Erich Rudorffer

Major Erich Rudorffer (born 1 November 1917) is a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace, one of a handful who served with the Luftwaffe through the whole of World War II. He is the 7th most successful fighter pilot in the history of air warfare, and currently both the oldest jet fighter ace, and the most successful ace still living. Rudorffer claimed a total of 222 victories, fighting in all the major German theaters of war, including the European and Mediterranean Theatre of Operations and the Eastern Front. During the war he flew more than 1000 combat missions, was engaged in aerial combat over 300 times, was shot down by flak and enemy fighters 16 times and had to take to his parachute 9 times. His 222 aerial victories include 58 heavily armoured Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft. He was also responsible for sinking a British submarine.

Early life
Rudorffer was born in Zwochau, Sachsen. He flew for Deutsche Lufthansa until two months after the beginning of World War II, when all pilots were transferred to the Luftwaffe. In early 1940 Rudorffer was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen.

World War II
Rudorffer got his first victory over a Curtiss Hawk 75, on 14 May 1940. He scored eight more times before the capitulation of France. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, and legend has him being pursued down Croydon High Street below rooftop level by a Hurricane. He achieved his nineteenth victory on 1 May 1941; he was then awarded the Ritterkreuz of the Iron Cross and appointed Staffelkapitän of 6./Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen" the following month. By the end of December 1941 he had claimed 40 kills.

In 1942 Rudorffer participated in Operation Cerberus (Channel Dash) and flew over the Allied landings at Dieppe in August 1942. After 45 victories in November 1942 his unit was transferred south to Sicily and later Tunisia. On 9 February 1943 Rudorffer claimed to have defeated 8 British pilots during a 32-minute aerial battle, and collected his first multiple victories. Again on 15 February he was victorious over 7 allied aircraft. Among his victories over North Africa are 10 Allied bombers.

In July 1943 Hauptmann Rudorffer was appointed to command II./Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54) on the Eastern Front. He claimed his first victory in that theater on 7 August. Due to the experience gained by fighting the RAF he achieved incredible success. During his first sortie on 24 August 1943, 5 Soviet aircraft were downed in 4 minutes. On 11 October 1943 Erich Rudorffer wrote history when during 17 minutes he claimed 13 kills.

Erich Rudorffer earned his nickname Fighter of Libau on 28 October 1944 near the Latvian city of Libau. While preparing to land he spotted a Soviet task force of about 60 close air support aircraft on its way to attack Libau airfields. He broke off the landing and engaged the enemy without any backup. He drove off the attackers, shooting down nine enemy aircraft within 10 minutes.

In the winter of 1944, Major Rudorffer was trained on the Messerschmitt Me 262 Jet fighter. In February 1945 he was recalled to command I./Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7). Between December 1944 and beginning of April 1945 the I./JG 7 operated from the then newly built Luftwaffe Airbase in Kaltenkirchen north of Hamburg. So he seems to have been Group Commander more or less for the one month of March 1945. Rudorffer claimed 12 victories with the Me 262, to bring his total to 222.

His tally included 136 on the Eastern Front, 26 in North Africa and 60 on the Western Front including 10 heavy bombers.

After the war


Erich Rudorffer started out flying DC-2s and DC-3s in Australia. Later on he worked for PAN AM.

Pilots and flying students remember him as a hired PPL instructor in Lübeck, Germany, at a local flying school in the late 60s for some time, and other people recollect he later ran an auto gas station in nearby Mölln, well into the 70s. His returning to active aviation later than 1980 seems highly unlikely.

Rudorffer was one of the characters in the 2007 Finnish war movie Tali-Ihantala 1944. A Fw 190 participated, painted in the same markings as Rudorffer's aircraft in 1944.

Awards

 * Verwundetenabzeichen in Black
 * Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (20 October 1940)
 * Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1000"
 * Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
 * Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty (2nd class)
 * German Cross in Gold on 9 December 1941 as Leutnant in the 2./JG 2
 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (22 May 1940)
 * 1st Class (28 June 1940)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
 * Knight's Cross on 1 May 1941 as Leutnant and pilot in the 6./JG 2 "Richthofen"
 * 447th Oak Leaves on 11 April 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./JG 54
 * 126th Swords on 26 January 1945 as Major (war officer) and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./JG 54
 * Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht