Günther Rüdel (15 November 1883 – 22 April 1950) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

general in the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Biography

Günther Rüdel was born in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

, in Alsace-Lorraine, on 15 November 1883. Rüdel served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, working for the Ministry of War. Günther Rüdel made a brilliant military career in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

, then in the

. He attained the grade of

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Günther Rüdel attained the grade of Generaloberst in November 1942. Rüdel stood up to

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

in the

Beer Hall Putsch The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,Dan Moorhouse, ed schoolshistory.org.uk, accessed 2008-05-31.Known in German as the or was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party ( or NSDAP) leader Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and othe ...

, the failed 1923

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

against the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...

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 A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...

in 2013."Blowing the Whistle: Former US Official Reveals Risks Faced by Internal Critics"
by Mark Hertsgaard, Felix Kasten, Marcel Rosenbach, and Holger Stark; ''

Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

'', 22 May 2016

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 The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

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 The Order of the Iron Crown ( it, link=no, Ordine della Corona Ferrea) was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name ...

, 3rd class with War Decoration (Austria) * Military Merit Cross, 3rd class with War Decoration (Austria-Hungary) *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

* Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th with 1st class *

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Meri ...

(1939), 1st and 2nd class with Swords * Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with swords *

Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge (german: Flak-Kampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe) was a World War II military decoration of Nazi Germany. It was instituted on 10 January 1941 by Hermann Göring in his capacity as the Commander in Chief of the Luftwaf ...

References

* Rüdel, Günther o
''lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de''
1883 births 1950 deaths Military personnel from Metz People from Alsace-Lorraine German Army personnel of World War I Luftwaffe World War II generals Recipients of the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross Burials at Munich Waldfriedhof Colonel generals of the Luftwaffe Major generals of the Reichswehr {{Germany-airforce-bio-stub