Although I believe something different from some, heres a different twist.... While some like our pals Erich and Vegaboy doubt the 519 tanks, I myself could believe his #'s could have been even HIGHER.... Rudel wasnt the type of guy to fly a sortie and claim every tank he shot at a kill.. He would have assed and his back seater would have as well....
Some of the tanks that he deemed were not kills, may have been.... A damaged tank sometimes would not be removed and/or salvaged due to front lines changing.... Some damaged tanks that were not kills ended up being such....
I understand the proganda portion of what is said of Rudels #'s, but think about it... There werent that many -87 Tank Busters left at the end of that show, and Rudel was a hell of a pilot.. And his closet competitor was some 300 tanks behind him... Look at all the chances (Russian Tanks) Rudel had......
Another way to look at it is how many 37mm shells he fired.....
He flew more than 600,000 km and used more than 5,000,000 liters of fuel... He dropped over 1,000,000 kg of bombs, fired over 1,000,000 machine gun rounds, over 150,000 20mm rounds and over 5,000 37mm rounds...
In early March of 1944, he flew his 1500th mission and was promoted to the rank of Major... In late March, during a mission, Rudel's squadron was attacked by a squadron of Soviet Lavochkin La-5 fighters.... One Stuka was shot down and crash landed with its crew unharmed... Rudel decided to land and rescue his comrades stuck in the enemy territory...... He landed and rescued his friends but could not take off because of the soft ground..... They were forced to escape on foot towards German lines being chased by the Russians...... Rudel and his comrades reached the river Dniestr and swam 600m in the ice cold water and just before reaching the other side, Rudel's rear gunner drowned.... Eventually, the wounded Rudel was the only one who managed to escape and reached German lines.... He then returned to his unit, where he was cheerfully welcomed by his comrades.... On March 29th of 1944, for his bravery, Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel was awarded Diamonds to his Knights Cross with Oakleaves and Swords, the highest German military award.....
Thats no BS.... No propoganda there... He earned those Diamonds.... The guy was a hero.. And a hell of a Tank Buster... #'s aside, this guy really was a pro.... Too bad he wasnt Russian or British or American....
Imagine what he coulda done to German formations in a IL2/M3.......