Walter Gericke

Walter Gericke
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2005-0808-506, Walter Gericke.jpg
Born	(1907-12-23)23 December 1907 Bilderlahe, German Empire
Died	19 October 1991(1991-10-19) (aged 83)
Allegiance	Weimar Republic Nazi Germany West Germany
Branch	Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht) German Army (Bundeswehr)
Service years	1929–45, 1956–65
Rank	Oberst (Wehrmacht) Generalmajor (Bundeswehr)
Commands	11th Parachute Division 1. Luftlandedivision
Conflicts	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 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)
• German Cross in Gold on 12 December 1943 as Major in the II./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6
• 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
  • 585th Oak Leaves on 17 September 1944 as Major and commander of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 11