Colonel Gerhard Kahtz can be described as the first Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the NAF. However, he was officially designated as the Commander of the NAF. He had the onerous task of building up an Air Force for Nigeria when the agreement for that purpose was signed between Nigeria and Germany in 1963.

Born on 26 November 1922 in Durlach, Germany, Colonel Kahtz was a professional architect, before his commission as an officer into the German Air Force. He served the GAF as a Luftwaffe pilot during the Second World War during which he was decorated with the prestigious Iron Cross for his courage and devotion to duty. Colonel Kahtz arrived Nigeria on 30 May 1963 as head of the GAFAG which was charged with the responsibility of setting up the NAF. He started literally from the scratch, as he had no troops, aircraft, support services or training equipment on ground. However, by the end of his tour of duty on 23 November 1965, a functional NAF existed with an operational base in Kaduna and administrative headquarters in Lagos. It was the firmness and quality of the foundation he laid, that saw the NAF through a civil war and to the height it attained in later years.
His administration brought the first set of aircraft into the NAF inventory. Among these is the Allouette helicopter and fixed wing aircraft such as the DO-27, the Piaggio and the Nord Atlas. Commenting on the NAF, Colonel Kahtz asserted that, “Despite all the problems we were confronted with, I am pretty happy and proud of what I did for the NAF in only 2 years”1. While replying to questions on his major inputs towards the development of the Service over the years, he expressed satisfaction with his efforts, recalling that, “When I left Lagos by a French ship, the NAF with their available aircraft, flew a parade over the ship in Apapa.”2 NAF personnel who worked under Colonel Kahtz described him as a focused, firm and exemplary leader.