Walter Gericke | |
|---|---|
 Walter Gericke | |
| Born | 23 December 1907 Bilderlahe |
| Died | 19 October 1991 (aged 83) |
| Allegiance | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Weimar Republic.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nazi Germany  West Germany |
| Service/ | Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht) German Army (Bundeswehr) |
| Years of service | 1929–45, 1956–65 |
| Rank | Oberst (Wehrmacht) Generalmajor (Bundeswehr) |
| Commands held | 11th Parachute Division 1. Luftlandedivision |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Walter Gericke (23 December 1907 – 19 October 1991) was a German paratroop officer in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II and a general in the Bundeswehr of West Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
Gericke took part in the Battle of the Netherlands and the Battle of Crete as a Fallschirmjäger battalion commander. He later commanded the Fallschirjäger-Regiment 11 (part of the 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division) and fought in the Battle of Anzio.
Gericke joined the newly formed Bundeswehr after the rearmament of West Germany and as a Generalmajor led the 1. Luftlande-Division from 1962 to 1965.
In 1974, Gericke supported the establishment of a war cemetery in Maleme which is the final resting place for 4.465 German soldiers who lost their lives on the island of Crete during WWII.
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (10 April 40) & 1st Class (12 May 1940)[1]
- German Cross in Gold on 12 December 1943 as Major in the II./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.