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| - The Brothers von Blücher were prominent among the German dead, their ancestor was the famous German-Prussian Generalfeldmarschall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, a hero of Waterloo. The first to fall on this warm day in May 1941 was youngster Hans-Joachim Graf von Blücher, who was attempting 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. The 17-year-old 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. The talented equestrian almost reached his brother's position, and in fact was shot before his brother's very eyes.
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abstract
| - The Brothers von Blücher were prominent among the German dead, their ancestor was the famous German-Prussian Generalfeldmarschall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, a hero of Waterloo. The first to fall on this warm day in May 1941 was youngster Hans-Joachim Graf von Blücher, who was attempting 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. The 17-year-old 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. The talented equestrian almost reached his brother's position, and in fact was shot before his brother's very eyes. "...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 similary 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..." 24-year-old platoon commander Wolfgang and his men of the Fallschirmjägerregiment 1, who had arrived with the first wave and hopelessly surrounded, were at last out of ammunition. The rest of their platoon was overrun by British armoured vehicles and killed around midday. Wolfgang’s younger brother, the 19-year-old Leberecht Graf von Blücher, had also arrived with the second wave. He was reported killed in action on the same day but his body was never recovered.
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