Von Blücher brothers

The von Blücher brothers (German: Gebrüder von Blücher) were three German brothers and paratroopers of the Luftwaffe who were killed in combat within hours of each other on 21 May 1941 during the Battle of Crete. They were the descendants of the famous Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher, one of the victors in the Battle of Waterloo 1815.

Names

Wolfgang Henner Peter Lebrecht Graf von Blücher (31 January 1917 in Altengottern, Mühlhausen – 21 May 1941 near Heraklion)

Leberecht Wilhelm Konstantin Wolf Axel Graf von Blücher (13 April 1922 in Fincken – 21 May 1941 near Heraklion)

Hans-Joachim Gebhard Leberecht Graf von Blücher (23 October 1923 in Fincken – 21 May 1941 near Heraklion)

Battle of Crete and deaths

On 21 May 1941 during the Battle of Crete Hans-Joachim Graf von Blücher attempted to resupply his brother, Oberleutnant Wolfgang Graf von Blücher, with ammunition when the latter and his platoon were surrounded by members of the British Black Watch. Hans-Joachim, who had arrived early morning with the second wave of paratroopers on his first active deployment, had commandeered a horse, which he attempted to gallop through British lines. He had almost reached his brother's position before he was shot and killed.

"...According to the account of the story, the Fallschirmjäger, running short of ammunition and medical supplies, were amazed to see a rider and horse galloping towards them with boxes of supplies. The soldiers of the Black Watch were similarly stunned and only fired at the last moment, hitting both horse and rider. Wolfgang von Blucher asked who the rider was, to be told it was his youngest brother Hans-Joachim, and that he was now dead ... For many years afterwards, a number of poor families living in a shanty village in the area reported seeing a ghostly horse and rider..."

Wolfgang and his men of the Fallschirmjägerregiment 1, ran out of ammunition. The rest of their platoon was overrun by British armoured vehicles and killed around midday.