Rudi_Linz--Karl_Heinz_Lichte

Rudolf "Rudi" Linz (14 February 1917 – 9 February 1945) was a Luftwaffe (German air force) fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 70 aerial victories achieved in an unknown number of combat missions, becoming an "ace-in-a-day" on four separate occasions. All but two of his aerial victories were claimed on the Eastern Front. On 9 February 1945, he was shot down and killed in action in defense of the German destroyer Z33 and posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 March.