Rudolf Heinz CRANZ

Alpine skiers Rudi and Christl Cranz were siblings. Born in Brussels, their parents fled to Reutlingen during World War I. Rudi came sixth in the alpine combination at the 1936 Garmisch Partenkirchen Winter Olympics. He won four National titles (Alpine combination in 1937 and 1941, and slalom in 1939 and 1941). He twice participated in the World Championships; in 1937 when he finished fourth in the slalom and fifth in the combination, and 1939 when he finished fourth in both events.

Only a few months after his last German National in 1941 Rudi was killed-in-action during World War II at the beginning of the Russian campaign “Barbarossa” in Rosaniec , Poland. When Christl heard of her brother’s death she immediately retired from competitive skiing.