Franz Ruhl

Franz Ruhl
Born	12 December 1922 Regensburg, German Empire
Died	24 December 1944 (aged 22) Liège, Belgium
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?–1944
Rank	Oberleutnant (Posthumously)
Unit	JG 3
Battles/wars	World War II Defense of the Reich †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	Heinrich Setz (Cousin)

Franz Ruhl (12 December 1922 – December 24, 1944) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Franz Ruhl was shot down on 24 December 1944 near Liège, he was posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant. During his career he was credited with 37 victories in 200+ missions.

Awards

• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (26 November 1943)^[1]
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold on 5 February 1944 as Leutnant in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 3^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1944 as Leutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 3^[3]

References

Citations

1. Obermaier 1989, p. 190.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 390.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 299.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.