Allegiance Nazi Germany Unit 10.(Pz)/SG 9 Name Rudolf-Heinz Ruffer Battles and wars World War II Rank Hauptmann | Years of service 1939–44 Battles/wars World War II Died July 16, 1944 Service/branch Luftwaffe | |
Commands held Staffelkapitan 10.(Pz)/SG 9 Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross | ||
Rudolf-Heinz Ruffer (7 January 1920 – 16 July 1944) was a German Luftwaffe ground attack ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership and was bestowed upon him after the destruction of 72 Soviet tanks. On 16 July 1944, his aircraft was hit by Soviet flak over Poland while attacking Soviet armoured formations. The airplane exploded, and he was killed instantly. At the time of his death, he had recorded 80 tank kills, placing him high on the list of the most successful aerial tank-killers of World War II and in the history of aerial warfare. Ruffer flew the Junkers Ju 87 dive-bomber, but achieved substantial success in the Henschel Hs 129, the aircraft in which he was killed.