1. Rudolf Frank was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 45 enemy aircraft shot down in 183 combat missions.
25 Facts About Rudolf Frank
1. 2.
Rudolf Frank was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 April 1944 following his 42nd aerial victory.
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Rudolf Frank ordered his crew to bail out but was unable to save himself.
4.
Rudolf Frank received posthumous promotion to Leutnant and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
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Rudolf Frank was born on 19 August 1920 in Karlsruhe-Grunwinkel in what was the Republic of Baden of the Weimar Republic; Grunwinkel is a borough located in the southwest suburbs of Karlsruhe.
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Rudolf Frank was credited with his second victory on 15 September 1941, a Wellington shot down at 23:30 northwest of Meppen.
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Rudolf Frank achieved his third victory, a Handley Page Hampden he shot down at 21:03 on 21 January 1942 near Berge in northeast Lingen.
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Rudolf Frank was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class on 15 April 1942 and two months later, on 18 June 1942, the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Night Fighters in Silver.
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Rudolf Frank claimed a Wellington shot down at 02:05 on 14 September 1942; it crashed in the vicinity of Osnabruck, and was his only victory while flying a Do 217.
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Rudolf Frank ended the year 1942 with seven confirmed victories to his credit.
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The first victory Rudolf Frank claimed in 1943 occurred on 3 March.
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Rudolf Frank's unit received the newer G-version of the Bf 110; these were equipped with SN-2 Lichtenstein radar.
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The unit relocated to Juvincourt, France, on 16 July 1943, Rudolf Frank was awarded the Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 9 August 1943.
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Rudolf Frank added two more victories and on 17 October 1943 received the German Cross in Gold.
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The next day his aircraft was hit by German anti-aircraft artillery and Rudolf Frank was forced to make a landing at Vechta on one engine.
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Rudolf Frank claimed his first victories of 1944, a Lancaster and a Wellington, on 21 January 1944 near Magdeburg.
17.
On 20 February 1944, between 01:53 to 05:04, Rudolf Frank became an "ace-in-a-day", shooting down five Lancaster bombers on their way to attack Leipzig.
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The entire night-fighter force was credited with the destruction of 132 enemy aircraft that night; Rudolf Frank, who was credited with a further three bombers, brought his total to 42.
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Rudolf Frank then went on a short vacation at home with his wife Lisa, a Luftwaffenhelferin.
20.
Debris from the Lancaster tore off the Messerschmitt's right wing and Rudolf Frank lost control of the aircraft.
21.
Schierholz and Schneider parachuted to safety but Rudolf Frank failed to get out in time.
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Rudolf Frank was killed when the Bf 110 crashed at Heeze, 9 kilometers southeast of Eindhoven.
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Rudolf Frank was buried at the German War Cemetery Ysselsteyn at Venray.
24.
On 20 July 1944, Rudolf Frank was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, the 531st soldier or officer of the Wehrmacht to receive this award.
25.
Rudolf Frank was posthumously promoted Leutnant, backdated to 1 April 1944.