| Viktor Eberhard Gräbner | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 May 1914 Leipzig, Germany |
| Died | 18 September 1944 killed in action Arnhem, Holland |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Waffen-SS |
| Years of service | 1939–1942 Heer 1942–1944 Waffen SS |
| Rank | Oberleutnant, Heer Hauptsturmführer, Waffen SS |
| Unit | 256th Infantry Division 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German Cross in Gold Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class |
Viktor Eberhard Gräbner (24 May 1914 – 18 September 1944) was a Oberleutnant in the Heer who transferred to the Waffen-SS with the rank of Hauptsturmführer (Captain) during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany.
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Gräbner was born on 24 May 1914 in Leipzig. During World War II he was a member of the Heer and served as an Oberleutnant in command of the 2nd Company, 256th Reconnaissance Battalion, 256th Infantry Division and was awarded the German Cross in Gold in May 1942.
In August 1944 he transferred to the Waffen SS as a Hauptsturmführer and was given command of the 9th SS Reconnaissance Battalion, 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen and was awarded the Knight's Cross on 23 August 1944.[1][2]
Hauptsturmführer Gräbner is perhaps most famous for his part in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem (as depicted in the film A Bridge Too Far). On 17 September 1944, his 40-vehicle 9th Reconnaissance Battalion was ordered south of Arnhem, to carry out a reconnaissance of the airborne landings between Arnhem and Nijmegen. On his return to Arnhem, the bridge across the Rhine had been captured by Lt. Col. John Frost's 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment. On the morning of 18 September, Hauptsturmführer Gräbner ordered his battalion, numbering about 22 armored cars, half-tracks, and a few trucks with infantry, to assault the bridge. The first five German armored cars of the column managed to make it across the bridge unscathed due to the fact that they took the defenders by surprise. The British had laid mines on the bridge's approaches and these were expertly avoided by the speeding German drivers. In the resultant two-hour battle, the battalion was beaten back with heavy losses in which 12 out of the 22 vehicles were destroyed or knocked out and over 70 men killed, including Gräbner who was killed in action during the assault.[1][2]