German WWII Signed Photo of Rudolf “Rudi” Opitz-Rudolf was born on August 9th 1910. Prior to WW2 he was a successful glider pilot. He trained at Rossitten and became a glider instructor in 1934. Between 1936 and 1940 he was employed as a test pilot of DFS of Darmstadt. On his entry into the Luftwaffe he was appointed technical officer and instructor on cargo gliders. He took part in the attack on for Eben Emael in Belgium, flying a glider. From 41 onwards, he was employed as a test pilot by the Luftwaffe test center in Rechlin near Berlin, here he was involved in the development of the Me 163 (Mersserschmidt). Opitz was a renowned German WWII test pilot, chief pilot for the rocket-powered Me-163 Komet, and commander of JG 400. However, records indicate he did not win the Knight’s Cross. He was instead awarded the Iron Cross (1st and 2nd Class) and the prestigious German Cross in Gold. Rudolf survived the war and passed away in 2010. This is a small black and white photo of Opitz. It measures 4 inches (10.16cm) long by 3 inches (7.62cm) wide. It is signed at the bottom matte of the photo in blue ink. This photo was signed in the 1980’s when it was popular to write to these living veterans to get memorabilia.