1. Friedrich "Fritz" Rumpelhardt was a German air officer during World War II.
15 Facts About Friedrich Rumpelhardt
1. 2.
Friedrich Rumpelhardt was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
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Friedrich Rumpelhardt participated in 100 aerial victories as a crewman with Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer from October 1942 until the end of the war.
4.
Friedrich Rumpelhardt was born 19 June 1920 in Nordhalden near Konstanz, at the time in the Republic of Baden of the German Reich during the Weimar Republic.
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Friedrich Rumpelhardt was one of three sons of the teacher Emil Rumpelhardt and his wife Rosa.
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On 1 June 1942, Friedrich Rumpelhardt was promoted to Unteroffizier.
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Once near to the target, Friedrich Rumpelhardt had visually found the bomber and directed Schnaufer into attack position from below and astern.
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In February 1943, Friedrich Rumpelhardt was accepted for officer training and for a period of eight months, did not fly any combat missions with Schnaufer.
9.
On 1 October 1943, Friedrich Rumpelhardt was promoted to Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel.
10.
Friedrich Rumpelhardt served as Nachrichtenoffizier with the Gruppenstab and Geschwaderstab, the headquarters units of the group and the Geschwader.
11.
On 8 August 1944, Friedrich Rumpelhardt received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for assisting in 68 nocturnal aerial victories.
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Friedrich Rumpelhardt flew his last combat mission on 9 April 1945.
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Friedrich Rumpelhardt was the most successful Bordfunker of the Luftwaffe night fighter force.
14.
Friedrich Rumpelhardt was taken prisoner of war by the British Army in Schleswig-Holstein in May 1945.
15.
In 1965, Friedrich Rumpelhardt became head of the agricultural service and the agricultural school of the Hanauerland, headquartered in Kehl.