Stettner von Grabenhofen, Walter Ritter, born 19-03-1895 in Munich, 
as son of Hans Friedrich Heinrich Richard Stettner, knight of Grabenhofen and his wife. The family comes from an old imperial family, whom Emperor Leopold I 
confirmed again in 1670 the Reichsritterstand 
and which was taken 1842 into the Royal Bavarian aristocracy. On 17-01-1925, he married Amanda Walburga of Paur, the daughter of Joseph Carl of Paur, the owner of the knights at Waffenbrunn. From this marriage came a son and two daughters. Stettner was the brother in law of Generalmajor Alexander Conrady
After the short visit to the Munich Luitpold-Gymnasium Stettner 
was accepted into the Bavarian Kadettenkorps in 1908. In August 1914 he entered the Royal Bavarian infantry body regiment as a cadet. With his unit, which belonged to the 1st Royal Bavarian Division under command of Otto Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein 
, Kress von Kressenstein resigned in 1916 and died in Munich on 19-02-1929, age 78. One of his sons was the later General Franz Otto Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein.
Stettner moved into the field. In March 1915 he was promoted to Leutnant without a patent. Shortly afterwards, his unit was integrated into the newly founded Deutsche Alpenkorps.
With his regiment, Stettner participated in battles in the Somme 
and Oberlausass in the Dolomites, in the battles of Champagne and around Verdun, in the twelfth Isonzo battle and prosecutions to the Piave. After being used in fighting in Lorraine, the battles of Armentieres, Roye and Lassigny, Nesle and Noyon, as well as defensive fighting on the Somme. This was followed by campaigns in Romania on the Putna and Sereth rivers as well as the breakthrough at Putna. At the end of the war, Stettner’s units were in retreats in Serbia. After his return he was commanded to the officers’ school in Munich.
In February 1919, Stettner, as a member of the Freikorps Epp 
, was involved in the defeat of the Munich Republic. Since the members of the Freikorps were taken over to the Reichswehr 
, Stettner then served at the 19th Bavarian Infantry Regiment and was an auxiliary teacher in the training of teachers in the field of physics education. Subsequently, he became a weapon and sports officer of his unit. After completing the leadership training course at the Wehrkreiskommando VII in 1924, Stettner received the lieutenant patron in the following year. At the same time, he was transferred to the 13th Mountain Mineslifting Company of the 19th Bavarian Infantry Regiment. Between 1925 and 1927, he was commanded for training courses for mine chiefs and high mountain pioneers as well as for driving and equipment training at the 7th Bavarian Driving Department. Stettner was promoted to the rank of captain in February 1930 as the head of the 16th company of the regiment. In the following year, he took over the leadership of the 10th Company.
In 1934 Stettner, like all members of the armed forces, carried out his oath to Adolf Hitler (did you know) 
. In the following year, he was active in the staff of the mountain brigade, which later became the 1st Mountain Division.. A little later his promotion to the Major took place. In 1937 he was given the position of the commander of the 1st Battalion of the Mountain Huntsman Regiment 98, which was stationed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. After the invasion of the German troops in Austria, Stettner was transferred to Innsbruck, where he took over the leadership of the 1st Battalion of the Mountain Huntsman Regiment of the 2nd Mountain Division 
of Generalmajor Valentin Feurstein, 
to be newly created from the Tyrolean Jager Regiment. Since he had successfully mastered the integration of the Austrian soldiers into the Wehrmacht, he was appointed Oberst With the Mountain Huntsman Regiment 136, Stettner first participated in the invasion of the Wehrmacht in Poland and later in Norway
He became the commander of the 1st Mountain Division 
, succeeding General der Gebirgstruppen Karl Hubert Lanz 
, an elite formation of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. Karl Lanz survived the war and died old age 86 on 15-08-1982 in Munich.
It was created on 09-04-1938 in Garmisch Partenkirchen from the Mountain Brigade, which was itself formed on 01-06-1935. The division consisted mainly of Bavarians and some Austrians. The 1st Mountain Division fought in the Invasion of Poland as a part of Army Group South under General Gerd von Rundstedt, 
and distinguished itself during fighting in the Carpathians. It subsequently took part in the Battle of France and was selected to take part in the planned operations against the United Kingdom, Operation Sea Lion and Gibraltar Operation Felix, but both operations were cancelled. With Felix cancelled, the division took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941 as part of the 2nd Army 
under General der Kavallerie Maximilian von Weichs. 
As an Oberst he on 02-01-1942 was awarded with the Iron Cross in Gold and on 23-04-1943 with the Knight Cross of the Iron Cross.
Death and burial ground of Stettner von Grabenhofen, Walter Ritter.
Meanwhile Generallieutenant, Walter Stettner von Grabenhofen was killed during anti-partisan operations in near Belgrade in Serbia on 18-10-1944, age 49. His son Werner, a Hitler Youth member, was killed on his birthday on 25-07-1945, age 15. Walter von Grabenhofen is buried with his wife Amanda, born von Paur, who died age 65, on 15-07-1965 on the Stadtfriedhof of Partenkirchen and, close by the graves of the Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Stadt Commander of Dresden, Robert Schlüter, composer, Richard Strauss, Korvetten Kapitän, Carl Daehncke and Wannsee Conference participant, Eric Neumann.
On the Garmich Stadtfriedhof are the graves of the WWII General der Artillerie, Kommandeur 16th Armeekorps, Christian Hansen, Generalmajor der Artillerie, Kommandeur Artillerie Regiment Fallschirmjäger, Iwan von Ilsemann, Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Kommandeur Weapen-Development, Richard John, Generalleutnant der Flieger, Inspector of the Military Replacement Inspection in Schwerin,Theodor Triendl, 
Generalleutnant der Panzertruppe, Kommandant Festung Pillau, Eduard Hauser and General der Flieger, Kommandeur Luftregio Belgium-France, Wilhelm Wimmer. Part of his biography and his grave picture were kindly sent to me by his grandson, Werner Adam, also living in the beautiful town of Garmisch Partenkirchen. John Mann was so kind to sent me the gravephoto’s.
viamilitaris011 .
General Walter Stettner was killed in action during liberation of Belgrade 18.10.1944. Date of death is ok but Stettner died near Belgrade in Serbia,not in Montenegro.