Georg Koßmala

Georg Koßmala
Born	22 October 1896 Myslowitz
Died	18 March 1945 (aged 48) Oberglogau
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1920)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–20 1935–45
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	32. Infanterie-Division 272. Volksgrenadier-Division 344. Infanterie-Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Demyansk Pocket Battle of Hürtgen Forest Upper Silesian Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Police Officer

Georg Koßmala (22 October 1896 – 18 March 1945) was a Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Georg Koßmala was killed on 18 March 1945 in Oberglogau in Lower Silesia.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (6 October 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (22 August 1941)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Silver
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 13 March 1942 as Oberst and commander of Sicherungs-Regiment 3^[2]
  • 435th Oak Leaves on 26 March 1944 as Oberst and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 6^[3]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 26 August 1944

Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
25 August 1944	Bei dem Kämpfen im Raum von Modohn zeichnete sich die pommersche 32. Infanteriedivision unter Führung des Ritterkreuzträgers Oberst Coszmala durch besonders Tapferkeit aus.[4]	At the battles in the area of Modohn the 32nd pomeranian Infantry Division under the leadership of Knight's Cross Recipient Oberst Coszmala (sic) distinguished itself through exceptional bravery.

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 397.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 222.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 69.
4. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 218.

Bibliography

• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht