Karl August Vollmann
Karl August Vollmann , called Charly Vollmann, (born December 11, 1896 in Hoboken (New Jersey) , USA ; † April 11, 1955 in Bergisch Gladbach ) became known for preventing the bombing of Bergisch Gladbach.
Life and family
Karl August Vollmann was a tool fitter and freight forwarder by profession . He lived in Pittsburgh (USA) until his mother's death in 1908 and, with short interruptions, in Bergisch Gladbach from July 8, 1908. His father Peter Vollmann was born in Bergisch Gladbach in 1870 and died in Pittsburgh in 1910.
Services to the city of Bergisch Gladbach
When the American troops marched into Bergisch Gladbach on April 13, 1945, the command post of the district captain of the police , Wilhelm Kuhlmann, was in the old town hall . On this day, Charly Vollmann met Kuhlmann there to demand that the city be handed over to the Americans. Vollmann reported to Kuhlmann how by chance he overheard a briefing by two American officers in which it was decided to bomb the city. Not least thanks to his knowledge of English, Vollmann persuaded the American officers not to carry out the bombing because the population was eagerly waiting for the invasion anyway. The officers then had Vollmann fetch the police chief to hand over the city to the Americans. Vollmann's negotiations with Kuhlmann were successful. When American tanks drove up to the market square at 5:15 p.m. , Kuhlmann explained to the Americans that the city would be surrendered without resistance.
Ultimately, it is thanks to Charly Vollmann's mediation that Bergisch Gladbach escaped the originally planned bombing.
In 2015 the small square next to the historic town hall of the city center was named Charly-Vollmann-Platz in honor of the savior of the city of Bergisch Gladbach .
Web links
- Descriptions by Charly Vollmann (in-gl.de, May 17, 2016).
- End of the war in Rhein-Berg: A man saves the district town (Kölner Stadtanzeiger of April 15, 2020).
- Charly-Vollmann-Platz at the town hall completed (glverlag.de).
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Vollmann, Karl August |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Vollmann, Charly |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German-American tool fitter and freight forwarder, prevented the bombing of Bergisch Gladbach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 11, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hoboken, New Jersey , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 11, 1955 |
| Place of death | Bergisch Gladbach |