Anton Grasser

Anton Grasser
Born	11 November 1891
Died	3 November 1976 (aged 85)
Allegiance	German Empire  Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service/branch	Heer Bundesgrenzschutz
Years of service	1913–18; 1936–45; 1951–53
Rank	General of the Infantry
Commands held	25th Infantry Division LVI. Panzerkorps XXVI. Armeekorps LXXII. Armeekorps
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Other work	Police Officer

Anton Grasser (3 November 1891 – 3 November 1976) was a German general (General of the Infantry) in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Grasser joined the Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Guards) in 1951, retiring in 1953.

In the 1950s, Grasser was involved in organizing an illegal underground army set up by Nazi veterans in the event of a Soviet invasion of West Germany.^[1]

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (18 June 1915) & 1st Class (6 June 1916)^[2]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (21 May 1940) & 1st Class (8 June 1940)^[2]
• German Cross in Gold on 11 March 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of 25. Infanterie-Division^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 16 June 1940 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 119^[4]
  • 344th Oak Leaves on 5 December 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of 25. Panzergrenadier-Division^[5]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (23 September 1943)
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1953)

References

Citations

1. Wiegrefe, Klaus (14 May 2014). "Files Uncovered: Nazi Veterans Created Illegal Army". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
2. Thomas 1997, p. 215.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 146.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 168.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 65.

Bibliography

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.