Rudolf Koch-Erpach

Rudolf Koch-Erpach
Born	9 April 1886 Munich, Bavaria, German Empire
Died	27 November 1971(1971-11-27) (aged 85) Bad Boll
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	German Army
Years of service	1904–45
Rank	General of the Cavalry
Commands held	8th Jäger Division LVI Panzer Corps 1st Army
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of Krasnobród Battle of France Vistula–Oder Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Rudolf Koch-Erpach (9 April 1886 – 28 November 1971) was a German general during World War II who commanded the LVI Panzer Corps and the 1st Army.

Biography

Koch-Erpach was born in Munich, and eventually rose to the rank of general. In 1939, he commanded the German 8th Infantry Division during the invasion of Poland. On 24 June 1940, after the Battle of France he was awarded a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. From 1 November 1940 to 1 March 1941, Koch-Erpach commanded the German LX Corps. After a short break, he briefly commanded the XXXV Corps from 1 April 1941 to 1 May 1941.

Koch-Erpach commanded Military District VIII from 1 May 1942 to 26 January 1945. The headquarters for this military district was Breslau and the district included Silesia, Sudetenland, parts of Moravia, and parts of southwestern Poland. Military District VIII ceased operations in February 1945. From 26 January 1945 to 10 April 1945, Koch-Erpach commanded the LVI Panzer Corps. Later in 1945, Koch-Erpach was acting commander of the German 1st Army for two days before the war ended, from 6 May to 8 May. He died in Bad Boll.

Awards and decorations

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 June 1940 as Generalleutnant and commander of 8 Infanterie-Division

References

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.