Horst Rudat

Horst Rudat
Born(1920-05-03)3 May 1920
Wirtkallen (now in Chernyakhovsky District), district Insterburg, East Prussia, Germany
Died31 August 1982(1982-08-31) (aged 62)
Laaber, West Germany
Military career
Allegiance Nazi Germany
West Germany
Branch
Luftwaffe
German Air Force
Service years
1945
1956–1980
Rank
Generalmajor
UnitsKG 55, KG 200
CommandsLTG 63
Conflicts
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Horst Rudat (3 May 1920 − 31 August 1982) was a general in the German Air Force. During World War II, he served in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany as a bomber pilot.

In the weeks following Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France, Rudat was tasked with the leadership of a task force in 2./Kampfgeschwader 101. The task force was experimenting with the Mistel, a Luftwaffe aircraft bombing system, based broadly on the parasite aircraft concept. Rudat led a formation of 4 Mistel aircraft against the invasion fleet of off Normandy in the night of 24/25 June 1944. HMS Nith, a British River-class frigate, was damaged killing nine of her crew.

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ According to Kaiser on 27 May 1942.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Ford 2000, pp. 50–51.
  2. 1 2 Kaiser 2011, p. 90.
  3. ↑ Patzwall 2008, p. 174.
  4. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 389.
  5. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 643.
  6. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 366.

Bibliography

  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Ford, Roger (2000). Germany's Secret Weapons in World War II. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 978-0-7603-0847-9.
  • Forsyth, Robert (2001). Mistel - German Composite Aircraft and Operations 1942-1945. Classic Publications Limited. ISBN 1-903223-09-1.
  • Kaiser, Jochen (2011). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger—Band 2 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Bomber Fliers—Volume 2] (in German and English). Bad Zwischenahn, Germany: Luftfahrtverlag-Start. ISBN 978-3-941437-09-8.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.