Rudolf Frank
| Rudolf Frank | |
|---|---|
Frank as Oberfeldwebel
|
|
| Born | 19 August 1920 Karlsruhe-Grünwinkel, Germany |
| Died | 27 April 1944 (aged 23) near Eindhoven, Netherlands |
| Buried at | Ysselsteyn, Netherlands (Block Z—Row 6—Grave 149) |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe
|
| Years of service | 1939–44 |
| Rank | Leutnant (posthumously) |
| Unit | NJG 3 |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (posthumously) |
World War II
Rudolf Frank (19 August 1920 – 27 April 1944) 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. All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front in nocturnal Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command.
Born in Karlsruhe-Grünwinkel, Frank volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe of the Third Reich in 1939 after finishing school. Following flight training, he was posted to Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3—3rd Night Fighter Wing) in 1941. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 April 1944 following his 42nd aerial victory. Three weeks later, on 27 April 1944, he and his crew attacked an Avro Lancaster, which exploded and fatally damaged their own aircraft. Frank ordered his crew to bail out but was unable to save himself. He received posthumous promotion to Leutnant (second lieutenant) and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
Frank was born on 19 August 1920 in Karlsruhe-Grünwinkel in what was the Republic of Baden of the Weimar Republic; Grünwinkel is now a borough located in the southwest suburbs of Karlsruhe. Frank was the older of two sons of a shoemaker. He attended the Volksschule (elementary school) in Grünwinkel from 1926 to 1930, when he was enrolled in the Realgymnasium—a secondary school built on the mid-level Realschule—where he attained his Mittlere Reife (school leaving certificate) in 1939.
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