serviceyears branch commands death_date death_place birth_place allegiance unit awards battles birth_date rank image article_title name
1914 -- 47 aviation 19th luftwaffe field division 13 march 1977 lübeck , germany ettlingen , grand duchy of baden germany 29th luftflotte 2 luftflotte 5 infantry regiment kasta 39 jagdstaffel 5 jagdstaffel 2 1914 iron cross first class with 1939 bar german army pilot iron 's badge wound badge in black wehrmacht long service award cross third class cross of honor for combatants 1914-1918 luftwaffe pilot second 's badge luftwaffe parachutist 's badge commemorative medal with prague class castle bar long service award first class romanian air force with pilot 's badge slovakian bravery medal second class romanian order 1939 of michael the brave third class gold award of the bar german cross 1914 world war ii 18 november 1897 generalmajor gerhard bassenge.jpg gerhard bassenge
 gerhard bassenge
gerhard bassenge

generalmajor gerhard bassenge began his military career during world war i when only 16 years old .
he was promoted into the officer 's ranks at age 17 , and served in the infantry on both the western front and the eastern front .
he would then transfer into aviation and become an ace pilot credited with seven aerial victories .
after germany 's defeat , he remained in service .
he served in the ground forces while earning an engineering degree .
he then transferred into the nascent `` luftwaffe '' and found his technical skills used in the newly established reich air ministry .
he was one of the german officers most responsible for training the first german paratroopers .
he was chief of staff of luftflotte 2 as it was part of the blitzkrieg into the netherlands , belgium , and france in the early days of world war , in early 1940 .
he would follow that up by becoming chief of staff of luftflotte 5 in norway while it flew into the northern british isles in the battle of britain .
after being part of a `` luftwaffe '' mission to romania , he would move on to take part in the north african campaign in 1941 - 1943 .
he was captured there on 9 may 1943 , and was held prisoner of war until 2 october 1947 .
