Graebner Attack at Arnhem

Hi Dave,

Sure mate no worries and does that mean you don't have it signed yet LOL

Cheers
Tom

Bog off Butler

 

Is it true the Drabner was using a Humber Light recce Car?

 

Dear Paul, what happend to the building, is it gone?
Erik

 

Forum der Wehrmacht | Einheiten der Waffen-SS | Geheimnis GRÄBNER ? 1.AA9 Market Garden

My German isn't really good but does this say that Grabner died at Nijmegen, after being hit by shrapnel, and not at Arnhem bridge

 

Best account of the battle i have read is Martin Middlebrook's book -Arnham 1944 The Airborne Battle.
The attention to detail is fantastic. In the account of the Grabner attack it mentions that most of the vechicles were victim to a 25 pounder.

Excellent book.

Rich

 

25 pounder????

 

Best account of the battle i have read is Martin Middlebrook's book -Arnham 1944 The Airborne Battle.
The attention to detail is fantastic. In the account of the Grabner attack it mentions that most of the vechicles were victim to a 25 pounder.

Excellent book.

Rich

The para's didn't have 25-pounders at Arnhem, I think you mean a 6-pounder antitank gun.

 

They also had some 17 pounders which were brought in by Hamilcar Glider. These came as a surprise to the Germans

John

 

Yes they had 17-pounders, but only 6-pounders reached the bridge, and certainly no 25 pounders, sorry I wasn't being clear in my post.

 

Dear Historians

A question about Graebner and Hoenderloo. Graebner had the Assembly Area of his PzAA9 in Hoenderloo. I collected many postcards of the building in the centre of his AA. But nowhere can I recognise a part of the building that corresponds to the famous foto of Harzer and Graebner together. As Graebner is not wearing hi RK, I suspect that the famous foto is taken somewhere else. Does anyone have a glue where that might have been?

Erik

 

Guys Graebners attack across the Bridge is not surprising considering the use of the Gep Aufklarungs Abt of the Waffen SS Panzer Divisons on the Eastern Front , tactically these units were used as a fast moving assault Group containing heavy firepower and the units were used as such on numerous occasions in Russia and the Baltic States during 1944 , Graebner had learnt his trade at Tarnapol i believe.

I'm sure that Graebner felt that the speed and forepower of his unit would be more than a match for any defenders of the Bridge at Arnhem.

A good book to show the tactics of the Auf Abt is Armoured Reconnaisance with the Waffen SS on the Eastern Front with SS Panzer Aufk Abt 11 Nordland.

Has anyone read in the Firestorm of the Last Years of the War by Tieke relating to this action ?

 

On page 241 Tieke has this to say;

"It is unclear what Hauptsturmfuhrer Grabner was up to when he drove back from Elst to Arnhem... ...There does not appear to be any order for the action... ...After a short briefing and taking up a definite combat arrangement, the first armoured cars of the SS-Pz. AA 9 rolled at 09.30, at top speed, firing with every weapon", so there isn't much to learn there unfortunately.

It does appear though that Grabner launched a definite attack, and I can only guess that he seriously underestimated how many Paras were at the north end. Tieke does say that Grabner was in radio contact with II SS-Panzerkorps the day before when he drove to Nijmegen and reported it clear, so it is possible he received intel the next morning about Paras being at Arnhem and it was decided he should clear them or he acted impulsively. He was at Elst with the bulk of his unit acting as a quick reaction force for either Nijmegen or Arnhem.

 

Thanks for the update from Tieke , it fits in with the tactical training and actions of many of the Aufk Abt acting on the ethos of Auftragttaktik,

cheers

Paul

 

Have just been reading Graebners personal file which shows him Gefallen at 7.30am 18/9/44 by a shot to the chest !!

 

a point on artillery no 25pdrs but 6 pdrs at the bridge,they had 17pdrs but also 75mm howitzers,cant remember if these were brought to bare in the attack,ill have to go through my "gunners at Arnhem" book again

 

Hi Paul, this post goes back a long time but popped up when I was looking at the location of Grabner in Hoenderloo. It appears this was Foundation 'De Eikenhorst' The picture you posted shows part of this building. The building was demolished around 1970 I thought. If you google Eikenhof Hoenderloo, you will find very nice pictures of this nice building.