{"product_id":"original-signed-4-1-8-x-5-7-8-photo-card-of-german-wwii-luftwaffe-pilot-oberst-hans-ulrich-rudel-most-highly-decorated-german-pilot","title":"Original Signed 4 1\/8\" x 5 7\/8\" Photo Card of German WWII Luftwaffe Pilot Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel - Most Highly Decorated German Pilot","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Items: One-of-a-kind. \u003cstrong\u003eHans-Ulrich Rudel\u003c\/strong\u003e (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-NSDAP activist. The most decorated German pilot of the war and the \u003cstrong\u003eonly recipient of the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds\u003c\/strong\u003e, Rudel claimed knocking out 519 tanks, one battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. There is no primary source backing his claims. He claimed nine aerial victories and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles. He flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively on the Eastern Front, usually flying the Junkers Ju 87 \"Stuka\" dive bomber.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRudel surrendered to US forces in 1945 and emigrated to Argentina. An unrepentant Member of the NSDAP, he helped fugitives escape to Latin America and the Middle East, and sheltered Josef Mengele, the former SS doctor at Auschwitz. He worked as an arms dealer to several right-wing regimes in South America, for which he was placed under observation by the US Central Intelligence Agency.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the West German federal election of 1953, Rudel was the top candidate for the far-right German Reich Party but was not elected. After the 1955 military coup d'etat that deposed constitutional president Juan Perón, Rudel moved to Paraguay, where he acted as a foreign representative for several German companies. He eventually retired and moved back to Germany, where there were several scandals linked to his involvement in some veteran reunions in the mid 1970s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 4 1\/8\" x 5 7\/8\" Photo Card is from right after that period, signed by Rudel and dated 20. 7. 79. at the bottom. It looks to have been signed with a ball point pen, and we can see the indentation of the roller in the photo. Rudel had suffered a stroke in 1970, so the writing is a bit messy, but conforms well to other autographs he gave during the late 1970s.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe photo itself shows Rudel in his Oberst uniform, with what looks to be the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds around his neck. It is in very good shape, though there is some paper or something similar stuck to the upper right corner, probably from when it was stored in an envelope. The back of the photo has his information noted in the corner, so we assume he had these made to sign at conventions or something similar:-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHans-Ulrich Rudel\u003cbr\u003eOberst a. D.\u003cbr\u003eTräger des nur einmal verliehenen\u003cbr\u003egoldenen Eichenlaubs mit Schwertern\u003cbr\u003eund Brillanten zum Ritterkreuz\u003cbr\u003edes Eisernes Kreuzes\u003cbr\u003e(Verleihdatum 1. 1. 1945)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis translates as follows:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHans-Ulrich Rudel\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eRetired Colonel\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eRecipient of the Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded only once\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e(Award date: January 1, 1945)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA great piece of WWII Memorabilia.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43439165964357,"sku":"ONJR25JYAU050","price":295.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONJR25JYAU050__01.jpg?v=1755529591","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-signed-4-1-8-x-5-7-8-photo-card-of-german-wwii-luftwaffe-pilot-oberst-hans-ulrich-rudel-most-highly-decorated-german-pilot","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}