User:FRANKBISTORY/Gerhard Khatz

Gerhard Kahtz was [Nigerian Air Force]]'s Chief of the Air Staff from 1963 to 1965. Colonel Gerhard Kahtz can be described as the first Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF). However, he was officially designated as the Commander of the NAF. His task was to create an Air Force for Nigeria when the agreement was signed between Nigeria and Germany in 1963.

Born on 26 November 1922 in Durlach, Germany, Colonel Kahtz was a professional architect, before his commission as an officer into the German Air Force. He served the GAF as a Luftwaffe pilot during the Second World War during which he was decorated with the prestigious Iron Cross for his courage and devotion to duty. Colonel Kahtz arrived Nigeria on 30 May 1963 as head of the German Air Force Assistance Group (GAFAG) which was charged with the responsibility of setting up the Nigeria Air Force, by recruiting troops, buying aircraft, establishing support services or training equipment on ground. By the end of his tour of duty on 23 November 1965, a functional Nigeria Air Force existed with an operational base in Kaduna and administrative headquarters in Lagos. His administration brought the first set of aircraft into the NAF inventory. Among these is the Allouette helicopter and fixed wing aircraft such as the DO-27, the Piaggio and the Nord Atlas. http://www.nigerianairforce.net