{{Short description|German general (1897-1977)}} {{more citations needed|date=January 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox military person | name = Gerhard Bassenge | image = Gerhard Bassenge.jpg | caption = | birth_date = 18 November 1897 | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1977|3|13|1897|11|18}} | burial_label = | burial_place = | birth_place = [[Ettlingen]], [[Grand Duchy of Baden]] | death_place = [[Lübeck]], Germany | burial_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} --> | nickname = | allegiance = <br/>{{flag|German Empire}} (to 1918)<br/>{{flag|Weimar Republic}} (to 1933)<br/>{{flag|Nazi Germany}} | branch = Aviation | service_years = 1914–47 | rank = [[Brigadier General|Generalmajor]] | unit = {{plainlist| *[[Jagdstaffel 5]] *[[Jagdstaffel 2]] *[[Luftflotte 2]] *[[Luftflotte 5]] }} | commands = [[19th Grenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|19th Luftwaffe Field Division]] | battles = [[World War II]]<br/> *[[Battle of France]] *[[Battle of Britain]] *[[North African Campaign]] | awards = {{plainlist| *1914 [[Iron Cross]] }} | relations = | other_work = }} '''Gerhard Bassenge''' was a general in the [[Luftwaffe]] of [[Nazi Germany]] during [[World War II]]. In the inter-war period, he worked at the [[Reich Air Ministry]] and was one of the German officers most responsible for training the first German [[paratroopers]].
Bassenge was Chief of Staff of [[Luftflotte 2]] as it was part of the [[Blitzkrieg]] into the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in 1940. He became 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 took 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.<ref>''Above the Lines'', p. 66.</ref>
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 (World War I)|Western Front]] and the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]].<ref>''Jasta 2,'' p. 46.</ref>
===Entry into aviation=== He transferred to the ''[[Luftstreitkräfte]]'' and began pilot training on 1 April 1916. After training, he was assigned to Kampfstaffel 39. After serving with Kampfstaffel 39 for some months, Bassenge was remanded for further training.<ref name="AtL-p66">''Above the Lines'', p. 66.</ref>
On 17 January 1917 he began training as a fighter pilot. He was successful and was posted to a fighter squadron, [[Jagdstaffel 5]]. On 13 April, he put in his first claim for an aerial victory, over a British [[pusher configuration|pusher]] fighter; the claim went unconfirmed because he only forced it to land. On 2 May, he was transferred to another fighter unit, the famed [[Jagdstaffel 2]]. He was confirmed as a leutnant on 28 June 1917; his [[commission (document)|commission]] granted him over two years seniority in rank, back to 18 June 1915.<ref name="AtL-p66" /> Photos taken of him at about this time show a slender man with an erect carriage standing next to or sitting on his [[Albatros D.III]] biplane fighter.<ref>''Albatros Aces'', pp. 14–15.</ref> This Albatros, as was the German custom, had been embellished beyond its factory finish of umber and two tones of green. As had all the Jasta 2 aircraft, its tail had been painted white. Its nose, [[cowling]], struts, and wheel covers were painted gray. Bassenge's personal markings were superimposed–a black and white strip that ran back down the sides of the plane to where a wide black band edged in white encircled the fuselage.<ref>''Albatros Aces'', p. 92.</ref>
Bassenge used this plane to score his first aerial victory<ref>''Albatros Aces'', pp. 14–15, 92.</ref> on 20 October 1917. At 1220 hours, he shot down [[Sopwith Camel]] serial number B2370 from [[No. 70 Squadron RAF|No. 70 Squadron RFC]] south of Saint Quentin, France. On 6 November, it was followed by Sopwith Camel s/n B2441 from [[No. 65 Squadron RAF|No. 65 Squadron RFC]], destroyed over [[Staden]], Belgium. However, Bassenge was severely wounded. The wound would sideline him until July 1918.<ref name="AtL-p66" />
Bassenge used a new [[Fokker D.VII]] fighter<ref>''Fokker D.VII Aces'', p. 69.</ref> to demolish another Camel, number D8197, over [[Fere-en-Tardenois]], France in the afternoon of 25 July 1918. There was a lull in his wins after that. He did not destroy another British plane until 27 September; this time, it was another first-line fighter that fell, a [[Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5]]a from [[No. 32 Squadron RAF]] that went down over Noyelles at 1735 hours. The following morning, at 0835 hours, it was Camel number F3220 from [[No. 203 Squadron RAF]], destroyed between Ham and Lengelet. Less than a week later, he repeated his feat of back to back victories. On 4 October 1918, a SE.5a from [[No. 85 Squadron RAF]] fell over [[Joncourt]], France; the next day, it was a Camel over Crèvecœur. Bassenge would not win again before the [[Armistice with Germany|armistice]], and would end the war with seven victories.<ref name="AtL-p66" />
==Interwar period== In 1927, Bassenge completed his studies and was granted the title of [[Regulation and licensure in engineering|Dip. Ing.]] or Certified Engineer. Simultaneously, he was transferred to the [[Ministry of the Reichswehr|Reich Defense Ministry]]. In 1934, Bassenge transferred from the [[Reichswehr|German Army]] to the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'', which was then forming. His new assignment was as a consultant and Group Leader in the newly founded [[Reich Air Ministry]]. In 1937, Bassenge was assigned as [[Chief of Staff]] under Generalmajor [[Kurt Student]].
On 1 June 1938, he was reassigned to the [[Reich Air Ministry]] and seconded to work for the [[Commander in Chief]] of the Luftwaffe. On 1 October 1938, he was returned for duty in the Air Ministry, working on the ''Luftwaffe'' [[General Staff]]. He was promoted to [[Oberst]] on 1 May 1939; a month later, with the world on the brink of World War II, Bassenge was appointed [[Chief of Staff]] of Air Zone Command XVII in [[Vienna]], Austria.
==World War II== On 30 January 1940, Gerhard Bassenge was appointed Chief of Staff of [[Luftflotte 2]] under [[General der Flieger]] [[Albert Kesselring]]. Luftflotte 2 was heavily involved in the [[Blitzkrieg]] of the [[Netherlands]] and [[Belgium]], as it included General Student and his ''[[Fallschirmjäger (World War II)|Fallschirmjäger]]''. It was also the air support for the attack on the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] that ended at the [[Battle of Dunkirk]] with its consequent [[Evacuation of Dunkirk|evacuation]]. The Luftflotte then participated in the follow-up attack into France.<ref name="specialcamp2">{{cite web|url=http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk/Generalmajor%20Gerhard%20Bassenge.htm |title=Retrieved 17 December 2011 |publisher=Specialcamp11.co.uk |accessdate=2013-04-17}}</ref>
On 1 August 1940, Bassenge was transferred to be Chief of Staff of [[Luftflotte 5]] in [[Oslo]], Norway under [[colonel general|Generaloberst]] [[Hans-Jürgen Stumpff]]. On 15 August, Luftflotte 5 became involved in the [[Battle of Britain]], the first battle in history waged solely between opposing air forces.<ref name="specialcamp2"/> However, before that battle ended, Bassenge had once again been transferred; on 5 October 1940, he was appointed Chief of Staff of a ''Luftwaffe'' mission to Romania.<ref name="AtL-p66" />
His next assignment took him to his final theater of service, [[North African Campaign|North Africa]]. On 24 June 1941, he became the Airfield Area Commandant there. He would serve in that post until 1 October 1942, when he was named commanding officer of the [[19th Grenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|19th Luftwaffe Field Division]].<ref>''German Order of Battle'', p. 317.</ref> While serving in this post, he was promoted to [[Brigadier General|Generalmajor]] on 1 January 1943. One month later, he was appointed to command Fortress Area [[Tunis]]-[[Bizerte]], [[Tunisia]] [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2005-0131, Trent Park Camp.jpg|thumb|Gerhard Bassenge at [[Trent Park]].<br/>back row from left to right: [[Otto Elfeldt]], [[Ferdinand Heim]], Gerhard Bassenge<br />front row from left to right: [[Friedrich Freiherr von Broich]], [[Heinrich Eberbach]], [[Georg Neuffer]], [[Hans Reimann (soldier)|Hans Reimann]].]]
Bassenge was captured 9 May 1943 at [[Metline]], North Africa by the British. He was hastily transported to Britain, arriving at Camp 11, [[Trent Park]], on 16 May 1943. He was logged into this luxurious camp for high-ranking prisoners as POW 18809. His intake papers note him as having brown hair and blue eyes, being 5' 7 1/2" tall, and weighing 162 lbs. His next of kin was listed as Lotte Bassenge.<ref name="specialcamp2"/> Camp 11 was "bugged" by British [[military intelligence]], and on 10 July 1943, a wiretap caught Bassenge being informed of war crimes by a horrified [[Generalleutnant]] [[Georg Neuffer]].<ref>''Moral Combat'', p. 439.</ref> It is not known if Bassenge was previously unaware of the atrocities, or if the conversation caught on the wiretap influenced him, but while in captivity, Bassenge became an advocate of [[Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma]]'s views. [[General der Panzertruppe]] von Thoma, who was held prisoner along with Bassenge, believed that Hitler had gone insane and that the Nazi war effort was doomed. As the majority of German officers held prisoner were fervent Nazis, the views of Bassenge and Thoma caused considerable dissension with the Hitlerites.<ref>{{cite web|last=Citino |first=Robert M. |url=http://www.historynet.com/the-walls-have-ears.htm |title=Retrieved 18 December 2011 |date=8 April 2011 |publisher=Historynet.com |accessdate=2013-04-17}}</ref> This schism among the German officers may have been responsible for Bassenge's transfer to Camp 300; he would be returned from there to Camp 11 on 23 July 1946. On 1 October 1947, he was transferred to Camp 186; he was repatriated the next day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk/Generalmajor%20Gerhard%20Bassenge.htm |title=Retrieved 28 December 2011 |publisher=Specialcamp11.co.uk |accessdate=2013-04-17}}</ref> Bassenge died in [[Lübeck]], Germany on 13 March 1977.
==Awards== #1914 Iron Cross First Class with 1939 Bar{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} #Romanian [[Order of Michael the Brave]], Third Class on 19 September 1941 (per Royal Decree No. 2628)<ref name="specialcamp2" /> #[[German Cross]] in Gold on 15 July 1942 as ''[[Oberst]] im Generalstab'' in the [[General Staff]] of the Deutsche Luftwaffenmission Rumänien (German Air Force Mission Romania)<ref>Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 26.</ref>
==References== * ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. [[Norman Franks]], Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1993. {{ISBN|0-948817-73-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-948817-73-1}}. * ''Albatros Aces of World War I Part 2'', Greg Vanwyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2007. {{ISBN|1-84603-179-6}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84603-179-3}}. * ''Fokker D.VII Aces of World War I'', Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2003. {{ISBN|1-84176-533-3}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84176-533-4}}. * ''German Order of Battle, Volume Two: 291st–999th Infantry Divisions, Named Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII'', [[Samuel W. Mitcham]], [[Stackpole Books]], 2007. * ''Jagdstaffel 2 Boelcke: Von Richthofen's Mentor'', Greg Vanwyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2007. {{ISBN|1-84603-203-2}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84603-203-5}}. {{ISBN|0-8117-3437-4}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8117-3437-0}} * ''Moral Combat: Good and Evil in World War II'', [[Michael Burleigh]]. Harper, 2011. {{ISBN|0-06-058097-6}}, {{ISBN|978-0-06-058097-1}}. * {{Cite book |last1=Patzwall |first1=Klaus D. |last2=Scherzer |first2=Veit |year=2001 |title=Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II |trans-title=The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2 |language=German |location=Norderstedt, Germany |publisher=Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall |isbn=978-3-931533-45-8 }}
==Endnotes== {{Reflist}}
{{wwi-air}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassenge, Gerhard}} [[Category:German World War I flying aces]] [[Category:1977 deaths]] [[Category:1897 births]] [[Category:People from Karlsruhe (district)]] [[Category:People from the Grand Duchy of Baden]] [[Category:Luftwaffe World War II generals]] [[Category:German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class]] [[Category:Recipients of the Gold German Cross]] [[Category:Major generals of the Luftwaffe]] [[Category:Military personnel from Baden-Württemberg]]