Koll, Richard, born 07-04-1897 in Koblenz, joined the Army Service, age 17, on 10-08-1914 as a Fähnrich in the 4th Telegraph Battalion and was in the fields of the first war in different Signal Regiments. He remained in the new 100.000 men, 10 divisions, Reichswehr
and retired on 31-01-1931, reactivated to the Army Service again on 01-11-1931 as the Company Chief in the 6th Motor Transport Battalion, being a Hauptmann. Richasrd started World War II of the 11th Panzer Regiment until 01-01-1940 and became as Oberst Commander of this Regiment until 01-07-1942 and landed in the Führer Reserve to 01-09-1942, appointed to Chief of Motor Vehicle Repair Matters until 01-07-1943. Chief of Repair Matters in OKW
under the General of Mechanisation in OKW until 20-11-1943, meanwhile a Generalmajor. He was detached to the 6th Division
Leader Course, in Döberitz-Elsgrund to 14-12-1943 and again in the Führer Reserve OKH until 01-01-944. Then delegated with the leadership of the 1st Panzer Division
to 20-02-1944, succeeded by Oberst der Panzertruppe, Werner Marcks
on 18-06-1942. Marcks died age 71, on 27-07-1967, age 71 and Koll landed for the third time, five days, in the Reserve until 25-02-1944. Following the general German retreat to the west, the 1st Panzer Division
under command of Generalfieldmarschall Maximilian Maria Joseph Karl Gabriel Lamoral Reichsfreiherr[a] von und zu Weichs an der Glon
finally reached the eastern Austrian alps where they surrendered to the US Army. During early 1944 the 1st Panzer Division was attached to III Panzer Corps under General Hermann Albert Breith
a brother of Generalleutnant der Artillerie, Kommandeur der 3rd Panzerdivision
Friedrich Breith
a General of the Artillery and took its place in the relief of the Korsun Cherkassy Pocket. In April 1944, as a part of Generaloberst der Panzertruppe, Hans Valentin Hube’s
First Panzer Division
, the division was trapped in the Kaments Podolsky Pocket and was involved in the breakout. In September 1944 the division was withdrawn to the Carpathian Mountains, as the Germans strove in vain to stem the Russian advance. By October the division was in Hungary and in January, 1945 it fought in Operation Konrad, the abortive attempt to relieve the encircled city of Budapest. Following the general German retreat to the west, the division finally reached the eastern Austrian alps where they surrendered to the US Army. Assigned as Chief of Wehrmacht Motor Transport Matters OKW
and Plenipotentier for Motors Transport Matters in the Five Year Plan to 09-05-1945 as he landed in British captivity.
Death and burial ground of Koll, Richard.
Released on 24-02-1946 he lived in Berlin, where he at the age of 66 died on 13-05-1963. Koll is buried on the Waldfriedhof Dahlem, Berlin. Close to the grave of Nazi jurist, Roland Freisler
who got a an Allied bomb on his head. Also buried there is Ulrich Wilhelm Graf von Schwerin-von Schwanenfeld.


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