Major
Rudolf “Rudi” Sinner was born in 1915 in Austria.
In 1936, he was serving in the Austrian Army in the horsedrawn artillery.
During the invasion of Poland, he served with an anti-aircraft artillery
unit before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1940. Sinner began his aerial
combat career with JG 3, based on the Western front, but was then transferred
to JG 27 serving in North Africa. He was assigned to 2./JG 27. It was with
JG 27 that Sinner gained his greatest successes. He claimed his first victory
on 12 October 1941, when he shot down a RAF P-40 fighter near Sidi Omar.
On 4 June 1942, Sinner was appointed Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 27. On
10 June, Oberleutnant Sinner was shot down near Bir Hacheim by the British
Ace, Charles Overton (5.5 confirmed, 1 probable and 0.5 damaged victories),
flying a Spitfire Vb fighter of 145 Squadron, RAF. Then, on 24 June, Sinner’s
aircraft was hit in the engine during combat with RAF Hurricane fighters
and he was forced to make a forced-landing. On 10 July, he shot down a
Hurricane fighter with only one of his 7.92mm MG 17 machine-guns functioning.
Sinner recorded his 10th victory on 13 July and his 20th on 24 July. On
31 August, Sinner shot down a Hurricane near Alam el Haifa. His victim
was South African Ace, John “Harry” Gaynor (5.5 destroyed and 6 damaged
victories) of 1 Sqn, SAAF, who crash-landed unhurt. He claimed his 30th
victory on 3 September. In June 1943, Hauptmann Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur
IV./JG 27 then based at Kalamaki, Greece. However, his stay with the unit
was destined to brief. On 30 July 1943, Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur
of IV./JG 54, based on the Russian front, taking over from Hauptmann Erich
Rudorffer (224 victories, RK-S). Sinner led the Gruppe until 10 February
1944. He added three further victories to his victory total during his
time with the unit. In March 1944, Hauptmann Sinner became Gruppenkommandeur
of III./JG 54 located on the Western front. On 6 March 1944, Sinner shot
down a USAAF B-17 four-engine bomber for his 36th victory. However, his
aircraft was hit by the bombers’ defensive fire and Sinner was badly wounded.
He successfully baled out of his stricken Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 410 557) "2".
By 12 June 1944, Sinner was again serving with JG 27, based on the Invasion
front in France, in command of I. Gruppe. He was to lead the Gruppe until
1 August 1944. On 1 January 1945, Major Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur
of III./JG 7 flying Me 262 jet fighters. At this time his victory total
stood at 36, including 32 victories achieved over North Africa. Sinner
was to add three confirmed victories to his tally flying the jet, including
two USAAF B-24 four-engine bombers near Rathenow on 3 March. On 4 April,
Sinner led seven other Me 262s off from Rechlin. Emerging from the clouds
shortly after take-off, the flight was bounced by P-51 fighters of the
339th Fighter Group, USAAF. In the ensuing combat “Rudi” Sinner’s aircraft
was hit. With his face and hands badly burned, he baled out at low level.
His parachute deployed at the last moment, but did not completely fill,
and he was hanging by just the left strap when he hit the ground heavily
in a ploughed field and dragged into a barbed wire fence. He reported that
the P-51s then attempted to strafe him, but he feigned death and, as the
P-51 fighters departed, he made his way to the safety of a deep furrow.
Sinner’s wounds were serious enough to keep him out of the rest of war.
Rudolf Sinner was credited with 39 victories in
305 missions. 36 of his victories were achieved over the Western
front, including three
four-engine bombers
and three flying the Me 262 jet fighter. Three
victories were achieved over the Eastern front.
He was shot down 12 times, baling out on three occasions, and was wounded
five times.
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12.10.1941
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P-40 | 2./JG 27 | Sidi Omar | Tomahawk IIb (AN355) of 3 Sqn, RAAF flown by Sgt TD Parker, baled out |
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17.12.1941
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Hurricane | 2./JG 27 | SE Martuba | Hurricane of 1 Sqn, SAAF flown by Lt MacRobert |
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13.2.1942
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Hurricane | 2./JG 27 | ESE Tobruk | - |
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23.2.1942
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P-40 | 2./JG 27 | SE Umm-er-Rzem | Kittyhawk of 450 Sqn, RAF flown by F/O CKT Thompson |
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23.2.1942
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P-40 | 2./JG 27 | SE Umm-er-Rzem | Kittyhawk of 450 Sqn, RAF flown by Sgt KM McBride, crash-landed, DOW |
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30.5.1942
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P-40 | Stab I./JG 27 | Bir-el-Harmat | - |
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24.6.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | 20 km S Bir el Tholata | Hurricane of 33 Sqn, RAF flown by P/O Ingelsby |
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26.6.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | SE Marsa Matruh | - |
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10.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | SW El Alamein | Hurricane of 274 Sqn, RAF flown by Sgt Craggs |
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13.7.1942
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P-40 | 6./JG 27 | ENE El Dakar | - |
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17.7.1942
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Spitfire | 6./JG 27 | El Dakar | Spitfire of 145 Sqn, RAF flown by Sgt Rostart |
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17.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | Haggag-el-Quasaba | - |
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17.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | S Haggag-el-Quasaba | - |
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19.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | Bir el Themta | Hurricane of 127 or 238 Sqn, RAF |
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19.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | S El Alamein | Hurricane of 127 or 238 Sqn, RAF |
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20.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | 3 km SE Bir-el-Khasa | Hurricane of 33 Sqn, RAF flown by Sgt Moher |
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21.7.1942
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P-40 | 6./JG 27 | N Bir-el-Harmat | - |
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21.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | SW El Alamein | - |
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24.7.1942
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P-40 | 6./JG 27 | S Bir el Abd | Kittyhawk of 112 Sqn, RAF or 5 Sqn, SAAF |
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24.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | S Deir ei Raghil | Hurricane of 92 Sqn, RAF flown by Sgt Moore, baled out, POW |
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28.7.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | 3 km E Deir-el-Taqa | Hurricane IIa of 208 Sqn, RAF flown by P/O K Clark, killed |
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3.8.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | SE El Daba | Hurricane of 33 or 213 Sqn, RAF |
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3.8.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | Bir Ibrahim | Hurricane of 33 or 213 Sqn, RAF |
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14.8.1942
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P-40 | 6./JG 27 | NW El Alamein | Not confirmed |
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27.8.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | NE Kharita | Hurricane of 1 Sqn, SAAF flown by 2/Lt D de Klerk, killed |
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31.8.1942
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Hurricane | 6./JG 27 | Alam el Haifa | Hurricane II “AX-A” of 1 SAAF Sqn flown by JH Gaynor (5.5/0/6 victories), crash-landed |
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31.8.1942
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Spitfire | 6./JG 27 | S Ilmayid | - |
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1.9.1942
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P-40 | 6./JG 27 | ENE Deir-el-Taqa | Kittyhawk of 450 Sqn, RAF |
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1.9.1942
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P-40 | 6./JG 27 | E Deir-el-Taqa | Kittyhawk of 450 Sqn, RAF |
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3.9.1942
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P-40 | 6./JG 27 | S El Hammam | - |
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3.9.1942
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Spitfire | 6./JG 27 | S Bir Ibrahim | - |
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6.9.1942
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P-39 | 6./JG 27 | S Ilmayid | - |
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11.10.1943
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LaGG-3 | Stab IV./JG 54 | NE Ussvyati | - |
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18.10.1943
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P-40 | Stab IV./JG 54 | SE Pushkin | - |
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27.10.1943
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La-5 | Stab IV./JG 54 | 10 714 | - |
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6.3.1944
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B-17 | Stab III./JG 54 | Essen-Vechta | - |
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26.11.1944
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P-38 | III./JG 7 | Near Kitzbühl | P-38J of 1FG, USAAF flown by Lt Julius Thomas, baled out, POW |
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3.3.1945
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B-24 | Stab III./JG 7 | Near Rathenow | B-24 of 448BG, USAAF |
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3.3.1945
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B-24 | Stab III./JG 7 | Near Rathenow | B-24 of 448BG, USAAF |
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7.3.1945
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P-51 | Stab III./JG 7 | not confirmed? | - |
Victories : 39
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (27 October 1942)
Units : JG 3, JG 27, JG 54, JG 7
