Horst Rudat Explained

Horst Rudat
Birth Date:	3 May 1920
Birth Place:	Wirtkallen (now in Chernyakhovsky District), district Insterburg, East Prussia
Death Place:	Laaber, Germany
Allegiance:
Serviceyears:	1945 1956–1980
Rank:	Generalmajor
Commands:	LTG 63
Unit:	KG 55, KG 200
Battles:	World War II

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., a British, was damaged killing nine of her crew.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (9 August 1941)
  • 1st Class (7 September 1941)
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 1 June 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot
• German Cross in Gold on 27 July 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 3./Kampggeschwader 55
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 March 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 2./Kampggeschwader 55

References

Bibliography

• Book: Fellgiebel , Walther-Peer .

  de:Walther-Peer Fellgiebel

  . 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 . de . Friedberg, Germany . Podzun-Pallas . 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Book: Ford , Roger . 2000 . Germany's Secret Weapons in World War II . Zenith Imprint . 978-0-7603-0847-9.
• Forsyth, Robert (2001). Mistel - German Composite Aircraft and Operations 1942-1945. Classic Publications Limited. .
• Book: Kaiser , Jochen . 2011 . Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger—Band 2 . The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Bomber Fliers—Volume 2 . de, en . Bad Zwischenahn, Germany . Luftfahrtverlag-Start . 978-3-941437-09-8.
• Book: 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 . de . Norderstedt, Germany . Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall . 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Book: Patzwall . Klaus D. . 2008 . Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg . The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War . de . Norderstedt, Germany . Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall . 978-3-931533-08-3.
• Book: 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 . de . Jena, Germany . Scherzers Militaer-Verlag . 978-3-938845-17-2.