Fritz-Hubert Gräser

Fritz-Hubert Gräser
Fritz-Hubert Gräser
Born	3 January 1888 Frankfurt (Oder), Kingdom of Prussia
Died	4 November 1960 (aged 72) Göttingen, Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Wehrmacht
Years of service	1907–45
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Fritz-Hubert Gräser (3 January 1888 – 4 November 1960) was a German officer. Having served in World War I, he was a general during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Early life and career

Gräser was born on 3 January 1888 in Frankfurt (Oder), at the time in the Province of Brandenburg, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. He was the son of Hauptmann (Captain) Ernst Gräser, later a Generalleutnant and commander of the 41st Division during World War I.^[1]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (16 September 1914)^[2]
  • 1st Class (9 October 1916)^[2]
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 1st Class
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 September 1939)^[2]
  • 1st Class (23 October 1939)^[2]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Silver
  • in Gold
• Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze
• German Cross in Gold on 8 February 1942 as Oberst in Infanterie-Regiment 29^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 19 July 1940 Oberst and commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 29 (motorized)^{[4][5][Note 1]}
  • 517th Oak Leaves on 26 June 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 3. Panzergrenadier-Division^[4][7][8]
  • 154th Swords on 8 May 1945 as als General der Panzertruppe and commanding officer of the 4. Panzerarmee^{[9][10][Note 2]}
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (9 September 1944)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
9 September 1944 (addendum)	Im Weichselbrückenkopf, westlich Baranow, haben die unter dem Oberbefehl des Generals der Panzertruppen Balck, und dem Befehl der Generale der Panzertruppen Breith und Gräser sowie des Generals der Infanterie Recknagel stehenden Truppen im vergangenen Monat den Durchbruch massierter sowjetischer Kräfte vereitelt und den feindlichen Brückenkopf durch erfolgreiche Gegenangriffe eingeengt.[12]	In the Vistula bridgehead west of Baranov, troops under the command in chief of General of Panzer Troops Balck, and commanded by the Generals of Panzer Troops Breith and Gräser as well as the General of the Infantry Recknagel prevented the break out last month of massed Soviet forces and narrowed the enemy bridgehead by counterattacks successfully.

Notes

1. According to Von Seemen as commander of Infanterie-Regiment 29.^[6]
2. Fritz-Hubert Gräser's nomination by the troop was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Personnel Office) on 29 April 1945. General Ernst Maisel noted: "I approve the nomination! 30 April". The nomination list for the higher grades of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross only notes the nomination entry date as 29 April 1945. There is no indication that the award was granted. The paperwork was not finalized by the end of the war. The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) claims that the award was presented in accordance with the Dönitz-decree. This is illegal according to the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) and lacks legal justification. The sequential number "154" and presentation date were assigned by the AKCR.^[11]

References

Citations

1. Stockert 2012, p. 59.
2. Thomas 1997, p. 212.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 146.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 344.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 200.
6. Von Seemen 1976, p. 144.
7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 85.
8. Von Seemen 1976, p. 46.
9. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 48.
10. Von Seemen 1976, p. 20.
11. Scherzer 2007, p. 134.
12. The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 237.

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Stockert, Peter (2012). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 6 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 6] (in German) (3rd ed.). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. OCLC 76072662.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
• Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

External links

• "Fritz-Hubert Gräser". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 18 August 2014.