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STUDENT, KURT

Student, Kurt

(May 12, 1890–July 1, 1978)
German General

S

tudent was a pio-
neer of airborne
warfare whose para-
troopers and glider forces
were the envy of the
world. However, the
costly victory at Crete in
1941 underscored their
limitations, and his men
were grounded for the
rest of the war. Three
years later Student was
called upon to help
thwart the biggest air-
borne offensive in history.
Kurt Student was born
on May 12, 1890, in Birk-
honz, Germany, the scion
of a minor aristocratic
family. After graduating
from the Lichterfeld
Cadet School in 1908, he
was commissioned a sec-
ond lieutenant in the York
Jager (sharpshooter)bat-
talion, and two years
later he was selected to

pass through the elite

Kriegsakademie(war col-

lege) at Danzig. By this

time aviation technology

had developed to the

point where military ap-

plications were feasible,

and Student volunteered

for pilot training in 1913.

When World War I com-

menced the following

year, he flew along the

Eastern Front as a fighter

pilot. In 1915, Student

transferred to the West-

ern Front commanding a

fighter squadron with the

rank of captain. But by

war’s end, the Treaty of

Versailles forbade Ger-

manyfrom possessing mi-

litary aircraft, so Student

transferred back to the

infantry.

The interwar period

proved an innovative

time for Student. Ger-

Kurt Student

Imperial War Museum