Richard Köhler (SS member)

Richard Koehler in April 1947

Richard Köhler (born January 12, 1916 ; † November 26, 1948 in the Landsberg War Crimes Prison ) was a German SS-Unterscharfuhrer and was employed as a command leader in the Ohrdruf subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp .

Life

Richard Köhler, a member of the SS , was a member of the camp staff in Buchenwald concentration camp from November 1944 to early April 1945. In Buchenwald, Köhler was a member of Command 99 and from January 1945 at the latest as a command leader in the Buchenwald sub-camp in Ohrdruf . Köhler monitored prisoner detachments in Ohrdruf who were unloading goods transports in Arnstadt and Krawinkel . On April 8, 1945, he accompanied an evacuation transport to the Flossenbürg concentration camp .

After his arrest, Köhler was charged with 30 other accused in the main Buchenwald trial , which took place as part of the Dachau trials . Koehler was accused of mistreating and killing Allied prisoners. At the trial, Köhler stated that he had been ill-treated by a US officer during his interrogation after his arrest and that he had only made his confession under duress. On August 14, 1947, Köhler was sentenced to death by hanging , particularly for illegal killings for “helping and participating in the operations of the Buchenwald concentration camp” . Despite several appeals for clemency , Köhler was executed on November 26, 1948 in the Landsberg War Crimes Prison.

literature

• Buchenwald Main Trial: Deputy Judge Advocate's Office 7708 War Crimes Group European Command APO 407: United States of America v. Josias Prince zu Waldeck et al. - Case 000-50-9 , November 1947 (English, PDF file, 33.0 MB)