Gustav Rödel was a veteran of the Condor Legion in Spain. On the first day of the Second World War he was credited with a Polish PZL P.24. He fought in the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain, and in Greece, filing claims in all three. He briefly participated in Operation Barbarossa, filing a single claim against an SB bomber before 4./JG 27 was transferred to North Africa. Rödel survived the war with a total of 98 victories, including 52 in the Mediterranean and 13 Viermots.