Walter Gericke Explained
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 World War II.
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
- Knight's Cross on 14 June 1941 as Hauptmann and commander of the IV./Fallschirmjäger-Sturm-Regiment[3]
- 585th Oak Leaves on 17 September 1944 as Major and commander of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 11[3]
References
Bibliography
- Book: 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 . German . Norderstedt, Germany . Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall . 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Book: 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 . German . Jena, Germany . Scherzers Militaer-Verlag . 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Book: Thomas
, Franz
. 1997 . Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K . The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K . German . Osnabrück, Germany . Biblio-Verlag . 978-3-7648-2299-6.
Notes and References
- Thomas 1997, p. 195.
- Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 135.
- Scherzer 2007, p. 332.
