On 12 April 1879 he was made an ensign in the 2nd (1st Pomeranian) Grenadier Regiment of the Prussian Army in Szczecin; and was promoted to second lieutenant on November 13, 1879.

Busse became a Prime Lieutenant on September 19, 1888, and from October 1, 1888, to July 21, 1891, received further training at the Prussian Staff College.

Then he was transferred back to Stettin to serve for a year in the 148th (5th West Prussian) Infantry Regiment and on April 30, 1898, came to the Hauptkadettenanstalt as a teacher.

With this he crossed the Danube at Semendria and formed the vanguard of the IV Reserve Corps on its advance through Serbia to the Greek border.

During the Brusilov Offensive in the summer of 1916, Busse then commanded the infantry of Wilhelmi's division and was able to stop the advance of the Russian armed forces in his sector.

As an attack division, it played a major role in the breakthrough battles, and on April 16, 1918, Busse received the highest Prussian valor award, the order Pour le Mérite, for his achievements.

After the failure of the German offensive, the division returned to trench warfare, fighting at Monchy-Bapaume at the beginning of September and at Valenciennes at the end of October.

In the course of the dissolution of the Prussian Army, Busse was put up for disposal on September 30, 1919, and given the character of lieutenant general and retired.