Walter Gericke

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.

Walter Gericke
Walter Gericke
Born	(1907-12-23)23 December 1907 Bilderlahe
Died	19 October 1991(1991-10-19) (aged 83)
Allegiance	Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht) German Army (Bundeswehr)
Years of service	1929–45, 1956–65
Rank	Oberst (Wehrmacht) Generalmajor (Bundeswehr)
Commands	11th Parachute Division 1. Luftlandedivision
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	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]