Hans Gandert

Hans Gandert
Birth name	Hans Eberhard Gandert
Birth date	2 September 1892
Place of birth	Sandberg near Belzig, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	24 July 1947 (aged 54)
Place of death	Augsburg, Bavaria, Allied-occupied Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Reichswehr Luftwaffe
Years of service	1912–1945
Rank	Generalmajor
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Iron Cross House Order of Hohenzollern War Merit Cross

Hans Eberhard Gandert (also wrongly Hans-Eberhardt; 2 September 1892 – 24 July 1947) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Major General of the Luftwaffe in WWII. Between November 1917 and August 1918, the World War I flying ace of the Luftstreitkräfte shot down 8 enemy planes (Luftsiege), with another one unconfirmed, over the Eastern and the Western Front.

Military career (chronology)

Gandert (4th from left) with his comrades from the Feldflieger-Abteilung 31

Major General Hellmuth Felmy with Hans Gandert (right) during an inspection in 1936

• 1905 to 1908 Attended Potsdam cadet school
• 1908 to 1912 Attended Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute in Groß-Lichterfelde near Berlin
• 22 March 1912 Entered military service by joining the Rheinisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 8
• 2 June 1914 – 18 August 1914 Detached for Pilot-Training to the Flying-School (Fliegerschule) Niederneuendorf
• 19 August 1914 – 13 September 1914 Detached to the Flying-Replacement-Battalion (Fliegerersatz-Abteilung) Döberitz
• 14 September 1914: Posted to Feldflieger-Abteilung 31 (FFA 31)
  • 2nd Lieutenant Gandert and his observer Friedrich "Fritz" Wilhelm von Hesler (1891–1950), who served in the 2. Königlich-Sächsisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 101 "Kaiser Wilhelm, König von Preußen" before the war, were shot down near Grójec in Poland by Imperial Russian ground fire on 10 October 1914, but both made it back per pedes over the front line to FFA 31 on 13 October 1914.
• 27 December 1915: Transferred to Army Flight Park South
• 6 June 1916: Transferred to Flieger-Abteilung 54
• 3 November 1916: Awaiting reassignment while in replacement pool
• 13 July 1917: Transferred back to Army Flight Park South
• 4 August 1917: Posted to Flieger-Abteilung 242
• 2 November 1917: Posted to Flieger-Abteilung 24
  • Gandert scored his first two victories while serving in Romania in November 1917.
• 23 December 1917: Awaiting reassignment while in replacement pool
• 9 January 1918: Appointed Staffelführer (Squadron leader) of Jagdstaffel 51 (fighter squadron)
  • He would lead from the front, scoring five confirmed victories and one unconfirmed, including shooting down and killing British ace Edwin Benbow.
• 28 February 1918: Appointed to command of Jagdgruppe 6
• 1 March 1918: Commander of the Jagdgruppe 6
• 29 September 1918 – 9 April 1919: Detained as a prisoner of war after having been shot down and wounded while attacking British observation balloons.
• With the Airbase Neuruppin (11 Apr 1919-31 Mar 1920)
• In the Reichs Defence Ministry (01 Apr 1920-05 May 1920)
• With the 208th Motor-Vehicle-Company (06 May 1920-14 May 1920)
• With the 4th Brigade-Motor-Vehicle-Battalion (15 May 1920-30 Sep 1920)
• In the 7th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-31 Dec 1920)
• Platoon-Leader in the 12th Infantry-Regiment (01 Jan 1921-30 Jun 1923)
• With the Staff of the Training-Battalion of the 12th Infantry-Regiment (01 Jul 1923-12 Sep 1923)
• MG-Officer with the Staff of the 12th Infantry-Regiment (13 Sep 1923-30 Sep 1924)
• Company-Chief in the 12th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1934-31 Mar 1928)
• With the Staff of the Training-Battalion of the 12th Infantry-Regiment (01 Apr 1928-30 Apr 1928)
• Company-Commander in the 1st Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1928-30 Sep 1931)
  • 1 November 1930 On the secret aviator list of the Reichswehr
• With the 2nd Medical-Battalion (01 Oct 1931-30 Jun 1933)
• Instructor at the Infantry-School (01 Jul 1933-30 Sep 1934)
• Transferred to Luftwaffe Service as Officer with Special Duties of the Reichs Air Minister (01 Oct 1934-06 Jan 1935)
• Detached to Bomber-Flying-School (Kampffliegerschule) Lechfeld (07 Jan 1935-31 Mar 1935)
• Detached to the Flying-School Cottbus (01 Apr 1935-14 May 1935)
• Detached to the Light Motor-Transport-Company III (15/05/1935-06/07/1935)
• With the Staff of the Light Motor-Transport-Company III (07 Jul 1935-31 Jan 1936)
• 1 February 1936 – 1 April 1937 Commander of the Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 12
  • One of his students was Robert Heuer, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
• Placed to the Disposal of the 17th Flying-Training-Regiment (01 Aug 1937-30 Sep 1937)
• Commander of Flying-Schools and the Flying-Replacement-Battalion II (01 Oct 1937-30 Jun 1938)
• Department-Chief (Luftwaffenverwaltungsamt, Abteilungschef LD 4) in RLM (01 Jul 1938-18 Jul 1941)
• 19 July 1941: Appointed as Inspector of Clothing and Food Supplies for the Luftwaffe
• 1 May 1942: Placed in charge of the Luftwaffe Exercise Grounds at Zingst
• 26 November 1944 – 28 February 1945: Führerreseve (Leader Reserve)
• 28 February 1945: Retired

Promotions

• 22 March 1912: Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 16 June 1913 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 2 June 1911
• 18 August 1916 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 1 August 1923 Hauptmann (Captain)
• 1 July 1933 Major
• 1 July 1935 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 1 August 1937 Oberst (Colonel)
• 1 December 1939 Generalmajor (Major General)

Awards and decorations

• Prussian military pilot badge (Preußisches Militär-Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen)
• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
• Honour Goblet for the Victor in Aerial Combat (Ehrenbecher für den Sieger im Luftkampf)
• Austrian Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration (ÖM3K)
• Prussian Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight’s Cross with Swords (HOH3⚔) in August 1918
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1918) in Black
• Aviator Commemorative Badge (Flieger-Erinnerungsabzeichen)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (1934) with Swords
• Pilot's Badge (Flugzeugführerabzeichen)
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class on 2 October 1936
• Sword for the winner in the officers' prize shoot in the L. K. K. II on 17 february 1937
• Grand Imperial Order of the Red Arrows, Commander
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class with Swords