Erich Rudorffer (born 1 November 1917 in Zwochau, Sachsen) is a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace, one of a handful who served with the Luftwaffe through the whole of World War II. He had a total of 222 victories, fighting in all the major German theaters of war, including ETO, MTO and the Eastern Front. During the war he flew more than 1000 combat missions, was engaged in aerial combat over 300 times, was shot down by flak and enemy fighters 16 times and had to take to his parachute 9 times. His 222 aerial victories include 58 heavily armoured Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft. He was also responsible for sinking a British submarine. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) Richthofen was a World War 2 Luftwaffe wing. ... Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7) Nowotny was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II and the first operational jet fighter wing in the world. ... Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54) Grün herz was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. ... Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) Richthofen was a World War 2 Luftwaffe wing. ... Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) Richthofen was a World War 2 Luftwaffe wing. ... Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7) Nowotny was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II and the first operational jet fighter wing in the world. ... Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54) Grün herz was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. ... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Bundeswehr, Germanys Armed Forces. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Delitzsch is a district in Saxony, Germany. ... The Kingdom of Saxony, lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Germany, finally being absorbed into the Weimar Republic in 1918. ... This or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Fighter Ace is an online multiplayer computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The European Theater of Operations, or ETO, was the term used by the United States in World War II to refer to most United States military activity in Europe north of the Mediterranean coast. ... This pages deals with the United States militarys Mediterranean Theater of Operations. ... Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky... Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift. ... The Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik (Russian: ) was a ground attack aircraft of World War II, and was produced by the Soviet Union in huge numbers; in combination with its successor, the Ilyushin Il-10, a total of 36,163 were built. ... This is a list of submarine classes of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. ...

Early life

Rudorffer was born in Zwochau/Sachsen. He flew for Lufthansa, until two months after the beginning of World War II all pilots were transferred to the Luftwaffe. In early 1940 Rudorffer was transferred to to Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen. Deutsche Lufthansa AG (ISIN: DE0008232125) (pronounced ) is the largest airline in Germany, and the second-largest in Europe (behind Air France-KLM, but before British Airways). ... Jagdgeschwader Nr. ...

World War II

Rudorffer got his first victory over a Curtiss Hawk 75, on 14 May 1940. He scored eight more times before the capitulation of France. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, and legend has him being pursued down Croydon High Street below rooftop level by a Hurricane. He achieved his nineteenth victory on 1 May 1941; he was then awarded the Ritterkreuz and appointed Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 2 the following month. By the end of December 1941 he had claimed 40 kills. The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also know as Curtiss Hawk Model 75, was a U.S.-built fighter aircraft of the 1930s. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (135th in leap years). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Czechoslovakia Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... Combatants United Kingdom Including combatants from:[1] Poland New Zealand Canada Czechoslovakia Belgium Australia South Africa France Ireland United States Jamaica Palestine Rhodesia Germany Including combatants from Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Strength 754 single-seat fighters 149 two-seat fighters 560 bombers 500 coastal 1,963 total... The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of Germany which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ...

In 1942 Rudorffer participated in Operation Cerberus (Channel Dash) and flew over the Allied landings at Dieppe in August 1942. After 45 victories in November 1942 his unit was transferred south to Sicily and later Tunisia. On 9 February 1943 Rudorffer defeated 8 British pilots during a 32-minute aerial battle, and collected his first with multiple victories. Again on 15 February he was victorious over 7 allied aircraft. Among his victories over North Africa are 10 Allied bombers. Operation Cerberus (German: Zerberus) was the name given to the escape during World War II of the Kriegsmarines ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Prinz Eugen and a number of smaller ships from Brest to ports in Germany and Denmark via the English Channel. ... Dieppe is the name of several places and events: Dieppe, France (pop. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tunisia Campaign was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the World War II, between forces of the German/Italian Axis, and allied forces consisting primarily of U.S., British and small numbers of Vichy French. ...

In July 1943 Hauptmann Rudorffer was appointed to command II./JG 54 on the Eastern Front. He achieved his first victory here on 7 August. Due to the experience gained by fighting the RAF he achieved incredible success. During his first sortie on 24 August 1943, 5 Soviet aircraft were downed in 4 minutes. On 11 October 1943 Erich Rudorffer wrote history when during 17 minutes he was victorious 13 times. Hauptmann (German: ) is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officers rank in the German Army. ... Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily), formed the official designation of the air force of the Soviet Union. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...

In the winter of 1944, Major Rudorffer was trained on the Messerschmitt Me 262 Jet fighter. In February 1945 he was recalled to command I./ JG 7. He scored twelve victories with the Me 262^[1], to bring his total to 222. The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (German: Swallow) was the worlds first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. ...

His tally included 136 on the Eastern Front, 26 in North Africa and 60 on the Western Front including 10 heavy bombers.

After the war

Erich Rudorffer started out flying DC-2 and DC-3 in Australia. Later on he worked for PAN AM. In the 1980s he returned to fly for Lufthansa. The Douglas DC-2 was a 14 seat, twin-propeller airliner produced by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. ... The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft, which revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747). ... Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991. ... Deutsche Lufthansa AG (ISIN: DE0008232125) (pronounced ) is the largest airline in Germany, and the second-largest in Europe (behind Air France-KLM, but before British Airways). ...

Rudorffer will be one of the characters in the upcoming Finnish war movie Tali-Ihantala 1944, which is scheduled for screening in September 2007. A Fw 190 is also participating, painted in the same markings as Rudorffer's aircraft in 1944.^[2] Tali-Ihantala 1944 is a film directed by Ã…ke Lindman, based on the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. ... Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in flight. ...

Awards

• Verwundetenabzeichen in Black
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1000"
• Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty (2. class)
• German Cross in Gold
• Eisernes Kreuz 2. and 1. Klasse (1940)
• Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern^[3]
  • Ritterkreuz (1 May 1941)
  • Eichenlaub (11 April 1944)
  • Schwerter (26 January 1945)

A black version of the Badge A silver version A gold version Wound Badge (Das Verwundetenabzeichen) is a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organisations (after March 1943 due to the increasing number of allied bombings — also for civilians). ... The Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe) was a Luftwaffe award established on February 27, 1940 by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Reich Minister of Aviation and Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe. ... The Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe (German: Frontflugspange) was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. ... There are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ... The German Cross (Deutsches Kreuz) was instituted by Adolf Hitler in 1942 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. ... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Bundeswehr, Germanys Armed Forces. ... The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of Germany which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ...

References

On 26 July 1944 Leutnant Alfred Schreiber shoots down a No 540 Sqn Mosquito PR XVI, a reconnaissance aircraft, while flying Me 262 A-1a WNr. ...

External links

• Jagdgeschwader 54
• Erich Rudorffer @ Aces of the Luftwaffe