Anders Frederik Emil Victor Schau

Anders Lassen, born 22-09-1920 in Hovdingsgard, was the son of Emil Victor Schau Lassen and Suzanne Maria Signe Lassen, of Nyhavn, Copenhagen and a cousin of Axel von dem Bussche, who in 1943 unsuccessfully tried to kill Adolf Hitler (did you know). Axel Freiherr (Baron) von dem Bussche-Streithorst (24 April 1919 – 26 January 1993), usually referred to as Axel von dem Bussche in English, was a German nobleman, professional Army officer and member of the German Resistance. He tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler (see Adolf Hitler) in coordination with Graf von Stauffenberg (see Stauffenberg) in November 1943 at the Wolfschanze.   Lassen migrated to the United Kingdom shortly after the start of the World War II where he joined the British Commandos in 1940, serving with No 62 Commando, also known as the Small Scale Raiding Force as a private. He was commissioned in the field and awarded an immediate Military Cross for his part in Operation Postmaster the capture of three Italian and German ships from the neutral Spanish island of Fernando Po now known as Bioko, in the Gulf of Guinea. No. 62 Commando was later absorbed into the Special Air Service in February 1944 and Lassen rose through the ranks to become a Major by October 1944. During his service he fought in North-West Europe, North Africa, Crete, the Aegean islands, mainland Greece, Yugoslavia and Italy. He was awarded a second and third bar to the Military Cross, the first dated 27-09-1943 and the seconded dated 15-02-1944. On 09-04-1945 he take out a patrol of one officer and seventeen other ranks to raid the north shore of Lake Comacchio. His tasks were to cause as many casualties and as much confusion as possible, to give the impression of a major landing, and to capture prisoners. Whilst shouting to them to come out he was hit by a burst of Spandau fire from the left of the position and he fell mortally wounded, but even whilst falling he flung a grenade, wounding some of the occupants, and enabling his patrol to dash in and capture this final position  Major Lassen had, in the face of overwhelming superiority, achieved his objects. Three positions were wiped out, accounting for six machine guns, killing eight and wounding others of the enemy, and two prisoners were taken. The high sense of devotion to duty and the esteem in which he was held by the men he led, added to his own magnificent courage, enabled Major Lassen to carry out all the tasks he had been given with complete success. Anders Lassen was buried, age 24, on the Argenta Gap War Cemetery, in Italy and Massimo Biolcati was so kind to sent me his grave picture.