The second son of General der Infanterie Ernst Hasse, Kurt Hasse followed the family tradition and studied at the Hannover Cavalry School from 1930-36. Like his brothers, Hasse became an expert horse rider while attending the school. Hasse’s older brother Ernst won the Deutsches Spring- und Dressur-Derby in 1931 and his younger brother Werner became an amateur jockey who recorded 195 wins during his career.
The highlight of Kurt Hasse’s sporting career came at the 1936 Olympics where, despite being one of the youngest show jumpers in the field, he won the jumping gold medal with ease. He also led the German jumping team to a gold medal. A career military officer, major Hasse was killed-in-action on the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union in 1944.
Germany