Operation Barbarossa

The Gruppe relocated to an airfield at Moderówka on 18 June where the Gruppe concluded their last preparations for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the V. Fliegerkorps (5th Air Corps), under command of General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim, which was part of Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet), under command of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr. These air elements supported Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South), with the objective of capturing the Ukraine and its capital Kiev.^[3]

Defense of the Reich

In early August 1943, II. Gruppe of JG 3 was withdrawn from the Eastern Front for service in Defense of the Reich on the Western Front. The Gruppe spent one-month training in northern Germany before they arrived at the Schiphol airfield near Amsterdam in the Netherlands on 12 September.^[4] While based at Uetersen Airfield, Rüffler joined the Gruppe which received the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 and was equipped with Y-Control for fighters, a system used to control groups of fighters intercepting United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) bomber formations. Rüffler was assigned to 4. Staffel commanded by Oberleutnant Werner Lucas while the Gruppe was headed by Major Kurt Brändle.^[5] On 20 October, the USAAF targeted Düren. II. Gruppe intercepted the bombers near Venlo but were fended off by the escorting Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. Elements of II. Gruppe managed to reach the bombers on their return. Two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were shot down, including one by Rüffler.^[6] On 11 December, the USAAF VIII Bomber Command launched an attack on Emden. Defending against this attack, Rüffler was credited with an Herausschuss (separation shot) over a B-17 bomber—a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from its combat box which was counted as an aerial victory.^[7]

On 24 February 1944, the USAAF Eighth and Fifteenth Air Force attacked German aircraft manufacturing during Operation Argument, also known as "Big Week". II. Gruppe intercepted west of Gotha, making several passes through the combat box formations. During this encounter, II. Gruppe pilots claimed seven bombers shot and two Herausschüsse, including one Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber shot down by Rüffler.^[8] On 8 April, the USAAF committed 664 bombers in an attack on Luftwaffe airfields in northwest Germany and aircraft manufacturing near Braunschweig. That day, Rüffler claimed one of the attacking B-24 bombers shot down.^[9] On 18 April, the Eighth Air Force targeted the industrial area of Berlin. II. Gruppe was scrambled at 13:17 and without sustaining any losses claimed three B-17 bombers shot down, including one by Rüffler. The next day, Rüffler was credited with two aerial victories, a B-17 shot down and an Herausschuss over a second B-17. That day, the USAAF again targeted the German aircraft industry as well as Luftwaffe airfields in Westphalia and Hesse.^[10] On 8 May, the Eighth Air Force again headed for Berlin and Braunschweig. II. Gruppe was scrambled at 08:42 and were vectored to Hamburg and then southwest towards Bremen were Rüffler claimed an Herausschuss over a B-17 bomber.^[10]

On 18 July 1944, Rüffler engaged in aerial combat with North American P-51 Mustang fighters west of Caen. During this engagement, he claimed two P-51 fighters shot down before he was himself shot down and wounded in his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 165 451—factory number).^[11][12] His injuries were so severe that he was out of action for several months. Following his convalescence, Rüffler did not return to JG 3 but was trained to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in February 1945 but did not claim any aerial victories flying the Me 262.^[13] He then transferred to Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) where he served as Schwarmführer of 9. Staffel of JG 51.^[14] Flying with JG 51 during the final days of the war, Rüffler claimed 25 further aerial victories on the Eastern Front.^[15]

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Rüffler was credited with 88 aerial victories,^[18] while Spick lists him with 98 aerial victories.^[19] Forsyth states that he shot eight four-engined heavy bombers.^[11] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that he claimed at least 54 aerial victories, with over 50 claims on the Eastern Front and four claims over the Western Allies, including one four-engined bomber.^[20]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 15 S/NA-7". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km²). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.^[21]

Awards

• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class^[45]
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 19 October 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot^{[46][Note 7]}
• German Cross in Gold on 3 December 1942 as Feldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 3^[47]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 December 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"^{[48][Note 8]}