Gerhard Bassenge

Who was Gerhard Bassenge?

General-Major 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.