Heroes of the Wehrmacht

A farmer’s son  not a professional soldier  but a passionate flyer who was one of Germany’s best fighter pilots  that was Lieutenant Gerhard Koeppen. He had a soldier’s personality, yet wanted to take off his uniform after the war to become a farmer on his own land.

Gerhard Koeppen was born in Holzendorf in Prenzlau on 17 May 1918. Even as a schoolboy he was an enthusiastic glider pilot. After finishing school, he worked on his father’s farm and attended agricultural school, learning aircraft mechanics on the side. He volunteered for the Luftwaffe when he turned 18.