Simon Grascher

Simon Grascher
Born	18 December 1920 Klagenfurt, Austria
Died	14 July 1943(1943-07-14) (aged 22) Belgorod, Soviet Union
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1939–43
Rank	Unterscharführer
Unit	2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class Eastern Front Medal Tank Destruction Badge

Simon Grascher (18 December 1920 – 14 July 1943) was a Unterscharführer, in the Waffen SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. This was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Biography

Grascher was born in Klagenfurt (Austria) on the 18 December 1920 in Austrian-Carinthian Slovene family.

He volunteered to join the SS and was posted to the Das Reich, he was promoted to Unterscharführer and made a platoon commander in the 9th Company, SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Der Führer.

Grascher was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class for actions in the battles around Moscow and in 1943 he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class.

Grascher was killed in action near Belgorod. He was awarded the Knight's Cross posthumously in July 1943.

References

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.
Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). Retreat to the Reich : the German defeat in France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3384-7.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich

Staff	Otto Baum¹ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Paul Hausser² (Oak Leaves & Swords) Matthias Kleinheisterkamp³ Walter Krüger⁴ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Werner Ostendorff Herbert-Ernst Vahl

Units	Wilhelm Bittrich⁵ (Oak Leaves) Heinz Harmel⁶ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Heinz Macher (Oak Leaves) Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny (Oak Leaves) Fritz Witt⁸ (Oak Leaves) Georg Keppler Otto Kumm⁹ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Heinz Lammerding Sylvester Stadler¹⁰ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Ernst Barkmann Christian Tychsen (Oak Leaves) Karl Kreutz Hans Schabschneider Walter Kniep Fritz Klingenberg Ernst Krag (Oak Leaves) Fritz Rentrop Felix Steiner⁷ (Oak Leaves & Swords) Otto Weidinger¹¹ (Oak Leaves)

¹Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves with the SS Division Totenkopf). ²Oak Leaves with the II SS Panzer Corps, Swords with the 7th Army. ³Oak Leaves with the XI SS Panzer Corps. ⁴Knight's Cross with the SS Polizei Division, Swords with the VI Waffen-SS Army Corps. ⁵Oak Leaves with the II SS Panzer Corps, Swords with the SS Division Florian Geyer. ⁶Swords with the SS Division Frundsberg. ⁷Oak Leaves with the SS Division Wiking, Swords with the III SS Panzer Corps. ⁸Oak Leaves with the SS Division Leibstandarte). ⁹Oak Leaves with the SS Division Prinz Eugen. ¹⁰Swords with the SS Division Hohenstaufen.

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