Some Field Marshall said about him: “Rudel alone is worth an entire division!” Over 500 tanks, over 50 aerial victories, a battleship and a cruiser, several other vehicles and ground units. This guy racked up some mad numbers, imagine having 100 pilots like him in your forces.
@@braydenferguson6429 - I read his book. One hell of a fighter and very lucky. Shot down many times. At least once behind Russian lines. But he was an admirer of Hitler to the bitter end.
The soviets wanted him to be charged with mass murder, on the base that he killed so many of them in war, that some smaller actual genocide and mass murder had less kills. Luckily for him, the US did not wanted this as a precedent.
Oberst Rudel lived in my hometown of Langkampfen near Kufstein (Tyrol), his widow still resides here. Some of the older villagers still know some stories about him. I saw him once when I was 9 years old, shortly before his death. A few things I can share: Regarding his capture: A late villager told me that Rudel once said to him, that he told the americans he would offer Stalin his help in developing the best aviation ground attack force the world has ever seen, if they turn him over. How serious he was about this statement and if Stalin would have taken on this offer is anyones guess. However the americans were very pragmatic towards former warcriminals (or highly decorated sodiers in his case) - as long as they got something from them, they would cover them and even pay them. Just look at the commander of the japanese Unit 731 - he and his staff where spared from any punishment, because they provided cheap and very useful information about biological warefare to the USA. The man Rudel: Altough it was said that he was T-total, he certainly wasn´t in the 70s anymore. My friends father and parttime taxidriver drove him home more then once, when he was intoxicated. He had a reputation for recless driving. The villagers said that he used to drive "as if flying a Stuka-attack".
I totally agree with Ichi of Unit 731, who killed Americans and people of other nations through the most cruel ways and was spared and used by American scientists and retiree as a school manager. And Pol Pot, who was protected by the Americans and the Chinese as a counter-power to the Vietnamese. Politics are disgusting!
I read his book "Stuka Pilot" many years ago in High School. Our school had a small store that sold pencils, pens, paper and such. It was sponsored by one of the history teachers who had been a WWII Marine, and he reserved enough space for a rack of paperback books. Most of them had to do with WWII, or at least military history, as well as a few "classics" that some teacher was sure to require a class to read. I was already a military geek so I spent a lot of money on those books. Thanks Mr. Mac.
@J A C If he was on the allies side best believe he would have documentary in his name and great honor. Despite the regime he was fighting for being unagreeable he was still a soldier and I good one at that, to that I still honor him
Cause it's captured with (back then) high end cameras on analog film. 35mm film has much higher resolution than the affordable digital cams of the 2000s
My Grandfather was at Kitzingen when Rudel landed , one of the things people don't talk about was how the US sent up a squadron of P47s to escort the group Rudel was leading. another thing when Rudel disembarked from his Stuka, he was saluted by some of the U.S pilots, None of the Englishmen saluted him.
Many Americans are of German descent, some even went to fight for Germany. It is possible that they had a double feeling about the whole war, also considering how Germans were discriminated against in the US because of the war. Your surname looks quite German too XD
Epic man. Was shot down 52 times and survived. Once, here in Argentina, in Córdoba, he was hiking miles away by himself and was bitten by a rattle snake... on his wooden leg, he later said "that russian flak gunner saved my life". And once, also in argentina, he was sking at the inauguration of a famous sking "runway" infront of many people, and after a bad move he lost his ski with the wooden foot, that drifted slowly away from him, he kept sking on the only foot he had. A couple of women passed out in the crowd seeing this, as they didnt know that he had one aputated. A true warrior. My eternal respects to this man.
Do you realize that this man was a commuter Nazi, and would not hesitate to throw bombs on your house and killing you just because you might not be of a not “right” race, nationality or whatever? He was was not just a soldier, he clearly knew what he did, and must have been punished for that. The fact that he could live normal life after that sends a wrong message.
@@PCQLJ those videos are full of those types, they think its beautiful and manly to show how they drool over those nazi guys, to them they are gods, the comments: one with more lavish and praising words than the other, the more they compliment more stupid and immature appears. they inflate the egos of nazis and criminals the same time they diminish themselves. it seems most humans need this: to praise men dont matter if they did or surported bad things, I think we are exception to this idiotic need.
519 tanks, as well as one battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. 51 aerial victories (earning flying ace status) and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles of all types. flew 2,530 ground-attack missions. Twice forced to land behind enemy lines due to ground fire. During his second forced landing he was unable to take off again after repairing the plane due to heavy mud keeping his stuka from achieving the necessary speed for take off. Forced to walk through Russian defenses to reach German lines, his wear abouts was eventually discovered and the Russians launched a search party to find him and his gunner/radio operator. Being hunted by Russian soldiers and dogs, they where forced to jump into an icy river and swim across, his gunner/radio man succumbing to the cold water and drowning. Rudel However made it back to German lines and returned to flying shortly thereafter. Hitler once said "If only I had more men like you!" If there was ever a man approaching mythical status during WW2 it would be Rudel. However its his unwillingness to repent of his Nazi beliefs that keeps his achievements from being celebrated or even talked about much.
Yes unwillingness to renounce Hitler meant prisoners of war would not be released - Eventually in the early 50's we released them anyway - As a trainee salemen I travelled for a week with Freddie Gesterman who had been an artillery spotter in the Waffen SS on the Russian front - He would direct artillery until his unit retreated out of range and then have to make his way through Russian lines which he said was easy because coming from behind they assumed he was one of them - The tricky bit was aproaching his own lines! - His artillery would smash Russian columns to peices but soon they would be replaced and they would get smashed and they were replaced and this would go on until out of range - He would dig a hole and another hole off from that so that if the Russians dropped in a grenade he was safe - He said when they did that it was really loud! - These young men on all sides were fighting for their cause they were all the good guys to themselves.
I don't think a man political beliefs take away from their achievements. There have been many bastards in history that are revered today, Rudel as far as i'm aware only harmed people in a time of war, it's not like he was running a camp and comitting mass murder. People today see the likes of Che Guevara or Fidel Castro as heroes when they were clearly guilty of crimes against humanity
Not to mention that he lost part of one leg which usually would have prevented him from flying again yet he took to the cockpit again to keep fighting.That takes courage.
@K H I'm pretty sure he means the Americans, not the Germans. And both the Americans and Germans had radar, but whether it was both deployed at that base and more crucially turned on during a ceremonial flyover after V-E Day, I doubt.
If you read about it you'll find that Americans took a lot of souvenirs. But the Russians took their lives. (The Germans took art and other collectables.)
@@ronj9448 Yes im pretty well up on WW2,and it's was still disrespectful taking peoples awards,It was really looked down on in the British and Commonwealth forces
Being a german/american I LOVE history, the good the bad and lessons learned from it. Your channel brings out the best in the things that I love. Facts and Knowledge and in some your videos your interesting point of view. Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into your 2 channels.
Politics aside, Rudel was one bad-ass combat pilot and warrior. 2,500+ combat missions? The 8th Air Force B-17 crews had to complete 25 missions to go home and let "their" war be over. On top of that, he put his perfectly good airplane down on enemy soil multiple times to save fellow downed air crews and was shot down himself several times behind enemy lines only to escape and go on to fly, and fight again. He got half his leg shot off and willingly went back to the eastern front to fly more combat missions with a stump that wasn't fully healed. Say what you will about politics but this man was a total bad ass warrior!!!
@Edward Easterling I've read many accounts of WWII and Vietnam pilots that knowingly flew into a bloodbath of enemy fire, but I've never heard of, or read of any pilot/warrior that flew anywhere near the shear number of combat missions (often multiple missions a day for years on end), and inflicted as much carnage on the enemy as Hans-Ulrich Rudel. As a direct result of the carnage he inflicted on the Soviets, a huge bounty was put on his life. That, speaks volumes. On top of that, when Hitler ordered him to no longer fly combat missions, Rudel defied Hitler's orders and returned to the Eastern Front out of love of his nation and commitment to the men he served with. And, he did it with a stump of a leg that had been shot off in combat and had not yet fully healed. I'm not, in any way, showing disrespect to any pilot, soldier or warrior that is ordered into combat. I'm simply pointing out the amazing life story of a truly heroic warrior that would have been a huge asset to any side he fought for. Rudel was, like any good and loyal soldier, following orders and that is why he was never tried for war crimes. But, the fact is, Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a total bad ass man, an extremely gifted pilot, fought fiercely for his country and those he served with and deserves to be recognized. Cheers.
Spot on!!! I've read his autobiography and would LOVE to see it made into a movie. I admire his dedication and loyalty to his comrades, love his mantra "only he is lost, that gives himself up for lost"
There's a bit of a difference between Rudel's missions and those of the 8th Air Force. The 8th went on day-long missions against major industrial targets that were heavily defended. Rudel's missions were against smaller targets with little if any air defense -- missions the men of the 8th would have called "milk runs.". 2500 is still an impressive number, but comparing it to the 8th Air Force is not apples and apples. Also, considering his loyalty to Hitler and his postwar activities, I believe he was much more of a fanatic than a warrior.
@Edward Easterling Just placed a hold on the book at my local library. If he was indeed as devoted to Hitler as this video purports and continued to support Nazi philosophies for years after the war, I'm not sure what he could have written that would make me believe he wasn't a fanatic. But I'll let him speak for himself and will read with an open mind. Will try to remember to reply back here afterwards. Thanks for the recommendation.
Here is a story of him : " On one reconnaissance mission, lost in thick fog and running low on fuel, Rudel felt his way down to a forced landing. Hentschel scouted a nearby road jammed with German truck traffic. “We taxi along the very broad highway as if we were driving a car,” Rudel recounted, “obeying the usual traffic regulations and allowing heavy lorries to pass….Many of them think they are seeing a ghost plane.” Nearly 25 miles along, surely some sort of taxi record, an overpass blocked the way. Leaving Hentschel to guard the plane, Rudel caught a ride to base and returned to take off when the weather lifted."
@Obe One You must be the champion of whataboutism. Yes, the fact other people and nations aren't angels doesn't excuse the far worse actions of nazi germany and the fact Rudel was a good pilot doesn't excuse his support for a racist, murderous, genocidal dictatorship long after the truth was out there and the war was over.
@@james_chatman He worked with the CIA which was a huge help because of his connections and because of the cold war raging. He a is a lot like, or was actually, a double agent. I'm sure a lot of the war criminals he helped were located because of his CIA connections who were watching (tapped lines and informants) him closely. The info he gave must have help the US a lot because the CIA obviously kept him on the payroll for a long time (and no unfortunate "accidental" death). Sorry, but the world isn't black and white, it's nuanced, which means the world is 7 billion shades of gray.
Thanks for having the courage to put this out, Dr. Felton. Due to his Nazi & neo nazi politics it seems people are staying away from covering his aviation history which is a shame cause it happened. Good, bad or indifferent; history needs to be studied for obvious reasons.
Considering that so many had-core communists from the USSR escaped their due punishment, we ought by this time not to stress out that some Nazis deserved a pass.
@@johnschuh8616 Looks liek nearly all Nazis expcept ~30 or so escaped the trial. I also haven't heard about an international trial on any of the USSR "communists" confronting their "crimes"
From the perspective of a team leader, he played his cards very well for both him and his crew. The american soldiers must have been utterly confused, seeing enemy aircrafrs flying over, crashlanding except one, and their officer walking past them and probably saluting them.
@@happycentury4288 lmao did she really? "Honeyy I need that new vacuum I saw in that commercial, it’s kinda expensive though so I’m gonna sell the last piece of honor you have left. Cya!“
Hitler planned to hand out 12 topmost military achievement medals to the 12 best soldiers of the Reich. These would have been issued after Germany's victory in the war. Although it never happened, Hitler, and many in the leadership, considered Rudel's achievements so over the top (and they had seen the propaganda value of it) that they had decided to issue it to him anyway. So, Hitler awarded the medal to him in late 44 (officially issued on the 1st of January 1945 it seems). Basically, he is the sole recipient of the twelve awards and consequently the most highly decorated German soldier of the Third Reich. I guess few have been to the places where this award grows.
You should consider producing a video on the “Ace of Aces”, Erich Hartmann. The sheer number of his kills, 352, is almost unbelievable and his post-war experience is the mirror opposite of Rudel’s.
Hartmann had much more reason to be nostalgic for the Nazi days than Rudel did: he spent 10 years in the Gulag after the war. Yet he also realized that Nazism was dead and successfully reintegrated himself into the democratic Luftwaffe to help his country as it stood. Rudel sneered at democracy, to be frank, and never expected West Germany to survive against Communism without the steely hand of fascism guiding them. He was wrong, and his bull-headedness ensured his legacy remained tarnished after the war.
It would be unbelievable if he achieved such score on the Western front. These guys were basically war criminals shooting at vastly outnumbered, outgunned and overpowered tanks and lone aerial units of inexperienced guys in the atmosphere of total air dominance, it was at times like the British gunning down hundreds of Zulus in colonial wars.
That Knights Cross with golden oak leaves medal, would really be something to see in person. I hope its safe in a museum somewhere. Its quite beautiful.
What a stark contrast to Erich Hartmann’s treatment by US forces, who immediately turned him over to the Soviets. I suspect we’ll be getting that story from Dr Felton at some point in the future as well.
@yesca jasta Patton could not keep his mouth shut and obey orders. He and Eisenhower were actually very good friends, and Ike saved him when when Marshal, Roosevelt and everybody else wanted to hang him out to dry.
@@Surv1ve_Thrive So, in your opinion the Americans should have just been the servants of the Soviets? Stalin certainly laughed at the British and the Americans and treated them as useful idiots throughout the war, but fortunately the Americans had a little bit more pride as a whole than in your wishes.
Rudel was respected not just for his flying skills but also for having none of the prima donna trait so common among other Luftwaffe pilots. He was forthright and honest enough to tell Hitler a proposed Stuka task force would not destroy the Oder bridges supplying the Soviet bridge head at Kustrin in March 1945. He was proved right. Ref: Max Hastings Armageddon
Thats true. In his Book wrote Rudel that he always could speak open and frankly with Hitler. As Rudel got the golden oak leaves on january 1, 1945 Hitler was outreaged about all the lackeys in his near whóre never told him the truth about the Military situation at all fronts. No wonder why he planned great attacks like the Battle of the bulge with a bitter outcome. The wehrmacht was already a shadow of itself.
Such a legendary pilot he was. His piloting skills, bravery, and determination were unique, wrote his name into aviation history with golden letters. He even published a book about his background. A remarkable career for a pilot, which any other could only dream of it.
I suppose he was something of a pioneer-- today it's pretty common, but I doubt there was nearly as much adaptive skiing in the 1960s. On the other hand, he was a Nazi, so we'd have been better off if he'd skied off a cliff.
51 Aerial victories 519 Tank kills 150 Artillery guns destroyed 1 Battleship sunk 1 Cruiser sunk 70 Landing craft destroyed with their cargo Rudel: And all I got was this lousy medal.
@@user-jd1hy9bg1d Hi Plugaru. I did not copy paste any comment, but simply feel that this video is so well made. I think its actually a useful comment rather than a useless comment, because I'm showing him appreciation of his work. There are so many crappy videos out there so when I see a great video I let them know.
In a country fighting a 6 year long world war with millions of authentic courageous heroes, Rudel was distinguished as the bravest among all braves...! An extraordinary character.
This guy is one of my ancestors and I can’t say I’m proud of his ideology and of what he fought for but he was an excellent fighter pilot and soldier. R.I.P
@@watching99134 He was just a bomber but he was incredibly brave. His bombers were shot down ca. 40 times, every single time he reached the German lines, even throught a very cold river, he shot down many fighters too, etc. Legend.
At 6:44 Rudel and his rear gunner, Ernst Gadermann. Gadermann was a medical doctor stationed on the Eastern Front at a Luftwaffe base. When Rudel's rear gunner was killed, Gadermann volunteered for the role, apparently he was the adventurous type and not lacking in courage. It was Gadermann who saved Rudel's life after his lower leg was shot off by placing a tourniquet on it after they crash landed behind Russian lines. Stalin had allegedly placed a bounty on Rudel's head and Gadermann helped him escape back to German lines. I think this is what earned him the Iron Cross. Gadermann survived the war and became a cardiologist and university lecturer. Ironically, especially after such a dangerous life during the war, he died of a heart attack on his way to give a lecture.
A low flight over a cemetery where the greatest Ace in history is being put to rest. Sure it was a training mission, no way it could have been anything else.
@Hugo Dahlström Bäckängsgymnasiet HU19L That's irrelevant. Unless he was guilty of war crimes he is considered a soldier and this soldier was not found guilty of that.
@IIcootabangII __ lol he would need more aliens and to repeat himself every 3 minutes to be on the history channel. The history channel goes out of it's way to not show anything factual
Anybody remember the English "Commando" war comics? It often told about the glorious deeds of "Battler Britton", an unbeatable/unbelivable ace pilot of the RAF. Without Battler Britton Britain would probably had lost the war! Afterwards, when I had read the memoirs of Rudel, I began thinking that Battler Britton was actually no else than Rudel himself, with only his name, nationality and uniform changed to better fit the British taste, as many of the stories were exact copies of what Rudel had done in actuality! :-)
@Kathleen Shaw The Walther model PP and PPK are .32ACP. If he carried a tiny little .25 then it was likely a Walther model 1,2,5,7,8, or 9. It could also have been an Ortgies chambered for .25acp, those were also very popular.
That was strange of him. He once was unable to take off again with his stuka from a muddy field (after thinking he just managed to save a downed German aircrew), captured by enemy soldiers for a few minutes...and barely managed to escape. If I was in his place, I would have chosen a 9mm Luger, Walther P-38 or a "Grandpa Mauser". If possible, and if it could be easily fit in Stuka cockpit, I could even have grabbed a MP-40 from Heer stores. In spite of the fact he was not an infantryman, I am sure Rudel would have been quite happy to find out there was a SMG in his cockpit the moment he realized his Stuka is steadfastly stuck on mire so far behind the Soviet lines.
The commentary was a beautiful tip-toe between respect for Rudel's skill and bravery, and loathing of his political ideology. This is something most people cannot accept in our new "enlightened" age. Well done.
Because trying to tip toe around it allows legit nazis to glorify what happened and play off monsters as cool noble knights. There's not a virtue in thinking a guy is cool while trying very hard to not notice all the innocent blood on his hands.
@Rabbi Bernstein There was absolutely NOTHING in the Nazi ideology that fought for "European preservation and freedom." They were a bunch of criminal mass murderers who enslaved millions, committed genocide and thought nothing of destroying culture and people of many nations. The fact you even think that shows a lower level of education and understanding of the whole debacle.
Probably should have mentioned the 500,000 roubles that Stalin put on his head as one of the reasons that he didn’t want to surrender to the Russians. Simply the best airforce pilot of all time.
My understanding was 500 000 roubles from books that I had read. After a bit more research it looks like there is some contention whether it’s 500,000 or 100,000 or if it really was a thing at all. So I guess this is the reason it wasn’t mentioned While he was an unrepentant Nazi, that in itself is not a war crime. There are no records of Hans-Ulrich performing any war crimes. His record after the war is not the best, supporting some of worst criminals. He would have been undoubtedly been a trophy for the Russians and would have been tried with war crimes in the same way that Eric Hartmann was.
Except those Soviet Rubles were near worthless (outside Soviet Russia)....It was illegal (punishable to death) to even hold foreign currency, forget about buying/importing foreign goods inside Russia and outside Russia, you pretty much couldn't buy anything with Soviet Rubles even though there was supposed to be an "exchange rate"..
Congratulations on your 100th birthday, Mr. Hugo Broch! 06.01.22 . He is the best fighter Pilot alive with 81 victorys. All the best and health! Or as we aviators say „Hals und Beinbruch " ! As far as I know, you are the last living fighter pilot with a knight's cross.
Is that supposedly a wise statement. He was an ardent Nazi who killed hundreds if not thousands of Allies and no doubt innocent civilians. He deserves to be despised, not quoted.
Wow, I didn't know he consulted on the A-10! The A-10 is, IMO, the best air to ground jet ever and still used in high numbers for the U.S. Air Force today.
There is some conjecture over this but what can't be disproved was his invitation to speak about anti tank warfare to the American top brass in 1976. There's a transcript of the event online.
@@rogerkay8603 yeah I was including that in "enormously interesting" so as not to turn this into a political thing and just keep it about planes. You...went a different way, but hey that's cool
In his memoirs Rudel tells that when the Americans threatened to hand him over to the Soviets, he told them that if they did that, he would teach his ground attack tactics to the Soviets for use against the Americans.
That sounds like bravado. Like a guy, after he surrenders rather than going out in a blaze of glory, he wants to have one more bad-ass act. I can't imagine US Intelligence Officers thinking for a second that they'd hand him over. He was just too valuable.
@Dimitrij Fedorov exactly. Unless he was building rockets, the Soviets had plenty of experience with their CAS aircraft like the IL-2 and YAK 9. They were all good on that front.
One of the first books I read on World War II from the German perspective was 'Stuka Pilot', by Hans-Ulrich Rudel. It was a cheap paperback edition I bought when I was a kid. On the cover was a JU-87 with two giant 37mm cannon under it's wings. It was irresistible and I had to pick it up. I went on to read it many times.
I think that I was in the 8th grade, when I first read Rudel's book "Stuka Pilot" (Ballantine Books, for 50 cents). Too bad that it is unlikely that a movie will ever be made about Rudel's wartime service! One interesting movie is "Stukas", which was made in Germany, in 1940, using actual Ju-87s. Three interesting books: "Stuka Pilot - Hans Ulrich Rudel", by Gunther Just "Memoirs of a Stuka Pilot", by Helmut Mahlke "Stuka - Ju-87", by Alex Vanags-Baginskis Helmut Mahlke flew Stukas over France, Britain, Crete, Malta, and North Africa, but was only briefly on the Eastern Front. Before the war, he trained to fly "navalized" Stukas from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.
Rudel took part in 1953 of the second ever expedition to reach the Llullaillaco volcano top in modern times, while residing in Argentina. Near the top is located the highest archeological site of the world, a ceremonial Inca place where three child mummies were discovered in 1999. A book by Rudel himself, "Von den Stukas zu den Anden", tells the story. Llullaillaco, on the Argentine-Chilean border, is 6700+ meters high; not a minor feat for a man to reach the top on just one leg. By the way Dr. Felton: Very interesting stuff regarding the surrender!
I am a historian, oilman, and a cowboy and I really enjoy the films by Mark Felton Productions. I have an extensive book collection and I find footage of events that I've read about and more. Thank you!
You Mr. Felton are truly "Mr. WWII History." You never fail to educate. However the question that I have concerning you is, "Do you have time for more routine matters such as eating, sleeping, walking the dog?" With your enormous output, the research, reviewing films/photos, production issues, one might surmise that you are actually a time traveler who lived what you present. Otherwise there are ten of you. All this to simply say that you are a top tier historian without peer. Thank you for your dedication and hard work.
No German soldier would have done such a theft ! If they did, and caught... severe punishment awaits ! Americans did it on many occasions, medals, jewelry , money , pistols, other weapons....such a disgraceful behaviour !
We need a movie about him. Not glorifying his ideas or values or even disparaging them. It just needs a movie. I also want to know more about the pilot who didn't hurt the woman in his cargo hold by crash landing.
Thank you Dr. Felton for your great channel. My father was a Wehrmacht Officer and rarely spoke of his experiences, especially never really spoke of what the end looked like. So thanks for these videos as it does fill in some holes for someone who asked a lot of "what did you do in the war?" questions of his father with very few answers.
You can criticise his beliefs and refusing to repent, as far as we know he didn’t do anything as what the Einsatzgruppen did, so it’s not really comparable.
One of the most amazing things about this video is the amount of interesting comments it's gathering, I love that people are helping to paint a much clearer picture of this guy. it is a treasure trove of information
"Man, the war is over, all I can do is surrender to the enemy, but before that let me blow few tanks first before I surrender to allied forces" This guy literally
“only he is lost who gives himself up for lost!” Stuka Pilot book. Published 1965 by Ballantine Books (first published 1948) by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Lynton Hudson (Translator) Now, my personal view: There are many similar 'principles' by survivors under impossible odds. To have the 'guts' to stand by your own personal convictions is rare. This is the making of our 'heroes' . The ones that died in battle, with the same convictions are our 'unsung heroes' and it is our duty to remember ALL of them.
Branner...A soldier is doing his duty for his country when he kills his enemy. Kill or be killed. A man loses his honor when he kills the innocent civilians!
Thanks Mark Felton! Absolutely fantastic, incomparable examinations of history -- I remember when they actually used to televise this type of content. Thanks again
So true. I don't watch television, for this reason. Channels like Mark Felton Productions are vastly superior to TV. Even in the old days when you could actually find historical programmes on TV, they tended to only cover the major incidents over and over. I don't recall seeing this level of quality, ever before. Perhaps we are living in a golden age.
@@Joewylie3 Myself, no. The Vrilya had to leave Aldebaran due to Domain incursion, and have made a new home somewhere on the other side of the Pleiades.
To be fair, at the time it is just a nother piece of mass-produced good, nothing special really...it's only decades later we think "what a shame, would have made a great museum piece." Like almost all major german warships that weren't sunk, most of the british battleship and battlecruiser fleet, etc. I know museum ships are expensive and all, but, I mean, how COULD the brits scrap the mighty Warspite, how COULD the german government resist buying back the SMS Goeben from the Turks? Come on...great losses.
@@jimdecamp7204 Patton would have easy pushed back the Soviets all the way back to Russia, but he was literally backstabbed, hit in an accident then finished off in a hospital. The wrong side won the war. Look up Victor Rothschild, head of the Cambridge Five Soviet spies, he pretty much owned Britain and the Bank of England.
My grandfather was an air force pilot of the argentine army. After years of service he became a comercial pilot for the national argentine airline. He was fond of the ¨air history¨ and would bring all sorts of stuff related to it from his trips to Europe and the USA. After his death in 2011, my mother saved numerous of my grandfather´s books, including the biography of Hans Ulrich Rudel, which a read with great amusement. After the war he escaped to Argentina and lived in Cordoba, where he could climb the Sierras and keep practicing his hoobie, sports, even though he lost a leg defending Romania from the soviets offensive in 1945, if im not wrong. Great video.
@@franma01 De Iure you're right. But let's be realistic here, Romania and Germany weren't allies. Romania was a puppet state of Germany. The Germans weren't defending Romania, they were defending themselves. Call a spade a spade, man.
@@ViktorVilicic there were german soldiers assigned in Romania, like there where in Italy and Africa. That doesnt mean the germans where defending Libya because the felt it belonged to them.
I read his book 'Stuka Pilot' and n the book says whenever the Russian ground troops sees a Stuka with a long barrel the almost called their entire Air force just to shoot him down.
I think at one point he also had a reward on his head. The soviets were doing that for high profile german soldiers. I believe Hartmann had a bounty on his head as well. At one point Hartmann had to respray his aircraft since no russian pilot would engage him and his kill ratio was getting lower. They always gave his colours to the rookie of the squadron as it was the safest plane.
@@adyrip13 yep, both had a bounty on them. Right, the russians all scrambled when seeing the "black tulip" painting on the Hartmann 109 cowling and each rookie wingman assigned to Hartmann, would get the black tulip BF 109, so the rookie could watch and learn from a safe place.
I also love the story of an ace German 109 pilot that successfully escorted an heavily damaged American b17 out of German airspace in France. B17 pilot even looked for the German pilot after the war. They were able to find the pilot and give their thanks for not shooting their damaged b17 down.
At his funeral 2 phantom-jets made a flight formation in the sky which builded a swastika with their trails. Then one phantom simulated a dive bomb towards his grave, waved it's wings, turned and flew away. Then 2 phantom-jets and one starfighter flew deep over the funeral and one of them turned away from the formation which means that a comrade has gone. It was a big scandal in the German media.
@@paullooney2522 Indeed, though it should be noted that German media was controlled before, during and after the war, albeit by diametrically opposing elements. That said, most all the world's nations had considerable propaganda components, often outwardly disclaiming so.
That is how I view Mark Felton PhD, is as an objective scholar and great educator. He manages to give all the info without bias in a manner consistent with great story telling, a hard feat when not manipulating the information for non-scholarly agendas. What a great mind and treat that he creates this content to share with us, I really must consider purchasing some of his authored written works.
I don't care what side that guy fought for. He was clearly an Intelligent person and good at what he did. I salute all the men that fought during the war it take brave men to do what they did. (Yes hate in me if you must) The War is over
Thank you for NOT glossing over Rudel's post-war life. Also, I'm surprised you didn't mention that Rudel took out a Russian ace on his tail by flying his Stuka right at the stall speed, causing the Russian to stall his own aircraft and crashing it fatally.
@my name is my name After looking through Wikipedias brief list of people who was HOTSU more than once it can only be Boris Safonov, unless ofcourse the list is incomplete :)
Some Field Marshall said about him: “Rudel alone is worth an entire division!” Over 500 tanks, over 50 aerial victories, a battleship and a cruiser, several other vehicles and ground units. This guy racked up some mad numbers, imagine having 100 pilots like him in your forces.
Except those ,kills..they were AMERICANS, or our allies..
@@jjthomas2297 Sometimes, you have to put aside partisan views and just respect that the man was a hell of a fighter.
@@jjthomas2297 Dude, it's war! He's IS the enemy, right, but that does not mean he is not a good fighter.
@@braydenferguson6429 - I read his book. One hell of a fighter and very lucky. Shot down many times. At least once behind Russian lines. But he was an admirer of Hitler to the bitter end.
The soviets wanted him to be charged with mass murder, on the base that he killed so many of them in war, that some smaller actual genocide and mass murder had less kills. Luckily for him, the US did not wanted this as a precedent.
Oberst Rudel lived in my hometown of Langkampfen near Kufstein (Tyrol), his widow still resides here. Some of the older villagers still know some stories about him. I saw him once when I was 9 years old, shortly before his death.
A few things I can share:
Regarding his capture:
A late villager told me that Rudel once said to him, that he told the americans he would offer Stalin his help in developing the best aviation ground attack force the world has ever seen, if they turn him over. How serious he was about this statement and if Stalin would have taken on this offer is anyones guess. However the americans were very pragmatic towards former warcriminals (or highly decorated sodiers in his case) - as long as they got something from them, they would cover them and even pay them. Just look at the commander of the japanese Unit 731 - he and his staff where spared from any punishment, because they provided cheap and very useful information about biological warefare to the USA.
The man Rudel:
Altough it was said that he was T-total, he certainly wasn´t in the 70s anymore. My friends father and parttime taxidriver drove him home more then once, when he was intoxicated.
He had a reputation for recless driving. The villagers said that he used to drive "as if flying a Stuka-attack".
nice. Thanks for sharing the stories.
I totally agree with Ichi of Unit 731, who killed Americans and people of other nations through the most cruel ways and was spared and used by American scientists and retiree as a school manager. And Pol Pot, who was protected by the Americans and the Chinese as a counter-power to the Vietnamese. Politics are disgusting!
Aluhut regelt diggi!
Nice story..
Drive car like stuka 😂😂
very cool!
That's a unbelievable life that would put even the most ambitious video game storyline to shame. The man deserves a movie.
I read his book "Stuka Pilot" many years ago in High School. Our school had a small store that sold pencils, pens, paper and such. It was sponsored by one of the history teachers who had been a WWII Marine, and he reserved enough space for a rack of paperback books. Most of them had to do with WWII, or at least military history, as well as a few "classics" that some teacher was sure to require a class to read. I was already a military geek so I spent a lot of money on those books. Thanks Mr. Mac.
As a guy, I've met many versions of this man. We're lucky.
Love or hate him, the guy was a real bad ass - if he was British or Yankee, there would have been several movies and awards made in his honor.
But he was a nazi 😛
@Arun Maha I think anyone with any sense, and any knowledge of history knows that the people of Germany had NO choice about joining the NSDAP!
@J A CSure along with Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt
@J A C If he was on the allies side best believe he would have documentary in his name and great honor. Despite the regime he was fighting for being unagreeable he was still a soldier and I good one at that, to that I still honor him
WildlandDonkey he was
Graphics still better than most of UFO footage nowadays.
UFO footage is always terrible. If it wasn't, you could tell what the object actually is.
And banks cctv
And Daniel Avidan’s face cam.
Cause it's captured with (back then) high end cameras on analog film. 35mm film has much higher resolution than the affordable digital cams of the 2000s
you mean quality
My Grandfather was at Kitzingen when Rudel landed , one of the things people don't talk about was how the US sent up a squadron of P47s to escort the group Rudel was leading. another thing when Rudel disembarked from his Stuka, he was saluted by some of the U.S pilots, None of the Englishmen saluted him.
Sore losers, lol.
I wouldnt salute either. It would be more easy for me to steal his medals. judge me I dont care, its a fkn diehard nazi, so more than justified.
Many Americans are of German descent, some even went to fight for Germany. It is possible that they had a double feeling about the whole war, also considering how Germans were discriminated against in the US because of the war.
Your surname looks quite German too XD
Quite right too. Nazi and post war neonazi
Americans didn't have to experience the Blitz, and the V1 and V2 terror bombings.
Epic man. Was shot down 52 times and survived. Once, here in Argentina, in Córdoba, he was hiking miles away by himself and was bitten by a rattle snake... on his wooden leg, he later said "that russian flak gunner saved my life". And once, also in argentina, he was sking at the inauguration of a famous sking "runway" infront of many people, and after a bad move he lost his ski with the wooden foot, that drifted slowly away from him, he kept sking on the only foot he had. A couple of women passed out in the crowd seeing this, as they didnt know that he had one aputated. A true warrior. My eternal respects to this man.
Do you realize that this man was a commuter Nazi, and would not hesitate to throw bombs on your house and killing you just because you might not be of a not “right” race, nationality or whatever? He was was not just a soldier, he clearly knew what he did, and must have been punished for that. The fact that he could live normal life after that sends a wrong message.
Actually I believe he was "only" shot down 32 times. Lol.
That's great. Eternal respect for a non- repentant Nazi. Priceless...
@@PCQLJ those videos are full of those types, they think its beautiful and manly to show how they drool over those nazi guys, to them they are gods, the comments: one with more lavish and praising words than the other, the more they compliment more stupid and immature appears. they inflate the egos of nazis and criminals the same time they diminish themselves.
it seems most humans need this: to praise men dont matter if they did or surported bad things, I think we are exception to this idiotic need.
@@PCQLJ ''That's great. Eternal res-ACK!''
519 tanks, as well as one battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. 51 aerial victories (earning flying ace status) and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles of all types. flew 2,530 ground-attack missions. Twice forced to land behind enemy lines due to ground fire. During his second forced landing he was unable to take off again after repairing the plane due to heavy mud keeping his stuka from achieving the necessary speed for take off. Forced to walk through Russian defenses to reach German lines, his wear abouts was eventually discovered and the Russians launched a search party to find him and his gunner/radio operator. Being hunted by Russian soldiers and dogs, they where forced to jump into an icy river and swim across, his gunner/radio man succumbing to the cold water and drowning. Rudel However made it back to German lines and returned to flying shortly thereafter. Hitler once said "If only I had more men like you!" If there was ever a man approaching mythical status during WW2 it would be Rudel. However its his unwillingness to repent of his Nazi beliefs that keeps his achievements from being celebrated or even talked about much.
Yes unwillingness to renounce Hitler meant prisoners of war would not be released - Eventually in the early 50's we released them anyway - As a trainee salemen I travelled for a week with Freddie Gesterman who had been an artillery spotter in the Waffen SS on the Russian front - He would direct artillery until his unit retreated out of range and then have to make his way through Russian lines which he said was easy because coming from behind they assumed he was one of them - The tricky bit was aproaching his own lines! - His artillery would smash Russian columns to peices but soon they would be replaced and they would get smashed and they were replaced and this would go on until out of range - He would dig a hole and another hole off from that so that if the Russians dropped in a grenade he was safe - He said when they did that it was really loud! - These young men on all sides were fighting for their cause they were all the good guys to themselves.
I don't think a man political beliefs take away from their achievements. There have been many bastards in history that are revered today, Rudel as far as i'm aware only harmed people in a time of war, it's not like he was running a camp and comitting mass murder. People today see the likes of Che Guevara or Fidel Castro as heroes when they were clearly guilty of crimes against humanity
Not to mention that he lost part of one leg which usually would have prevented him from flying again yet he took to the cockpit again to keep fighting.That takes courage.
achievements = MURDER
@@mrcaboosevg6089 The people who see Che Guevara or Fidel Castro probably don't want to look into what they did...
"the sight of the stuka caused enourmous disquiet" what a great way to say panic
37mm I'd be terrified tbh, they didnt have radar ?
@@geiiger No they didn't, the british developed that before the germans, helping them to win the battle of Britain.
Brits are always more articulate. Love it.
@K H I'm pretty sure he means the Americans, not the Germans. And both the Americans and Germans had radar, but whether it was both deployed at that base and more crucially turned on during a ceremonial flyover after V-E Day, I doubt.
@@4600norm I'm pretty sure the germans hadn't developed the radar until after the Battle of Britain had been won by the british, but I could be wrong.
I always thought it was a dishonorable thing to take medals from people,even your enemy
I agree, how disrespectful. I’m glad that he stood his ground.
If you read about it you'll find that Americans took a lot of souvenirs. But the Russians took their lives. (The Germans took art and other collectables.)
@@ronj9448 Yes im pretty well up on WW2,and it's was still disrespectful taking peoples awards,It was really looked down on in the British and Commonwealth forces
It only work if your enemy is honorable.
*yes, i'm sure the germans equally respected their enemy's veterans and aces as well...
Being a german/american I LOVE history, the good the bad and lessons learned from it. Your channel brings out the best in the things that I love. Facts and
Knowledge and in some your videos your interesting point of view. Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into your 2 channels.
Politics aside, Rudel was one bad-ass combat pilot and warrior. 2,500+ combat missions? The 8th Air Force B-17 crews had to complete 25 missions to go home and let "their" war be over. On top of that, he put his perfectly good airplane down on enemy soil multiple times to save fellow downed air crews and was shot down himself several times behind enemy lines only to escape and go on to fly, and fight again. He got half his leg shot off and willingly went back to the eastern front to fly more combat missions with a stump that wasn't fully healed. Say what you will about politics but this man was a total bad ass warrior!!!
@Edward Easterling I've read many accounts of WWII and Vietnam pilots that knowingly flew into a bloodbath of enemy fire, but I've never heard of, or read of any pilot/warrior that flew anywhere near the shear number of combat missions (often multiple missions a day for years on end), and inflicted as much carnage on the enemy as Hans-Ulrich Rudel. As a direct result of the carnage he inflicted on the Soviets, a huge bounty was put on his life. That, speaks volumes. On top of that, when Hitler ordered him to no longer fly combat missions, Rudel defied Hitler's orders and returned to the Eastern Front out of love of his nation and commitment to the men he served with. And, he did it with a stump of a leg that had been shot off in combat and had not yet fully healed. I'm not, in any way, showing disrespect to any pilot, soldier or warrior that is ordered into combat. I'm simply pointing out the amazing life story of a truly heroic warrior that would have been a huge asset to any side he fought for. Rudel was, like any good and loyal soldier, following orders and that is why he was never tried for war crimes. But, the fact is, Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a total bad ass man, an extremely gifted pilot, fought fiercely for his country and those he served with and deserves to be recognized. Cheers.
Spot on!!! I've read his autobiography and would LOVE to see it made into a movie. I admire his dedication and loyalty to his comrades, love his mantra "only he is lost, that gives himself up for lost"
@Edward Easterling Likewise.
There's a bit of a difference between Rudel's missions and those of the 8th Air Force. The 8th went on day-long missions against major industrial targets that were heavily defended. Rudel's missions were against smaller targets with little if any air defense -- missions the men of the 8th would have called "milk runs.". 2500 is still an impressive number, but comparing it to the 8th Air Force is not apples and apples.
Also, considering his loyalty to Hitler and his postwar activities, I believe he was much more of a fanatic than a warrior.
@Edward Easterling Just placed a hold on the book at my local library. If he was indeed as devoted to Hitler as this video purports and continued to support Nazi philosophies for years after the war, I'm not sure what he could have written that would make me believe he wasn't a fanatic. But I'll let him speak for himself and will read with an open mind. Will try to remember to reply back here afterwards. Thanks for the recommendation.
Here is a story of him : " On one reconnaissance mission, lost in thick fog and running low on fuel, Rudel felt his way down to a forced landing. Hentschel scouted a nearby road jammed with German truck traffic. “We taxi along the very broad highway as if we were driving a car,” Rudel recounted, “obeying the usual traffic regulations and allowing heavy lorries to pass….Many of them think they are seeing a ghost plane.” Nearly 25 miles along, surely some sort of taxi record, an overpass blocked the way. Leaving Hentschel to guard the plane, Rudel caught a ride to base and returned to take off when the weather lifted."
Imagine the looks of the lorry drivers when they see a Stuka casually taxiing/driving along the road along with their trucks
Obe One A true hero? A man of honor? What are you talking about? Somebody that has been helping mass murderers evade justice is no hero.
@@james_chatman You're just mad because you know too much about ww2, to know that you weren't the heroes that you are portayed as.
@Obe One You must be the champion of whataboutism. Yes, the fact other people and nations aren't angels doesn't excuse the far worse actions of nazi germany and the fact Rudel was a good pilot doesn't excuse his support for a racist, murderous, genocidal dictatorship long after the truth was out there and the war was over.
@@james_chatman He worked with the CIA which was a huge help because of his connections and because of the cold war raging. He a is a lot like, or was actually, a double agent. I'm sure a lot of the war criminals he helped were located because of his CIA connections who were watching (tapped lines and informants) him closely. The info he gave must have help the US a lot because the CIA obviously kept him on the payroll for a long time (and no unfortunate "accidental" death). Sorry, but the world isn't black and white, it's nuanced, which means the world is 7 billion shades of gray.
Thanks for having the courage to put this out, Dr. Felton. Due to his Nazi & neo nazi politics it seems people are staying away from covering his aviation history which is a shame cause it happened. Good, bad or indifferent; history needs to be studied for obvious reasons.
Considering that so many had-core communists from the USSR escaped their due punishment, we ought by this time not to stress out that some Nazis deserved a pass.
@@johnschuh8616 I agree
@@johnschuh8616 Looks liek nearly all Nazis expcept ~30 or so escaped the trial. I also haven't heard about an international trial on any of the USSR "communists" confronting their "crimes"
Here, here.
@@johnschuh8616 Absolutely.
From the perspective of a team leader, he played his cards very well for both him and his crew.
The american soldiers must have been utterly confused, seeing enemy aircrafrs flying over, crashlanding except one, and their officer walking past them and probably saluting them.
I like how the narrator said " married 3 times, Rudel died of a stroke on the 18th December.." as if that was the cause for his stroke. lmao
Probably was.
I was married only once and can confirm, 3 would have been more than any man can handle
@@Jay-Niner thats what she siad
one of his wives sold his knights cross medal, so its probably not far off
@@happycentury4288 lmao did she really? "Honeyy I need that new vacuum I saw in that commercial, it’s kinda expensive though so I’m gonna sell the last piece of honor you have left. Cya!“
Hitler planned to hand out 12 topmost military achievement medals to the 12 best soldiers of the Reich. These would have been issued after Germany's victory in the war. Although it never happened, Hitler, and many in the leadership, considered Rudel's achievements so over the top (and they had seen the propaganda value of it) that they had decided to issue it to him anyway. So, Hitler awarded the medal to him in late 44 (officially issued on the 1st of January 1945 it seems). Basically, he is the sole recipient of the twelve awards and consequently the most highly decorated German soldier of the Third Reich. I guess few have been to the places where this award grows.
TIL. TY.
He protected the people who were taking turns throwing live children into ovens and pleasuring themselves in a corner.
@@GravityXheavy IDF?
@@RasPutintheGreat Neighborhood watch special forces.
Ras Putin definitely IDF.
You should consider producing a video on the “Ace of Aces”, Erich Hartmann. The sheer number of his kills, 352, is almost unbelievable and his post-war experience is the mirror opposite of Rudel’s.
Hartmann had much more reason to be nostalgic for the Nazi days than Rudel did: he spent 10 years in the Gulag after the war. Yet he also realized that Nazism was dead and successfully reintegrated himself into the democratic Luftwaffe to help his country as it stood. Rudel sneered at democracy, to be frank, and never expected West Germany to survive against Communism without the steely hand of fascism guiding them. He was wrong, and his bull-headedness ensured his legacy remained tarnished after the war.
@@jasoncarswell7458 Not tarnished to many people and look at where Europe is headed now
@@jasoncarswell7458 There are many who would question that Germany did survive. Perhaps from a geographic or economic perspective, it’s still there.
@@TheNugler Erh..where are WE going?
It would be unbelievable if he achieved such score on the Western front. These guys were basically war criminals shooting at vastly outnumbered, outgunned and overpowered tanks and lone aerial units of inexperienced guys in the atmosphere of total air dominance, it was at times like the British gunning down hundreds of Zulus in colonial wars.
That Knights Cross with golden oak leaves medal, would really be something to see in person. I hope its safe in a museum somewhere. Its quite beautiful.
What a stark contrast to Erich Hartmann’s treatment by US forces, who immediately turned him over to the Soviets. I suspect we’ll be getting that story from Dr Felton at some point in the future as well.
Yep, then Hartmann spent the next 10 years of his life in GULAG.
@yesca jasta Patton could not keep his mouth shut and obey orders. He and Eisenhower were actually very good friends, and Ike saved him when when Marshal, Roosevelt and everybody else wanted to hang him out to dry.
It really depends on the attitude of the American's they surrendered to.
Rudel got lucky, Hartmann didn't.
Was that not in accordance with the Yalta agreement?
@@Surv1ve_Thrive So, in your opinion the Americans should have just been the servants of the Soviets? Stalin certainly laughed at the British and the Americans and treated them as useful idiots throughout the war, but fortunately the Americans had a little bit more pride as a whole than in your wishes.
Rudel was respected not just for his flying skills but also for having none of the prima donna trait so common among other Luftwaffe pilots. He was forthright and honest enough to tell Hitler a proposed Stuka task force would not destroy the Oder bridges supplying the Soviet bridge head at Kustrin in March 1945. He was proved right.
Ref: Max Hastings Armageddon
Thats true. In his Book wrote Rudel that he always could speak open and frankly with Hitler. As Rudel got the golden oak leaves on january 1, 1945 Hitler was outreaged about all the lackeys in his near whóre never told him the truth about the Military situation at all fronts. No wonder why he planned great attacks like the Battle of the bulge with a bitter outcome. The wehrmacht was already a shadow of itself.
@Matt Horkan And the greatest pilot the world had ever seen.
He was like a member of the German knighthood dropped into WW2, with all the aristocratic tendencies lol
Which pilots were prima donnas?
@Matt Horkan there is no German soldiers aren't nazis trope.Most followed Nazi orders with no problem until they lost.
Such a legendary pilot he was. His piloting skills, bravery, and determination were unique, wrote his name into aviation history with golden letters. He even published a book about his background. A remarkable career for a pilot, which any other could only dream of it.
yeah, but his politics were bad news. and he died a Nazi too. Toxic masculinity through and through.
He was a nazi.
There were 5 men in each of those tanks. That might be something to consider while you’re glorifying Rudel.
@@charlesjames1442Tbf, those were _Soviet_ tanks.
@@septimiusseverus343 : Yeah, I know.
Remained an expert skier and mountain climber as an amputee. That's badass.
I suppose he was something of a pioneer-- today it's pretty common, but I doubt there was nearly as much adaptive skiing in the 1960s.
On the other hand, he was a Nazi, so we'd have been better off if he'd skied off a cliff.
@@DarklordZagarna If he skied off a cliff, Rudel would have probably landed it and kept going.
51 Aerial victories
519 Tank kills
150 Artillery guns destroyed
1 Battleship sunk
1 Cruiser sunk
70 Landing craft destroyed with their cargo
Rudel: And all I got was this lousy medal.
9 confirmed aerial victories, not 51.
@@mebsrea I wasn't there to keep track and THAT's a problem for you? Just 9? Yeah forget the rest
Richtig Lausig
@@mebsreathat must be your war thunder score not his
@@ghostttriddder XD
Can we just appreciate the time and dedication this man has put into this amazing video?
Musique
WE ARE ALREADY appreciating it by watching it !! Stop copy paste useless comments.
@@user-jd1hy9bg1d Hi Plugaru. I did not copy paste any comment, but simply feel that this video is so well made. I think its actually a useful comment rather than a useless comment, because I'm showing him appreciation of his work. There are so many crappy videos out there so when I see a great video I let them know.
@@user-jd1hy9bg1d I bet you’re fun at parties. What does the C in your name stand for I wonder??!
@@maxbean8781 actually C stands for stupid, ignorant, attached to Past, which I am, maybe it's time I step my game up :)
In a country fighting a 6 year long world war with millions of authentic courageous heroes, Rudel was distinguished as the bravest among all braves...! An extraordinary character.
...and an antisemitic shitflake .
This guy is one of my ancestors and I can’t say I’m proud of his ideology and of what he fought for but he was an excellent fighter pilot and soldier. R.I.P
Be proud of him!
He wasn't first and foremost a "fighter pilot" or soldier (he flew dive bombers and ground support aircraft).
@@watching99134 He was just a bomber but he was incredibly brave. His bombers were shot down ca. 40 times, every single time he reached the German lines, even throught a very cold river, he shot down many fighters too, etc. Legend.
He lived in a bubble. How many millions do that in the knowledge of history repeating itself?
Watch europa the last battle and the greatest story never told, i would be very proud….
At 6:44 Rudel and his rear gunner, Ernst Gadermann. Gadermann was a medical doctor stationed on the Eastern Front at a Luftwaffe base. When Rudel's rear gunner was killed, Gadermann volunteered for the role, apparently he was the adventurous type and not lacking in courage. It was Gadermann who saved Rudel's life after his lower leg was shot off by placing a tourniquet on it after they crash landed behind Russian lines. Stalin had allegedly placed a bounty on Rudel's head and Gadermann helped him escape back to German lines. I think this is what earned him the Iron Cross. Gadermann survived the war and became a cardiologist and university lecturer. Ironically, especially after such a dangerous life during the war, he died of a heart attack on his way to give a lecture.
A nazi, but a badass nonetheless
Thanks, that's a really interesting but of history. Love hearing about people's life stories👍
How was dying of a heart attack ironic?
Shelby Seelbach
Because he was a heart specialist teaching other doctors.
I don’t know but he probably ate a lot of greasy sausages and chain smoked
@@shelbyseelbach9568 Are you American?
Hans doesn't look like a defeated man. He surrendered, but he did it in a gallant fashion and wit his medals!
Mmmmm....yes, typical arrogant German, same sort of facial expression as Werner Braun or Michael Schumacher for that matter.
@@staceygrove5976 Let's not be racist.
A true ace!
Once surrendering those medals are just pieces of medals,
JeanClaude Clemenceau oh wow someone watch’s granny Antique roadshow
Thank you Mr. Felton for taking the trouble to provide such amazing documentaries as these.
This is one of my favorites of all of Mark Felton's documentaries.
A low flight over a cemetery where the greatest Ace in history is being put to rest. Sure it was a training mission, no way it could have been anything else.
Øystein A. Right
Training to pay respects. F.
It just went over thier heads, thats all, guys!
@Hugo Dahlström Bäckängsgymnasiet HU19L That's irrelevant. Unless he was guilty of war crimes he is considered a soldier and this soldier was not found guilty of that.
A well deserved fly-by.
Dude you need a series on history ch where they are actually talking about history you re the best
The history channel of today is not worthy of him.
He sounds just like the guy from “WW2 In Colour”
Support his channel via PayPal,dont just kiss his ass.
@IIcootabangII __ lol he would need more aliens and to repeat himself every 3 minutes to be on the history channel. The history channel goes out of it's way to not show anything factual
IIcootabangII __ History on the History Channel. That’s crazy talk we need shows about how they forge knives and all the ridiculous issues.
Anybody remember the English "Commando" war comics? It often told about the glorious deeds of "Battler Britton", an unbeatable/unbelivable ace pilot of the RAF. Without Battler Britton Britain would probably had lost the war! Afterwards, when I had read the memoirs of Rudel, I began thinking that Battler Britton was actually no else than Rudel himself, with only his name, nationality and uniform changed to better fit the British taste, as many of the stories were exact copies of what Rudel had done in actuality! :-)
Mark, Thank you for your work preserving history in these concisely summarized videos.
In an interview he was asked why he only carried a .25 automatic on his person in battle. He said, "I've never been a pessimist.".
I like his confidence
@Kathleen Shaw The Walther model PP and PPK are .32ACP.
If he carried a tiny little .25 then it was likely a Walther model 1,2,5,7,8, or 9.
It could also have been an Ortgies chambered for .25acp, those were also very popular.
Legit funny
That was strange of him. He once was unable to take off again with his stuka from a muddy field (after thinking he just managed to save a downed German aircrew), captured by enemy soldiers for a few minutes...and barely managed to escape. If I was in his place, I would have chosen a 9mm Luger, Walther P-38 or a "Grandpa Mauser". If possible, and if it could be easily fit in Stuka cockpit, I could even have grabbed a MP-40 from Heer stores. In spite of the fact he was not an infantryman, I am sure Rudel would have been quite happy to find out there was a SMG in his cockpit the moment he realized his Stuka is steadfastly stuck on mire so far behind the Soviet lines.
The purported statement is in negative form. Always been an optimist would be the positive. Irony.
The commentary was a beautiful tip-toe between respect for Rudel's skill and bravery, and loathing of his political ideology. This is something most people cannot accept in our new "enlightened" age. Well done.
Because trying to tip toe around it allows legit nazis to glorify what happened and play off monsters as cool noble knights. There's not a virtue in thinking a guy is cool while trying very hard to not notice all the innocent blood on his hands.
@Rabbi Bernstein There was absolutely NOTHING in the Nazi ideology that fought for "European preservation and freedom." They were a bunch of criminal mass murderers who enslaved millions, committed genocide and thought nothing of destroying culture and people of many nations. The fact you even think that shows a lower level of education and understanding of the whole debacle.
@Rabbi Bernstein very true. I hope a new Austrian Leader rises soon.
@@ashfox7498 That is absolutely right.
@@ashfox7498 same with our guys... It's not black and white.
Mark you are a great teacher of history. Thank you for your work.
Great video, Mark! I've learned more about WWII from you than any teacher either in HS or college.
Probably should have mentioned the 500,000 roubles that Stalin put on his head as one of the reasons that he didn’t want to surrender to the Russians. Simply the best airforce pilot of all time.
My understanding was 500 000 roubles from books that I had read. After a bit more research it looks like there is some contention whether it’s 500,000 or 100,000 or if it really was a thing at all. So I guess this is the reason it wasn’t mentioned
While he was an unrepentant Nazi, that in itself is not a war crime. There are no records of Hans-Ulrich performing any war crimes. His record after the war is not the best, supporting some of worst criminals. He would have been undoubtedly been a trophy for the Russians and would have been tried with war crimes in the same way that Eric Hartmann was.
Even better than the Red Baron ?
Except those Soviet Rubles were near worthless (outside Soviet Russia)....It was illegal (punishable to death) to even hold foreign currency, forget about buying/importing foreign goods inside Russia and outside Russia, you pretty much couldn't buy anything with Soviet Rubles even though there was supposed to be an "exchange rate"..
@A Frustrated Gamer Wow, you really are a very frustrated gamer...
@@Chrinik more like a frustrated Goose Stepper to me
You make the best historical content on UA-cam
What other history channels do you watch?
Check out: Dovahhatty-Rome
Simple History- Mostly WW2
TIK- Tanks and Economics
Extra History- Everything
Oversimplified, and a lot more
Epic history - Napoleon
Bazbattles -Medieval
Real crusader history - Crusades
Historymarche
Epimethius
Fire of learning
Historia civils
Flashpoint history
Congratulations on your 100th birthday, Mr. Hugo Broch! 06.01.22 . He is the best fighter Pilot alive with 81 victorys. All the best and health! Or as we aviators say „Hals und Beinbruch " ! As far as I know, you are the last living fighter pilot with a knight's cross.
Outstanding video and presentation
"Lost are those who give themselves up for lost." -Rudel
" You are only lost if you give up on yourself " was the quote.
...and Nazis, fucking Nazis.
@@wardkerr2456 cry
Is that supposedly a wise statement. He was an ardent Nazi who killed hundreds if not thousands of Allies and no doubt innocent civilians. He deserves to be despised, not quoted.
@@emmgeevideo Well thats war
the book “Stuka Pilot” excellent read
The paperback edition I read was apparently a sanitized version. I have read that the original manuscript was intensely political.
Bill Eudy that was the version i owned
Yes I read the book when I was very young.
you can find the whole book on line ..... free ! Great book, hard to put down !
@@volvo1354 is this a book from Rudel?? you got me curious now and I will Google it...
Wow, I didn't know he consulted on the A-10! The A-10 is, IMO, the best air to ground jet ever and still used in high numbers for the U.S. Air Force today.
That's exactly what the Stuka was. A big gun with some bombs on a dive, same as the A10.
@@krampus1a-10 is much more devastating. But at the time for sure. But obsolete by ‘43
There is some conjecture over this but what can't be disproved was his invitation to speak about anti tank warfare to the American top brass in 1976. There's a transcript of the event online.
Together with Eric Hartmann, incredible aviators.
Rudel is an enormously interesting character and has a reasonabke claim to the title "best pilot ever" can't wait to see this one!
German had some many interesting characters (most of them evil but interesting) that I didn't know about until I started watching Mark's channel.
He was also a dyed in the wool Nazi who thought the murder of millions was perfectly fine - can respect him as a war pilot but not as a human being.
@@rogerkay8603 yeah I was including that in "enormously interesting" so as not to turn this into a political thing and just keep it about planes. You...went a different way, but hey that's cool
@@rogerkay8603 keep crying
@@shnek5143 He wasn't crying.
In his memoirs Rudel tells that when the Americans threatened to hand him over to the Soviets, he told them that if they did that, he would teach his ground attack tactics to the Soviets for use against the Americans.
That sounds like bravado. Like a guy, after he surrenders rather than going out in a blaze of glory, he wants to have one more bad-ass act. I can't imagine US Intelligence Officers thinking for a second that they'd hand him over. He was just too valuable.
@@soldat2501 I always liked bravado in the face of overwhelming odds. Hehehe, respect.
Mark W. I'm sure Erich Hartmann would have been interested to hear that ...
@Dimitrij Fedorov exactly. Unless he was building rockets, the Soviets had plenty of experience with their CAS aircraft like the IL-2 and YAK 9. They were all good on that front.
The Soviets would have been too dumb to pick his brain.
No doubt was the best fighter pilot in Aviation history. His stats were so impressive.
Не летчик-истребитель, а Летчик-штурмовой авиации.
@@liplup833и какво имате вие крадци педали Сталин ви е намалил с доста милиони и Путин продължава 😂педераст
Another gem brought to us by Mark. Too bad we don't see this type of programming on so called television history channels anymore.
One of the first books I read on World War II from the German perspective was 'Stuka Pilot', by Hans-Ulrich Rudel. It was a cheap paperback edition I bought when I was a kid. On the cover was a JU-87 with two giant 37mm cannon under it's wings. It was irresistible and I had to pick it up. I went on to read it many times.
Yep, one of the Bantam war books. I've read dozens of them.... several in one sitting...
@@frankrhine9756 Another one I recall was 'Invasion, they're coming' The Bantam War Books were great.
I read it too he explained his exploits in amazing detail
That was "Invasion-They're Coming!", by Paul Carell. He also wrote "The Foxes of the Desert", and other books.@@afitz34
I think that I was in the 8th grade, when I first read Rudel's book "Stuka Pilot" (Ballantine Books, for 50 cents). Too bad that it is unlikely that a movie will ever be made about Rudel's wartime service! One interesting movie is "Stukas", which was made in Germany, in 1940, using actual Ju-87s. Three interesting books:
"Stuka Pilot - Hans Ulrich Rudel", by Gunther Just
"Memoirs of a Stuka Pilot", by Helmut Mahlke
"Stuka - Ju-87", by Alex Vanags-Baginskis
Helmut Mahlke flew Stukas over France, Britain, Crete, Malta, and North Africa, but was only briefly on the Eastern Front. Before the war, he trained to fly "navalized" Stukas from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.
Rudel took part in 1953 of the second ever expedition to reach the Llullaillaco volcano top in modern times, while residing in Argentina. Near the top is located the highest archeological site of the world, a ceremonial Inca place where three child mummies were discovered in 1999. A book by Rudel himself, "Von den Stukas zu den Anden", tells the story.
Llullaillaco, on the Argentine-Chilean border, is 6700+ meters high; not a minor feat for a man to reach the top on just one leg.
By the way Dr. Felton: Very interesting stuff regarding the surrender!
Yes, he was a very ambitious man. Doing this with only one functional foot was amazing.
hopping all the way...
@@williamhogan4031 lol!
In Argentina? Pretty sus
0:01 On the left behind Rudel is Lieutenant General Adolf Galland another Germany top aces during WW2 he scored 104 aerial victory
Good eye.
these videos have taken up more time from my days than I would ever like to admit..just fascinating
Let there be Mark Felton Productions
Lmao agreed
HAHAHAHA agreed, awesome
Let's fund it.
The book " Stuka Pilot" contains his whole story through war's end.
I own that book as well and have read it many times. He was a tuff old bird!
If I remember correctly that book tells that he was flying an FW-190 when he surrendered, belly landing it into the runway.
i have a copy, i think............somewhere.
alot of respect for this legendary fighter pilot, politics aside, he was a hell of a warrior
I am a historian, oilman, and a cowboy and I really enjoy the films by Mark Felton Productions. I have an extensive book collection and I find footage of events that I've read about and more. Thank you!
You Mr. Felton are truly "Mr. WWII History." You never fail to educate. However the question that I have concerning you is, "Do you have time for more routine matters such as eating, sleeping, walking the dog?" With your enormous output, the research, reviewing films/photos, production issues, one might surmise that you are actually a time traveler who lived what you present. Otherwise there are ten of you. All this to simply say that you are a top tier historian without peer. Thank you for your dedication and hard work.
I’m glad that he stood his ground and didn’t let anyone take his medal, it’s very disrespectful no matter what side you’re on.
No German soldier would have done such a theft ! If they did, and caught... severe punishment awaits ! Americans did it on many occasions, medals, jewelry , money , pistols, other weapons....such a disgraceful behaviour !
We need a movie about him. Not glorifying his ideas or values or even disparaging them. It just needs a movie. I also want to know more about the pilot who didn't hurt the woman in his cargo hold by crash landing.
Thank you Dr. Felton for your great channel. My father was a Wehrmacht Officer and rarely spoke of his experiences, especially never really spoke of what the end looked like. So thanks for these videos as it does fill in some holes for someone who asked a lot of "what did you do in the war?" questions of his father with very few answers.
I had no idea about his ties to the A-10. That's pretty fascinating all on its own.
EMCF that make the A-10 a modern JU-87 now l know why l like the A-10. Stuka on steroids
@wargent99 There was 2 person, naval variant of A-10 in plans.
The flyover was well deserved. Rudel was a national war hero and deserved the recognition.
Just like the Einsatzgruppen ?
You can criticise his beliefs and refusing to repent, as far as we know he didn’t do anything as what the Einsatzgruppen did, so it’s not really comparable.
He sank a battleship & a destroyer, that's incredible...
One of the most amazing things about this video is the amount of interesting comments it's gathering, I love that people are helping to paint a much clearer picture of this guy. it is a treasure trove of information
If you can blend out the disgusting defective leftist filth inbetween the normal commenters.
There's an amazing amount of ignorant and plain nasty comments as well
"Man, the war is over, all I can do is surrender to the enemy, but before that let me blow few tanks first before I surrender to allied forces"
This guy literally
and you know whats inside tanks dont you . If you go on fighting after the surrender and you kill people then its a civil offense of murder
@@joefoley1480 The war wasn't over when he destroyed those tanks.
@@joefoley1480 the war was still going when he killed those tank crews
Thanks for the excellent history lesson, very informative, well spoken, easy to understand. Great work!
Erich Hartmann, a German WWII fighter pilot and the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare ace with more than 350 kills.
Mark needs to do something on him
"Verloren ist nur, der sich selbst aufgibt!" (You haven't lost until you give yourself up.) - Hans Ulrich Rüdel
Verloren ist nur, der sich selbst aufgibt
I would translate it with "Only those who give themselves up are lost"
“only he is lost who gives himself up for lost!” Stuka Pilot book. Published 1965 by Ballantine Books (first published 1948)
by Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Lynton Hudson (Translator)
Now, my personal view: There are many similar 'principles' by survivors under impossible odds. To have the 'guts' to stand by your own personal convictions is rare. This is the making of our 'heroes' . The ones that died in battle, with the same convictions are our 'unsung heroes' and it is our duty to remember ALL of them.
Branner...A soldier is doing his duty for his country when he kills his enemy. Kill or be killed. A man loses his honor when he kills the innocent civilians!
Wise words from a true European badass 🇩🇪
Thanks Mark Felton! Absolutely fantastic, incomparable examinations of history -- I remember when they actually used to televise this type of content. Thanks again
So true. I don't watch television, for this reason. Channels like Mark Felton Productions are vastly superior to TV. Even in the old days when you could actually find historical programmes on TV, they tended to only cover the major incidents over and over. I don't recall seeing this level of quality, ever before. Perhaps we are living in a golden age.
Another excellent history lesson.
I read Rudel's book, it's incredible
I am from Germany/Bavaria.
He is buried in a Graveyard from a Church 5 km from my hometown in a small Village called "Dornhausen".
Grüße aus Pleinfeld
Thank you. I will find it and piss on it.
@@seang3019 are you sick in the head. That's GRABSCHÄNDUNG....
@@stefanvogel8255 his life was a desecration. Helping the monster Mengele escape justice? I think I might book my flight now.
@Ave Republic! You know nothing. Trust me. I will find it and I will piss on it. You've only encouraged me.
By chance i got his autobiography from an antiques store. And its signed by him, a prized treasure of mine
That is very cool.
a picture of it maybe?
Never sell that no matter how hard life gets
@@nilsbachellery6939 wouldnt know how to post a picture on youtube, sorry
@@iiTzoreo1 life can't get so hard that i'd sell it
In a world where crash landing happens due to pilot error, these men performing controlled crash landings without a scratch have to be real aces.
Dear Mr Felton you always hit the Mark. Brilliant interpretation, insight & understanding. Simply the Best JBx
[ALL] Hans-Ulrich Rudel: Noob team
ALL : *gg leader gap*
gg, just let them end
[ALL] Hans-Ulrich Rudal: *LEMME LAND MAN!*
birds lmao or Rudel: xvm for noobs
@Vladsko Kazm lol wut?
I love these videos, don't stop making them.
Mark Felton does some EXCELLENT WORK !!
Well, you might not like his politics but you have to admire his guts and flair and creativity.
Rudel's book, "Stuka Pilot," was actually damn good and genuinely fascinating.
I am so lucky to have the first edition. :-)
Love your insignia. Been to Aldebaren lately?? Ha
@@Joewylie3 Myself, no. The Vrilya had to leave Aldebaran due to Domain incursion, and have made a new home somewhere on the other side of the Pleiades.
@@lucdevincke2055 I'm lucky to have a paperback copy and his story is truly amazing.
You can read it on the internet. It was a fascinating read.
Rudel's only regret was that he crashed all those planes... he said they would be great in museums today (Before he died)
Based Anchovy
They would have been great fighting the Soviets, if it came to that. Which would have been tantamount to protecting Germany. A foolish move.
To be fair, at the time it is just a nother piece of mass-produced good, nothing special really...it's only decades later we think "what a shame, would have made a great museum piece."
Like almost all major german warships that weren't sunk, most of the british battleship and battlecruiser fleet, etc.
I know museum ships are expensive and all, but, I mean, how COULD the brits scrap the mighty Warspite, how COULD the german government resist buying back the SMS Goeben from the Turks? Come on...great losses.
@@jimdecamp7204 Patton would have easy pushed back the Soviets all the way back to Russia, but he was literally backstabbed, hit in an accident then finished off in a hospital. The wrong side won the war. Look up Victor Rothschild, head of the Cambridge Five Soviet spies, he pretty much owned Britain and the Bank of England.
@@Citadin gimp
Mark you bring history to life.thanks
He’s brimming with self-confidence (some would say arrogance) in that first shot.
My grandfather was an air force pilot of the argentine army. After years of service he became a comercial pilot for the national argentine airline. He was fond of the ¨air history¨ and would bring all sorts of stuff related to it from his trips to Europe and the USA. After his death in 2011, my mother saved numerous of my grandfather´s books, including the biography of Hans Ulrich Rudel, which a read with great amusement. After the war he escaped to Argentina and lived in Cordoba, where he could climb the Sierras and keep practicing his hoobie, sports, even though he lost a leg defending Romania from the soviets offensive in 1945, if im not wrong. Great video.
A nazi "defending" Romania?! Look, I really am not looking for an argument here, but saying that really is disgusting.
muy interesante
@@ViktorVilicic they were allies, fighting against the soviets at the eastern front.
@@franma01 De Iure you're right. But let's be realistic here, Romania and Germany weren't allies. Romania was a puppet state of Germany. The Germans weren't defending Romania, they were defending themselves. Call a spade a spade, man.
@@ViktorVilicic there were german soldiers assigned in Romania, like there where in Italy and Africa. That doesnt mean the germans where defending Libya because the felt it belonged to them.
I read his book 'Stuka Pilot' and n the book says whenever the Russian ground troops sees a Stuka with a long barrel the almost called their entire Air force just to shoot him down.
I think at one point he also had a reward on his head. The soviets were doing that for high profile german soldiers. I believe Hartmann had a bounty on his head as well. At one point Hartmann had to respray his aircraft since no russian pilot would engage him and his kill ratio was getting lower. They always gave his colours to the rookie of the squadron as it was the safest plane.
@@adyrip13 Genius, gotta get that kill ratio high
@@adyrip13 Hartmann has been banned for smurfing
@@adyrip13 yep, both had a bounty on them. Right, the russians all scrambled when seeing the "black tulip" painting on the Hartmann 109 cowling and each rookie wingman assigned to Hartmann, would get the black tulip BF 109, so the rookie could watch and learn from a safe place.
He was a brave combat pilot and not a war criminal. Definetely he was a born warrior. He deserves our respect. From Greece
I also love the story of an ace German 109 pilot that successfully escorted an heavily damaged American b17 out of German airspace in France. B17 pilot even looked for the German pilot after the war. They were able to find the pilot and give their thanks for not shooting their damaged b17 down.
"Training mission" of course...
I mean it checks out. Why would the german government want to honor him.
@@beninwarrior4579 because they respect their soldiers,if Rudel did anything wrong americans would never release him,he just fought for his country
Blindfire1337 he could be honored as a just a pilot defending his country
@@HebrewHammer1337 a monster? He is a very brave man who fought for his country.
Aside his political affiliation, he wasn't a war criminal. He was an excellent, legendary pilot and every side can admire and respect that.
Rudel didn't drink so was sent his favorite cake for his efforts knocking out ground targets by the army brass according to his book.
He did love milk however
Rudel strudel
@@georgewashington6225 Rudel Rudel der trinkt nur Sprudel
This guy was a legend in terms of warfare and that's undeniable.
His record was outstanding particularly when you know the plane he flew was a sitting duck. One of the great warrior pilots of WW2.
Dr Felton, based on the comment section, I'd say that the flyover at his funeral deserves its own video.
At his funeral 2 phantom-jets made a flight formation in the sky which builded a swastika with their trails. Then one phantom simulated a dive bomb towards his grave, waved it's wings, turned and flew away. Then 2 phantom-jets and one starfighter flew deep over the funeral and one of them turned away from the formation which means that a comrade has gone. It was a big scandal in the German media.
@@powerkraut3807 Oh it would,because the brainwashing was well under way in Germany ,by the controlled media,at that stage.
@@paullooney2522 Indeed, though it should be noted that German media was controlled before, during and after the war, albeit by diametrically opposing elements. That said, most all the world's nations had considerable propaganda components, often outwardly disclaiming so.
@DeutschwehR Gott mit uns
@DeutschwehR US and Israel? Hmmmm.m
i have learned more from your channel then 4 years with my history proffessor. thank you and keep it up!
That is how I view Mark Felton PhD, is as an objective scholar and great educator. He manages to give all the info without bias in a manner consistent with great story telling, a hard feat when not manipulating the information for non-scholarly agendas. What a great mind and treat that he creates this content to share with us, I really must consider purchasing some of his authored written works.
I don't care what side that guy fought for. He was clearly an Intelligent person and good at what he did.
I salute all the men that fought during the war it take brave men to do what they did.
(Yes hate in me if you must)
The War is over
Hey as long as you're no Neo-Nazi, we're all good.
@@MrMathsimon They at least knew who the enemy was; unlike your allies that sold their mothers for a buck to the communists.
You said it yourself, he was intelligent, it's clear what side he was on.
Fascinating! Thank you, Dr. Fenton.
Thank you for NOT glossing over Rudel's post-war life.
Also, I'm surprised you didn't mention that Rudel took out a Russian ace on his tail by flying his Stuka right at the stall speed, causing the Russian to stall his own aircraft and crashing it fatally.
@my name is my name After looking through Wikipedias brief list of people who was HOTSU more than once it can only be Boris Safonov, unless ofcourse the list is incomplete :)
@@lakshen47 What's hotsu?
@@ermias75ermis2 hotsu = Hero Of The Soviet Union (A medal like the Victoria Cross).