Günther Rüdel was a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 general in the Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Biography

Günther Rüdel was born in Metz

Metz

Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...

, in Alsace-Lorraine

Alsace-Lorraine

The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...

, on November 15, 1883. Rüdel served as a captain during the World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, working for the Ministry of War

Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria)

The Ministry of War was a ministry for military affairs of the Kingdom of Bavaria, founded as Ministerium des Kriegswesens on October 1, 1808 by King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. It was located at Ludwigstraße in Munich...

. Günther Rüdel made a brilliant military career in the Reichswehr

Reichswehr

The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....

, then in the Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

. He attained the grade of Generalleutnant on April 1936, and General der Flakartillerie

General of the Artillery (Germany)

General of the artillery may mean:#a rank of general in the Imperial Army, Reichswehr or Wehrmacht - the second-highest regular rank below Generaloberst. Cavalry officers of equivalent rank were called general of the cavalry, and infantry officers of equivalent rank general of the infantry...

 on October 1937. Rüdel was assigned "Inspekteur der Flakartillerie" from 1938 to 1942. During the Second World War, Günther Rüdel attained the grade of Generaloberst on November 1942.

Dates of Ranks

• Fähnrich : 5 July 1902
• Leutnant : March 1904
• Oberleutnant : March 1912
• Hauptmann : 9 August 1915
• Commandant : 1 December 1923
• Oberstleutnant : 1 February 1929
• Oberst : 1 October 1934
• Generalleutnant : 1er April 1936 ;
• General der Flakartillerie : 1 October 1937
• Generaloberst : 1 November 1942

Medals and decorations

• Eisernes Kreuz (1914), I and II classes.
• Ritterkreuz des Königlichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern, mit Schwertern.
• Bayerischer Militärverdienstorden, mit Schwertern.
• Hanseatenkreuz Hamburg.
• Wilhelm-Ernst-Kriegskreuz
• Orden der Eisernen Krone mit der Kriegsdekoration.
• Österreichisches Militärverdienstkreuz mit der Kriegsdekoration.
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
• Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung, IV to I classes.
• Kriegsverdienstkreuz (1939), mit Schwertern, I and II classes.
• Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes, mit Schwertern
• Flak-Kampfabzeichen

Sources

• Rüdel, Günther on lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de

External links