Bernhard Grafhorst

[Shane A Beaver]

Can anybody fill in a few gaps on the career of Bernhard Grafhorst, please. I have his date of birth, SS number, NSDAP number, graduate of "Tölz", Ustuf 9/11/38 and assigned to SS-TS 3 "Thüringen" in Dec 1938. I also know that he commanded the estnisches SS-Frw.Pz.Gren.Batn. "Narwa" from at least July/Aug 1943 (did he succeed Koop or Eberhardt?) to his death on Sept 2, 1943. I need to know what he was doing between December 1938 and the summer of 1943. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[Mikedc]

Hello Shane,

I only can add the following:
In 1941/1942 he was Waffen-SS-commander within the Einsatzgruppenstab from Einsatzgruppe C.

And according to the info I gathered he succeeded Koop as CO from Estnisches SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Bataillon ‘Narwa’.


Mike

[Shane A Beaver]

Thanks Mike. Very interesting! Let's see if anyone else can confirm or add to this.

[Mikedc]

Hello Shane,

Nothing to thank me for, if I can help I just do it.
According to the following site Grafhorst succeeded Eberhardt as CO from 'Narwa' Bataillon: http://www.frontkjemper.info/show_bn.php?BataljonsID=21

And when you look at the following link you'll see they tell us he was Führer Waffen-SS within the Einsatzgruppenstab from Einsatzgruppe C:
http://balsi.de/Weltkrieg/Einheiten/Son ... gruppe.htm


This is all I could find on the internet. On this forum I also find his SS-number, could you provide me with his party-number please????. On the VDK-website I did find his DoB and his place of birth.


Greetings,
Mike

[panzerschreck]

According to the following site Grafhorst succeeded Eberhardt as CO from 'Narwa' Bataillon: http://www.frontkjemper.info/show_bn.php?BataljonsID=21



Greetings,
Mike

It only says that Grafhorst assumed command of the battalion in 1943, not that he succeeded Eberhardt, so please use with caution.

H.

[steve248]

SS-Ostuf, Bernhard Grafhorst was Kompanieführer, Batl. der Waffen-SS z.b.V. attached to Einsatzgruppe C between June and end October 1941. Grafhorst commanded many of the firing squads. At the end Oct 1941 this Waffen-SS Kompanie with Grafhorst were apparently "herausgelöst und zum Fronteineinsatz der SS-Division 'Wiking' unterstellt."

When the West German police went looking for him in the 1960s they could not find him - under-resourced to go digging in archives...

[Shane A Beaver]

Marvellous response everyone! By the way, Grafhorst's NSDAP number was 2,472,705

[Mikedc]

Hello Shane,

Thanks for giving his party-number.

The info Steve248 has written down sounds mighty interesting as well, at least it also confirms the fact that he was with Einsatzgruppe C in 1941.



Mike

[lerak68]

It is 6 years since the last post on this thread. Nonetheless.
It appears Oberstrurmführer Bernhard Grafhorst refused to partake in the massacre at Baby Yar. As a result he and his company were detached from Sondernkommando 4a (Einsatzgruppe C) and sent to the 5th Panzerdivision SS Wiking to fight at the eastern front where he was eventually killed.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Grafhorst

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,

His assignment was already given in this previous topic


http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=1110277

Regards
Patrick

[Moniroth You-Bell]

His command within the Sondernkommando 4a (Einsatzgruppe C) was Ostuf. Chef, 2./Btl.d.WSS.zbV 10.41

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,

On this thread another source give him as Chef 3./Btl.d.W-SS z.b.V.
Article in german of our very prominent member RolanP

[urlhttp://www.forum-der-wehrmacht.de/thread.php?threadid=2237][/url]

Regards
Patrick

[PATRICK CHARRON]

Hello,
Checking the source David Kittermann in the german review study, I expected to find the name of Grafhorst and in fact this is Helmut Schreiber who is cited by Dern during an interrogation after the war.
Helmut Schreiber was Chef , 2./Btl.d.WSS.zbV

Source : David Kittermann, Those, who said no“ – Germans who refused to execute civilians in World War II in German study review 11 (1988)

Could a member clarify Grafhorst’s refusal to participate in the massacre of Babi Yar or have the text of the source given in Wikipedia below. ?
13. Andreas Schulz, Günter Wegmann, Dieter Zinke: Die Generale der Waffen-SS und der Polizei, Die militärischen Werdegänge der Generale, sowie der Ärzte, Veterinäre, Intendanten, Richter und Ministerialbeamten im Generalsrang, Band 2 (Hachtel-Kutschera), 2005, Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf, ISBN 3-7648-2592-8, S. 349, Fussnote 16 (in Porträt Friedrich August Jeckeln, S. 343-357)

Thanks

Patrick

[Charles Trang]

Well, the 3.Kp./Btl.d.WSS z.b.V. was attached to the SS-Division "Wiking" in October 1941. But what was Grafthorst's posting(s) in 1942 and 1943 before he took the lead of SS-Pz.Gren.Btl. "Narwa" ?

[Michael Miller]

A photo of Bernhard Grafhorst as SS-Ustuf., from https://www.jwire.com.au/babyn-yar-holo ... ne-by-one/.

~ Mike