- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
- Unit:
- Chef, 5. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment (motorisiert) 30, 18. Infanterie-Division (motorisiert), Heer
- Awarded on:
- October 2nd, 1941
The following wartime excerpt describes why Buchner was awarded the Knight’s Cross…
“In order to facilitate the offensive of the 16. Armee’s advancing left wing it was vital for the 18. Infanterie-Division (mot) to quickly execute its mission of reaching the Leningrad-Moscow railway line at Szaltzo and capturing the bridge over the Volkhov river located there.
After this ordered objective had been reached the enemy was only be able to send in reinforcements for the relief of Leningrad via Wolchowstroy. Oberleutnant Buchner had a decisive share in the success of the Division, one that had been wrought following days of bitter fighting under difficult road and weather conditions. The culmination of his achievements was his capture of the especially important Volkhov bridge in an undamaged state.”
The bridge mentioned in this article was at Kirischi-Szaltzo, and it was captured on the 30.08.1941.