"Friedrich Rüdenberg"

 

Excerpts and Summaries derived from the Article "Leutnant der Reserve Friedrich Rüdenberg" written by Dov Gavish, Ph.D, & Dieter H.M. Groschel, M.D. in the quarterly issued Magazine "Over the Front", Volume 16; Number 2; Summer 2001; pages 99-132.

This article goes into great detail of Rüdenberg's military career, his post war years (anti Semitism), his immigration to Palestine (Israel) and his returning to Germany. If interested you can subscribe to this magazine by going to http://www.overthefront.com/

FRudenberg.jpg (87872 bytes)     Rudenbergplane.jpg (149408 bytes)

Thumbnail Left: Rüdenberg with FA(A) 259 in Caudry, 1917-Page 106 of Article

Thumbnail Right: In the Cockpit of a Pfalz D. III x3-Page 109 of Article

 

Friedrich Rüdenberg was born in 1892. He was the fourth child of a middle class factory owner in Hanover (Georg Rüdenberg-father/Elsbeth Herzfeld-mother). There was nothing extraordinary about his volunteering for the fatherland. Like many young men of his time at the outbreak of the "Great War", he displayed true patriotism and presented himself to the German military for service. At the beginning of the war, he had just concluded his ninth semester in electrical engineering at his hometown technical college. He was preparing for state exams but, with the onset of a world committing to war, his personal education was placed on hiatus. On August 18, 1914 he applied to the Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 5 (an Aviation Replacement Detachment) which was combined with a military flight school, and by September 15, 1914 he had begun his basic training (Infantry).

The following chart highlights his progress, transfers, and promotions of which should be noted that he served the German Empire throughout the entire course of the war.

 

Date

Facility/Group

Description of Duty

September 15, 1914-February 22, 1915 Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 5 @ Hanover Basic & Observer Training-Unteroffizier (Corporal)
February 22, 1915-February 3, 1916 Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 5 @ Hanover Flight Training
February 3, 1916-June 8, 1916 Advanced Flight Training @ Metz Cross Country Flights/Coordinate with Ground Troops
June 8, 1916-July 1916 Armee-Flug_Park 5 @ Montmédy Further Training-First Enemy Mission *(Sperre)
July 5-August 1916 Artillerie-Flieger-Abteilung @ Verdun Fire Direction(Artillery)-First Combat Engagement
August 10-November 21, 1916 *Feld-Fliegerabteilung 26 @ Somme Reconnaisance-Sperre-2 to 3 Daily Missions
*November 21, 1916-August 24, 1917 *Feld-Fliegerabteilung (A) 259  200th Mission-Various Duties-Iron Cross; First Class
*May 20, 1917 Feld-Fliegerabteilung (A) 259  Selected for Officer Aspirant
August 24-31, 1917 Jagdstaffelschule I @ Valenciennes Fighter Airplane Training
**September 7-November 7, 1917 Jagdstaffel 10 (Richthofen) @ Flanders Combat @Western Front-Commander Werner Voss
**September 18, 1917 Jagdstaffel 10 (Richthofen) @ Flanders Promoted to "Leutnant der Reserve"
November 7, 1917-February 15, 1918 Technical University @ Hanover On Study Leave to Prepare for State Exams 

"Sperre" is described as preventing the enemy from infiltrating your airspace. 

From this point of his military career he served in various posts/duties while finishing his education/exams. By the wars end he had earned the "Iron Cross-Second Class", received his Graduate Degree in Electrical Engineering, and gave a Swedish military committee a tour/manuscript of fighter plane development. Apparently after the war he also volunteered for the "Freikorps", which helped the disoriented new "Republic of Germany" during the months after the war (There were several rebellions and riots which the Freikorps helped maintain civil order). From 1919-1936 he taught and directed studies at several universities and eventually made "Technical Director of AEG"-General Electric Company-Istanbul, Turkey. By 1936 the Nazi anti-Semitism was strong enough to cause him dismissal from his job. He decided not to return to Germany, and instead left for Palestine and found work with the "Palestine Electric Company" (later to become the "Israel Electric Company"). He stayed with this company until his retirement in 1959. Friedrich was an accomplished and decorated pilot of the German Empire. He did not have a single "victory" in combatant flight, but his recon missions provided valuable data that aided the Germans with troop movement, fire direction, and he provided Sperre as well. In his twilight years of his career as an engineer he returned to Cologne, Germany to work with German government/industry to assist with the modern electrification of Israel. Like Sulzbach, he had two fatherlands...Germany and Israel...and it seems it was his mission to unite the two.

Perhaps this was his "victory", one that was a spiritual bond of nations healing. If this is true, then all the victories of all the ACES combined would never compare to his single triumph of bringing two nations (people) together, that had been previously torn apart by misconceptions and prejudice.

 

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