Adolf Rüd was a Hauptscharführer, in the Waffen SS during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II. Adolf Rüd was serving as a platoon commander in the Headquarters Company, 3rd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Deutschland, 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, when he was awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross, during the Battle of Normandy.