Original: $295.00
-70%$295.00
$88.50The Story
Original Items: One-of-a-kind. Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-NSDAP activist. The most decorated German pilot of the war and the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, Rudel claimed knocking out 519 tanks, one battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. There is no primary source backing his claims. He claimed nine aerial victories and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles. He flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively on the Eastern Front, usually flying the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber.
Rudel surrendered to US forces in 1945 and emigrated to Argentina. An unrepentant Member of the NSDAP, he helped fugitives escape to Latin America and the Middle East, and sheltered Josef Mengele, the former SS doctor at Auschwitz. He worked as an arms dealer to several right-wing regimes in South America, for which he was placed under observation by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
In the West German federal election of 1953, Rudel was the top candidate for the far-right German Reich Party but was not elected. After the 1955 military coup d'etat that deposed constitutional president Juan PerĂłn, Rudel moved to Paraguay, where he acted as a foreign representative for several German companies. He eventually retired and moved back to Germany, where there were several scandals linked to his involvement in some veteran reunions in the mid 1970s.
This 4 1/8" x 5 7/8" Photo Card is from right after that period, signed by Rudel and dated 20. 7. 79. at the bottom. It looks to have been signed with a ball point pen, and we can see the indentation of the roller in the photo. Rudel had suffered a stroke in 1970, so the writing is a bit messy, but conforms well to other autographs he gave during the late 1970s.
The photo itself shows Rudel in his Oberst uniform, with what looks to be the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds around his neck. It is in very good shape, though there is some paper or something similar stuck to the upper right corner, probably from when it was stored in an envelope. The back of the photo has his information noted in the corner, so we assume he had these made to sign at conventions or something similar:-
Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Oberst a. D.
Träger des nur einmal verliehenen
goldenen Eichenlaubs mit Schwertern
und Brillanten zum Ritterkreuz
des Eisernes Kreuzes
(Verleihdatum 1. 1. 1945)
This translates as follows:
Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Retired Colonel
Recipient of the Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded only once
(Award date: January 1, 1945)
A great piece of WWII Memorabilia.
Details & Craftsmanship
Every detail has been carefully considered to bring you the perfect product.
Details & Craftsmanship
Every detail has been carefully considered to bring you the perfect product.
Description
Original Items: One-of-a-kind. Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-NSDAP activist. The most decorated German pilot of the war and the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, Rudel claimed knocking out 519 tanks, one battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. There is no primary source backing his claims. He claimed nine aerial victories and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles. He flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively on the Eastern Front, usually flying the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber.
Rudel surrendered to US forces in 1945 and emigrated to Argentina. An unrepentant Member of the NSDAP, he helped fugitives escape to Latin America and the Middle East, and sheltered Josef Mengele, the former SS doctor at Auschwitz. He worked as an arms dealer to several right-wing regimes in South America, for which he was placed under observation by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
In the West German federal election of 1953, Rudel was the top candidate for the far-right German Reich Party but was not elected. After the 1955 military coup d'etat that deposed constitutional president Juan PerĂłn, Rudel moved to Paraguay, where he acted as a foreign representative for several German companies. He eventually retired and moved back to Germany, where there were several scandals linked to his involvement in some veteran reunions in the mid 1970s.
This 4 1/8" x 5 7/8" Photo Card is from right after that period, signed by Rudel and dated 20. 7. 79. at the bottom. It looks to have been signed with a ball point pen, and we can see the indentation of the roller in the photo. Rudel had suffered a stroke in 1970, so the writing is a bit messy, but conforms well to other autographs he gave during the late 1970s.
The photo itself shows Rudel in his Oberst uniform, with what looks to be the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds around his neck. It is in very good shape, though there is some paper or something similar stuck to the upper right corner, probably from when it was stored in an envelope. The back of the photo has his information noted in the corner, so we assume he had these made to sign at conventions or something similar:-
Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Oberst a. D.
Träger des nur einmal verliehenen
goldenen Eichenlaubs mit Schwertern
und Brillanten zum Ritterkreuz
des Eisernes Kreuzes
(Verleihdatum 1. 1. 1945)
This translates as follows:
Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Retired Colonel
Recipient of the Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded only once
(Award date: January 1, 1945)
A great piece of WWII Memorabilia.
