Germany, Luftwaffe. A Ring Belonging to High Scoring Ace, Erich Rudorffer

A commemorative ring belonging to high scoring ace, Erich Rudorffer. Constructed of silver (marked “900” for silver content, as well as the standard crescent moon and crown hallmark - also maker marked “P. Thinnes” on the inside of the ring); the exterior design consists of a Finnish rampant lion within a decorated octagon, along with a pattern on the band of the ring; the interior of the ring is marked “Rudorffer 11.4.194 130 Sieg P.K.B”; interior diameter of 22.77 mm; accompanied by a period case; in overall extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Erich Rudorffer was born on November 1, 1917 in Zwochau (Saxony). He joined the Luftwaffe in 1936, already having some experience as a civil pilot. Initially, Rudorffer was trained as a bomber pilot, but shortly after the beginning of the war he was retrained to become a fighter pilot instead. In January 1940, Rudorffer joined Jagdgeschwader (JG = Fighter Wing) 2 “Richthofen” in the rank of Oberfeldwebel (Master Sergeant) to participate in the campaign against France. He achieved his first aerial victory on May 14, 1940. All in all, he achieved nine victories until France surrendered. Rudorffer also took part in the Battle of Britain. He was promoted to Lieutenant on October 28, 1940. By spring of 1941, Rudorffer had claimed 19 victories. For this, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross on May 1, 1941. Shortly after, Rudorffer became squadron leader of the 6th squadron of JG 2. His promotion to Oberleutnant (Senior Lieutenant) followed on November 20, 1941. Rudorffer went on to take command of the 2nd Group of JG 2. His unit was redeployed to North Africa in late 1942. Here, he was promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) on January 1, 1943. During his time there, until April of 1943, Rudorffer achieved 26 victories. In June, he was appointed leader of the 2nd Group of JG 54 “Grünherz”, fighting at the Eastern Front. Rudorffer’s tally kept increasing. His most outstanding day was November 6, on which he scored 13 victories in 17 minutes. During the winter of 1943/44, Rudorffer fought at the front in Finland. Here, he was promoted to Major on January 1, 1944, the highest rank he would hold. Rudorffer was awarded the Oak Leaves on April 11, 1944 for his 113th victory. Still on the Eastern Front, the Swords followed on January 26, 1945 for achieving 210 victories. Towards the end of the war, Rudorffer became the leader of the 2nd Group of JG 7. When the war ended, he had flown over 1000 combat missions and had achieved 222 victories, 136 of which on the Eastern Front, making him the 7th most successful fighter pilot in history. Rudorffer was shot down 16 times. After the war, he flew DC-2s and DC-3s in Australia for a while. Later, he worked for Pan Am, and since the 1980s for the German Luftfahrtbundesamt (civil aviation authority). Rudorffer was the last surviving recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. He died on April 8, 2016, aged 98.