Horst Rudat

Horst Rudat (3 May 1920 − 31 August 1982) was a general in the German Air Force. During World War II, he served in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany as a bomber pilot.

In the weeks following Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France, Rudat was tasked with the leadership of a task force in 2./Kampfgeschwader 101. The task force was experimenting with the Mistel, a Luftwaffe aircraft bombing system, based broadly on the parasite aircraft concept. Rudat led a formation of 4 Mistel aircraft against the invasion fleet of off Normandy in the night of 24/25 June 1944. HMS Nith (K215), a British River-class frigate, was damaged killing nine of her crew.

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (9 August 1941)
 * 1st Class (7 September 1941)
 * Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 1 June 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot
 * German Cross in Gold on 27 July 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 3./Kampggeschwader 55
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 March 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 2./Kampggeschwader 55