel\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Rudel was awarded a decoration created for him alone. His postwar politics make him one of history&rsquo;s most uncomfortable aviators. U.S. Army film still<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>His superiors ran out of medals to give him. In January 1945 he received the Knight&rsquo;s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds &mdash; a grade of the decoration created specifically for him, and awarded to no one else.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;The most decorated German serviceman of the Second World War.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>The historical record<\/strong> &mdash; on Rudel&rsquo;s wartime honours<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zZHCvPim0eA\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The part that is not heroic<\/h2>\r\n<p>Here the story turns. Rudel never renounced Nazism. After the war he fled to Argentina, became a fixture of neo-Nazi politics in both Latin America and West Germany, and founded the Kameradenwerk, a network that helped fugitive Nazi war criminals escape to South America and the Middle East. He remained, openly and proudly, what he had always been.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;A committed and unrepentant Nazi.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Historians&rsquo; verdict<\/strong> &mdash; on Rudel&rsquo;s postwar life<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>It is a genuinely difficult legacy. The RAF ace Douglas Bader, who had lost both his own legs, wrote a foreword to the English edition of Rudel&rsquo;s memoir, admiring the airmanship while making no excuse for the man&rsquo;s politics. That is about as far as anyone honest can go: Rudel&rsquo;s courage in the air was real, and so was the cause he served. Both facts belong in the same sentence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/54Eg_EDulC4\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p><em>Sources: War History Online; Wikipedia; Hans-Ulrich Rudel, &ldquo;Stuka Pilot&rdquo;. Combat totals are German wartime claims.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">\u00c4hnliche Beitr\u00e4ge<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/alexey-maresyev-the-soviet-pilot-who-flew-again-on-prosthetic-legs-migflug\/\">Alexey Maresyev: The Soviet Pilot Who Flew Again on Prosthetic Legs<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/adolf-galland-luftwaffe-ace-general-give-me-spitfires\/\">Adolf Galland: \u201cGebt mir eine Staffel Spitfires!\u201d<\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By any measure of raw combat output, Hans-Ulrich Rudel is one of the most extraordinary military pilots who ever lived. He flew 2,530 combat missions, was shot down some thirty times, lost a leg and kept fighting, and was decorated more than any other German serviceman of the Second World War. He was also an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7037586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7037790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hans-Ulrich Rudel: The Stuka Ace and Unrepentant Nazi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hans-Ulrich Rudel flew 2,530 missions, killed 519 tanks and lost a leg &mdash; then spent his life as an unrepentant Nazi. His extraordinary, troubling story.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hans-Ulrich Rudel: The Stuka Ace and Unrepentant Nazi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hans-Ulrich Rudel flew 2,530 missions, killed 519 tanks and lost a leg &mdash; then spent his life as an unrepentant Nazi. His extraordinary, troubling story.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T08:08:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T08:09:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:do_k.c7ab\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"725\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c\"},\"headline\":\"The Stuka Ace Who Wouldn&rsquo;t Stop\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T08:08:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-24T08:09:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":622,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/\",\"name\":\"Hans-Ulrich Rudel: The Stuka Ace and Unrepentant Nazi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T08:08:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-24T08:09:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Hans-Ulrich Rudel flew 2,530 missions, killed 519 tanks and lost a leg &mdash; then spent his life as an unrepentant Nazi. His extraordinary, troubling story.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":725,\"caption\":\"A Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, the type Rudel flew on the Eastern Front\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Stuka Ace Who Wouldn&rsquo;t Stop\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c\",\"name\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\"},\"description\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald writes MiGFlug\u2019s technical deep-dives \u2014 engines, avionics and weapons systems, with every number checked twice.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/de\\\/author\\\/maxgruenwald\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hans-Ulrich Rudel: The Stuka Ace and Unrepentant Nazi","description":"Hans-Ulrich Rudel flew 2,530 missions, killed 519 tanks and lost a leg &mdash; then spent his life as an unrepentant Nazi. His extraordinary, troubling story.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hans-Ulrich Rudel: The Stuka Ace and Unrepentant Nazi","og_description":"Hans-Ulrich Rudel flew 2,530 missions, killed 519 tanks and lost a leg &mdash; then spent his life as an unrepentant Nazi. His extraordinary, troubling story.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-24T08:08:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-24T08:09:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":725,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:do_k.c7ab\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/"},"author":{"name":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c"},"headline":"The Stuka Ace Who Wouldn&rsquo;t Stop","datePublished":"2026-07-24T08:08:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-24T08:09:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/"},"wordCount":622,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:do_k.c7ab\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/","name":"Hans-Ulrich Rudel: The Stuka Ace and Unrepentant Nazi","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:do_k.c7ab\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-24T08:08:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-24T08:09:01+00:00","description":"Hans-Ulrich Rudel flew 2,530 missions, killed 519 tanks and lost a leg &mdash; then spent his life as an unrepentant Nazi. His extraordinary, troubling story.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:do_k.c7ab\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:do_k.c7ab\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/junkers-ju-87-stuka-1941.jpg","width":1280,"height":725,"caption":"A Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, the type Rudel flew on the Eastern Front"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/hans-ulrich-rudel-stuka-ace-most-decorated\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Stuka Ace Who Wouldn&rsquo;t Stop"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner \u2013 MiGFlugs Magazin","description":"F\u00fcr alle, die sich f\u00fcr das Fliegen von Milit\u00e4rjets und verwandte Luftfahrtthemen interessieren.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c","name":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald"},"description":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald verfasst die technischen Detailanalysen f\u00fcr MiGFlug \u2013 Triebwerke, Avionik und Waffensysteme, wobei jede Zahl doppelt \u00fcberpr\u00fcft wird.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/author\/maxgruenwald\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7037790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7037893,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7037790\/revisions\/7037893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7037586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7037790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7037790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7037790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}