serviceyears branch commands death_place death_date birth_place allegiance unit awards battles birth_date alt rank article_title name
1939 -- 44 18px '' sg 9 staffelkapitan '' 10 . -lrb- pz -rrb- / l'vov , in poland 16 july 1944 regensburg , german empire nazi germany 10 . -lrb- pz -rrb- / sg 9 knight 's cross of the iron cross world war ii 7 january 1920 luftwaffe hauptmann rudolf-heinz ruffer
 rudolf-heinz ruffer
rudolf-heinz ruffer

rudolf-heinz ruffer -lrb- 7 january 1920 -- 16 july 1944 -rrb- was a german luftwaffe ground attack 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 and was bestowed upon him after the destruction of 72 soviet tanks .
on 16 july 1944 , his aircraft was hit by soviet flak over poland while attacking soviet armoured formations .
the machine exploded and he was killed instantly .
at the time of his death he had recorded 80 tank kills , placing him highly on the list of the most successful aerial tank-killers of world war ii and in the history of aerial warfare .
ruffer flew the junkers ju 87 , dive-bomber , but achieved substantial success in the henschel hs 129 ; the aircraft in which he was killed .
