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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. ==From birth through World War I== Gerhard Bassenge was born in Ettlingen, the Grand Duchy of Baden in the German Empire on 18 November 1897.〔''Above the Lines'', p. 66.〕 Bassenge began his military career in the early days of World War I, on 4 October 1914, just shy of his 17th birthday. He became an Unteroffizier or noncommissioned officer; he was also a Fahnenjunker or officer candidate. He was assigned as a platoon leader in the Imperial German Army's 29th Infantry Regiment. He was then ranked as a Fahnrich or ensign, the most junior officer rank in the German Army. On 27 January 1915, while still only 17 years of age, he received a field promotion to Leutnant. While in the infantry, he served on both the Western Front and the Eastern Front.〔''Jasta 2,'' p. 46.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gerhard Bassenge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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