Günther Rüdel

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Günther Rüdel
Born	(1883-11-15)15 November 1883 Metz, Alsace-Lorraine
Died	22 April 1950(1950-04-22) (aged 66) Munich, West Germany
Buried	Munich Waldfriedhof Field 16—W 38
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1902–1945
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands held	Luftverteidigung und Inspekteur des Luftschutzes
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Eisernes Kreuz 1914

Günther Rüdel (15 November 1883 – 22 April 1950) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

Biography

Günther Rüdel was born in Metz, in Alsace-Lorraine, on 15 November 1883. Rüdel served as a captain during World War I, working for the Ministry of War. Günther Rüdel made a brilliant military career in the Reichswehr, then in the Luftwaffe. He attained the grade of Generalleutnant in April 1936, and General der Flakartillerie in October 1937. Rüdel was assigned "Inspekteur der Flakartillerie" from 1938 to 1942. During the Second World War, Günther Rüdel attained the grade of Generaloberst in November 1942.

Rüdel stood up to Adolf Hitler in the Beer Hall Putsch, the failed 1923 coup d'état against the Weimar Republic government, stopping him from shooting an official with his pistol. His grandson, John Crane, a civilian US military executive in charge of its whistleblower protection unit, himself became a whistleblower in 2013.^[1]

Dates of ranks

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

Medals and decorations

Iron Cross of 1914, 1st and 2nd class
Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords
Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th class with Swords
Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
Wilhelm Ernst War Cross
Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd class with War Decoration (Austria)
Military Merit Cross, 3rd class with War Decoration (Austria-Hungary)
Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th with 1st class
War Merit Cross (1939), 1st and 2nd class with Swords
Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with swords
Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge

References

^ "Blowing the Whistle: Former US Official Reveals Risks Faced by Internal Critics", by Mark Hertsgaard, Felix Kasten, Marcel Rosenbach, and Holger Stark; Der Spiegel, 22 May 2016