Most destructive man ever?!

[M_S]

This is almost too unbelievable!

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen9.htm

[Kitsune]

Rudels achievements are nearly unbelievable, that is true.
While his prowess and courage cannot be denied he was also a narrow minded Nazi...and stayed one until his end. In this he was different from Marseilles or Hartmann. No admirable character.
Essentially, with a Stuka, he was a good killing machine, nothing more.

[ArmedPacifist]

Isn't that what good soldiers are suppose to be?

[anonymous individual]

Isn't that what good soldiers are suppose to be?

Yes, but one might look beyond that and values other qualities along with the military success.

[G1]

What a soldier...who knows what the war could have looked like without that one man?

[ArmedPacifist]

He was an amazing soldier, end of story.

[Nichonl]

During the attack, Rudel sunk Soviet Battleship "Marat" with 1000kg bomb hitting its ammunition store and breaking the ship in half - "We've got her ... you must have hit her ammunition store...She is blowing up !"

Went looking around and found this


http://www.bz.ru/e052_005.htm

In which it says

At the keel-laying on 3 July 1909 the vessel was named as "Petropavlovsk". She was the second ship of "Sevastopol" type. Construction of battleships meant the beginning of the second stage of shipbuilding evolution in Russia, initiated regeneration of the Navy after the Russo-Japanese War. The battleship was launched on 27 August 1911 and delivered to the Navy on 20 December 1914. On 31 March 1921 the vessel was renamed into "Marat". In 1928-1931 she was overhauled and upgraded. She participated in the Second World War. On 23 September 1941 the ship was badly damaged and then used as a floating battery.
On 31 May 1943 she was renamed again and got her original name "Petropavlovsk". In 1950 the vessel was re-equipped and continued her service as non-propelled training ship "Volhov". In 1952 she was scrapped.


I always thought when she ships ammunition store was hit and its back was broken that was it...
Kinda mis-leading

[king_nothing100]

The Marat is a class of ship I think, one of them was called Marat but all of them could have been sub sectioned into 'Marat', plus theres a few other sites listing as it was sunk.

[Nichonl]

Ok found the information I was looking for and the reason for the mixup.

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/marat.htm


The Marat was sunk by German Stukas off Kronshtadt on the 23rd September 1939. But the ship was in shallow water and was raised and was used as a floating Battery. (The Stukas had caused considerable damage destroying the forward turret, bridge and fore funnel). The ship was renamed the Petropavlovsk.