[1] He was promoted to an officer candidate for bravery before the enemy and also was awarded the Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class.

That same year, he fought in Poland, Russia and Courland (now Latvia) He then served as Zugführer (platoon leader) of a machine gun unit after he was transferred to the Feldkriegsschule[clarification needed] of the German 8th Army in 1916.

He was transferred to the Western Front in the spring of 1917 and fought in the Battle of Lys where his division suffered heavy casualties.

[2] This unit was subordinated to the 2nd Panzer division during the Invasion of Poland and fought under the command of Decker near Kraków and the Jablonka Pass.

In Balkans Campaign, his regiment fought in Yugoslavia, northern Greece, occupied Athens and crossed the Corinth Canal.