Brothers von Blücher The Brothers von Blücher ( ) were a trio of German brothers and Fallschirmjäger of the Luftwaffe who fell in combat within hours of the same day on 21 May 1941 during the fierce Battle of Crete . Their struggle and death are symbolic for the bravery of German Wehrmacht soldiers during World War II , and they are still considered heroes by many Germans . Drama . 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 . 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 . Tragic note . Four weeks later the mother , Gertrud ( Freiin Marschall ) von Nordheim ( widowed Gräfin von Blücher ) , who had lost her husband in 1924 , was informed , that three of her four sons were killed on the same day in the Battle of Crete . Her forth son , Adolf Graf von Blücher , was released from duty and left the German navy ( Kriegsmarine ) , to take care of the agricultural firm at home . Tragically he also died 1944 from a gunshot wound while stalking deer with a large hunting party in the vast forests of Mecklenburg . In 1974 , Wolfgang and Hans - Joachim were reunited in a single grave at the German War Cemetery on a hill behind the airfield at Maleme , Crete , which was newly inaugurated on 6 October in the presence of the brother ’ s sister Gertrud Freifrau von Ketelhodt and hundreds of guests from Germany . Because Leberecht ’ s body was never retrieved or identified , his name is on a plaque of honor ( ) for the unknown fallen close to the grave of his brothers . Gertrud ’ s own sons carry the names of her brothers . Myth . For years afterward , Cretan villagers reported seeing a ghostly rider galloping at night down a road near the spot where the young Fallschirmjäger Hans - Joachim Graf von Blücher was shot ; yet until they were told the story of the German von Blücher brothers , they had assumed that the ghostly rider was British . The tragic destiny of the young brothers von Blücher on Crete has become a legend among modern - day Fallschirmjäger recruits of the Bundeswehr .