On 3 October 1941 Heinrich Köhler became a recruit in the schwere Artillerie-Ersatz-Abteilung 49 in Dessau. He was also an instructor and officer candidate. In November 1942, Köhler was transferred to the Artillery Regiment of the 19.Panzer-Division.

After closing an enemy pocket in the vicinity of Toropez-Bjeloy, north of the main highway between Smolensk and Jarzewo, a large number of Soviet troops and vehicles were captured. On 19 December 1942, the Division was en-trained at Smolensk and transferred to the great "Don River Bend" at Kupiansk-Starobjelsk-Bjelowosk to relieve the encircled Italians at Tschertkowo, near Stalingrad.

In March 1943 Köhler was ordered home to attend the 13.Officer Candidate Class at Mourleon-le-Grand near Reims, France. Thereafter he volunteered for the Sturmartillerie and arrived in December 1943 in Azay-le-Rideau, near Tours, France, along the Loire River, to organize in the new Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 322. With this Abteilung Köhler was engaged in March 1944 at Zloszow-Brody and Kowel in East Poland. He destroyed the first Russian fighting vehicles and participated in the difficult summer battles beyond the Weichsel and at the Baranow Bridgehead. When the Red Army attacked on 13 January 1945, the Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 322 was encircled at Kielce along with the Panzer-Korps Nehring and completely routed.

In Angermünde, behind the Oder River, the new Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 210 was organized from remnants of the Abteilungs 201, 322 and 210. With this Brigade Köhler was committed at the Schwedt, Küstin, and Stettin Bridgeheads as a covering force for fleeing refugees from East Prussia and Pommerania across the bridge over the Oder River.

On 16 and 17 March, Köhler an his crew succeeded in destroying an additional 6 Soviet Shermans during a Soviet Tank attack, thereby raising the total number of destroyed tanks to twenty-one. On 20 March 1945, Köhler was awarded the Knight's Cross for his success. Afterwards, the Brigade was withdrawn from Stettin and led through Mecklenburg to Schwerin where they were held captive in Schleswig-Holstein, near Eutin, by the British.

Shortly after the war ahd ended Heinrich Köhler was released on 20 June 1945, in order to work the fields.

Copyright Stenger Historica 2003