Friedrich von Gatow 

Friedrich von Gatow was born at the 16th of July 1940 in Allenstein, Ostpreußen as the 3rd son of a Prussian noble family. Friedrich was traditionally reared with harshness. The escape from East Prussia, the beloved homeland, is still an influential event, even when he was a little boy. From 1952 to 1958 Friedrich von Gatow visited the Swiss residential school "Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz" at Engadin. After successfully studying mechanical engineering at ETH Zurich, he joined on April 4th, 1963 as a junior officer in the service of the West-German Army. He married in 1965 his childhood sweetheart Marietta with whom he later raised two sons. Until 1966 he was trained to be an officer of the "Panzertruppe" (tank force) in Koblenz and Munich. After completing officer training, he was employed until 1977 at the 21st Tank Battalion in Augustdorf first as a platoon leader, later as an S2 officer and finally as a company commander. He retired honorably from the Army and worked from 1978 at the Bavarian State Chancellery. In 1982 he moved to the Federal Intelligence Service where he worked until his retirement in 2005 as a department chief. When he left active duty he had the rank of colonel. Since retirement, Friedrich von Gatow is dedicated to the reconditioning of the family history. Based on diary notes and letters of his fallen brothers he is writing world war novels which represent a whole generation. They should prevent oblivion and honor the fallen German soldiers of World War II.