Allegiance Nazi Germany Name Rudi Linz Service/branch Luftwaffe | Rank Leutnant Died February 9, 1945 Unit Jagdgeschwader 5 | |
Born 14 February 1917
Ilmenau, Germany ( 1917-02-14 ) Buried at German war cemetery Bergen-Solheim
Block 1—Row 17—Grave 10 Battles/wars World War II
Eastern Front Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Battles and wars Eastern Front, World War II | ||
Rudi Linz (14 February 1917 – 9 February 1945) was a Luftwaffe (German air force) fighter ace during the Second World war. Linz was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for a total of 70 aerial victories claimed. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
On 9 February 1945, Linz was shot down and killed in action flying a Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8 (Werknummer 732183—factory number) in defense of the German destroyer Z33 in an operation which was later called Black Friday by the Allied aircrews due to their heavy unit losses. Linz claimed his 70th and final aerial victory in this engagement over a North American P-51 Mustang possibly from No. 65 Squadron RAF. The Fw 190A-8 flown by Linz in his last combat still exists, and is displayed in the Cottbus Hangar of the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia, USA as of 2014.