Heinz Kokott

Heinz Kokott
Born	14 November 1900 Groß-Strehlitz, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire now Strzelce Opolskie, Opole Voivodeship, Poland
Died	29 May 1976 (aged 75) Hamburg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1918–45
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	26. Volksgrenadier-Division
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Uman Battle of Kiev (1941) Battle of the Bulge
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	Heinrich Himmler (brother in-law)

Heinz Kokott (14 November 1900 – 29 May 1976) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Kokott took part in the Siege of Bastogne in December 1944.^[1]

He was captured by American troops in April 1945 and was released in 1947.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Wound Badge
  • in Black
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 March 1943 as Oberst and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 337^[2]

Other

After his capture, there were some interrogations.

S.L.A. Marshall published a book in 1946 (title: BASTOGNE - The First Eight Days). It can be read as Public Domain.^[3] The book has an appendix; here is a quote from it:

.. if the full importance of all that happened in the first days of the Bastogne defense is to be accurately measured by history, the witnesses must speak from the opposing camp.

In November and December 1945 there took place a series of conferences between the three chief actors in the attack on Bastogne and the author of the Bastogne story. Present were Lieutenant General Heinrich von Lüttwitz, Commanding General of the XXXXVII Panzer Corps, Lieutenant General Fritz Hermann Bayerlein, Commanding General of the Panzer Lehr Division, and Major General Heinz Kokott, Commanding General of the 26th Volksgrenadier Division. Colonel Meinhard von Lauchert, the commander of the 2d Panzer Division, was not present nor was his presence deemed necessary. Of the three divisions, the 2d Panzer had had least to do with the direct attack on Bastogne; and further, the Corps commander, having formerly commanded that division and having a sentimental feeling for it and not too much faith in Von Lauchert, had directly supervised its operation during the German advance. With what at least appeared to be utmost candor, the three enemy commanders proceeded to discuss all that had happened to them.

There were in all ten conferences on these matters, during which the commanders worked with all of the necessary maps and such staff notes as were available to them. Inasmuch as the data on the American operation were already complete, it was easy to provide the check points which would establish the accuracy of their story in all particulars. Colonel H. W. O. Kinnard, who had been G-3 of the 101st Airborne Division during the Bastogne operation, also attended these interrogations. The meeting with Kinnard was a visible shock to the German commanders. It seemed incredible to them that this boyish-faced soldier had been one of their principal antagonists. They asked several times for reassurance on this score. Lüttwitz said, "Are you certain he was chief of operations? Isn't it possible that he was only the chief for one regiment?"

... Kokott is a shy, scholarly and dignified commander who never raises his voice and appears to be temperate in his actions and judgments. Now past fifty-two, he is doubtless the steadiest man of the three. In his account of battle, he is strictly objective. He shares Bayerlein's opinion of Lüttwitz but is more amused than resentful. Better than any other commander, he saw the true situation at Bastogne though he also made his share of mistakes, as the record shows. He felt, even more strongly than the others, that adherence to the original plan at Bastogne became unwise on December 19 but he is a natural optimist and he expected to win the battle.^[4]

References

Citations

1. Seite 174 - 176
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 220.
3. BASTOGNE. The Story of the First Eight Days In Which the 101st Airborne Division Was Closed Within the Ring of German Forces
4. p. 174 - 176

Bibliography

• 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.

External links

• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
• Heinz Kokott @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived March 15, 2011)