Herbert Röhler
| Herbert Röhler | |
|---|---|
 Flak artillery commander Herbert Röhler | |
| Birth date | 30 December 1896 |
| Place of birth | Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire |
| Death date | 27 June 1963 (aged 66) |
| Place of death | Hückeswagen near Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
|
| Service/branch |  Imperial German Army Freikorps Luftwaffe
|
| Rank | Oberst (Colonel) |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Iron Cross Military Order of St. Henry German Cross in Gold Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Herbert Röhler (30 December 1896 – 27 June 1963) was a German officer of the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps and the Wehrmacht, finally Colonel of the Luftwaffe and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of the Flak weapon in WWII.
Contents
Life
Röhler attended the Gymnasium "Thomasschule zu Leipzig" and left shortly before graduation in order to volunteer for the Royal Saxon Army and serve in WWI.[1] He eventually served with the Royal Saxon Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 104 where he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves (Leutnant der Reserve). He was wounded at least once at the war front.[2] After the November Putsch, he joined the Freikorps and served with the Grenzschutz Ost ("Border Protection East").
Luftwaffe
After the establishment of the Wehrmacht, Röhler returned to service as a supplemental officer (Ergänzungsoffizier; Erg.O.) of the Luftwaffe (he possibly joined in 1934, when the camouflaged Luftwaffe was still a part of the Reichswehr).
- 8.9.1939 Captain (Hauptmann [Erg.O.]) and leader of the 5. Battery/Flak-Regiment 22
- 1.11.1939 Major (Major [Erg.O.]) and Commander of the I. Battalion/Flak-Regiment 22
- 1940 to 1941 Commander of the Reserve-Flak-Abteilung 134
- 28.3.1941 Commander of the I. Battalion/Flak-Regiment 8
- November 1942 to 1943 Commander of the Luftwaffen-Artillerie-Regiment 11/11. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division as Lieutenant Colonel of Reserves
- 1.4.1944 Colonel of the Reserves
- 14.4.44 Appointed leader of the Flak-Sturm-Regiment 4
- Formed in April 44 from the staff of the Flak-Regiment 79 to control the units of the III. Flak-Korps
- 18.6.1944 Appointed commander of the Flak-Sturm-Regiment 4
- 18.8.1944 Cited for leading a regimental-size Flak Battle Group that performed with great courage and distinction in the defense of Argentan from 12 to 17 August, fighting in the streets along with 116. Panzer-Division against American infantry.
- 10.2.45 to 18.4.1945 Commander of the 1. Flak-Brigade as successor to Colonel Oskar Schöttl
- 20.4.1945 Appointed commander of the 31. Flak-Division
- The 31st Flak Division was formed at the beginning of 1945 as part of the conversion of anti-aircraft brigades into anti-aircraft divisions from the staff of the previous 2nd Flak Brigade. Its task was to provide air security in the Magdeburg-Bielefeld region. From the time of formation until his capture on April 20, 1945, Colonel and later Major General Herbert Giese was the commander of the division. Colonel Röhler then took over command until the end of the war.
- 1.5.1945 POW
Knight's Cross
- Awarded for his successful leadership of Flak units throughout the war. Fighting with his batteries at the front, he distinguished himself in the following battles:
- - At Ilza during the Polish campaign.
- - During the winter of 1941-42 in the area of Slavyansk (near Barekhova)
- - During the Battle of Stalingrad, where his batteries were employed in the forward line and assisted in the capture of Orlovka and the tractor factory.
- - In the Battle for Normandy while serving under the III. Flak-Korps, first along both sides of the Orne and then south of Necy.[3]
Awards and decorations
WWI
- Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
- Saxon Albrechts-Orden, Knight 2nd Class with Swords (SA3b⚔)
- Saxon Order of Merit, Knight 2nd Class with Swords (SV3b⚔)
- Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary), 3rd Class with the War Decoration (ÖM3K)
- Saxon Military Order of St. Henry, Knight's Cross (SH3) on 16 April 1918
- Wound Badge (1918) in Black
Between wars
- Silesian Eagle Order (Schlesischer Adler-Orden), II. and I. Grade with Swords
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords
- Austrian War Commemorative Medal (Österreichische Kriegserinnerungsmedaille) with Swords
- Hungarian World War Commemorative Medal (Ungarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille) with Swords
- Wehrmacht Long Service Awards (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th Class
- Sudetenland Medal
WWII
- Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914 (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
- Luftwaffe Flak Battle Badge (Flak-Kampfabzeichen)
- Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal
- German Cross in Gold on 23 November 1942 as Oberstleutnant der Reserve (Lieutenant Colonel of Reserves) and Commander of the I. Battalion/Flak-Regiment 8
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 October 1944 as Oberst der Reserve (Colonel of Reserves) and Commander of the Flak-Sturm-Regiment 4
References
Categories:
- 1896 births
- 1963 deaths
- People from Leipzig
- People from the Kingdom of Saxony
- Military personnel of Saxony
- German military officers
- German military personnel of World War I
- 20th-century Freikorps personnel
- German military personnel of the Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht)
- German military personnel of World War II
- Recipients of the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the Albert Order
- Recipients of the Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary)
- Recipients of the Military Order of St. Henry
- Recipients of the Cross of Honor
- Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the Gold German Cross
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
