Ritterkreuzträger of 212. Infanterie-Division

Formed on 26 August 1939 in Wehrkreis VII in Munich, the 212. Infanterie-Division initially served on garrison and coastal defense duties before transferring to the Eastern Front in November 1941 under the command of General der Artillerie Theodor Endres, subsequently joining Heeresgruppe Nord near Leningrad and the Volkhov sector. Over years of grueling trench warfare, the unit endured severe combat under leaders such as Generalleutnant Hellmuth Reymann and Generalmajor Dr. Karl Koske, before facing intense pressure during the Soviet summer offensives of 1944. Pushed back through Lithuania and suffering catastrophic losses, the division was effectively destroyed in the late summer of 1944. Its surviving elements were reconstituted as the 578. Volksgrenadier-Division and quickly redesignated as the 212. Volksgrenadier-Division under the leadership of Generalleutnant Franz Sensfuß. Drawing largely on motivated replacements from Bavaria, the rebuilt formation was transferred to the Western Front in December 1944, where it served under the 7. Armee during the Ardennes Offensive. Tasked with protecting the southern shoulder of the offensive, the division successfully crossed the Sauer river, infiltrated American lines, captured Echternach, and penetrated toward Scheidgen before being ordered to withdraw following the failure of the broader operation. The division concluded the war with subsequent defensive engagements along the Rhine River prior to its final capitulation to Allied forces.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberst der Reserve Dr. med. dent. Rudolf Kolbeck (1889-1965) was born on 24 March 1889 in Regensburg and died on 12 September 1965 in Landsberg am Lech. He volunteered as Kriegsfreiwilliger in the 11. bayerische Infanterie-Regiment during the First World War, was promoted to Leutnant and served as Zugführer, earning the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse in 1917, the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse in 1918, the Wound Badge in Black and later the Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer. After demobilization he studied dentistry and became a dental surgeon. Reactivated on 1 April 1937 as Hauptmann der Reserve and Kompaniechef in Infanterie-Regiment 61, he later served as Lehroffizier at the Kriegsschule Wiener-Neustadt following the Anschluss. At the outbreak of the Second World War he became Bataillonschef in Infanterie-Regiment 316, took part in the Westfeldzug and from November 1941 in the campaign in Russia with the 212. Infanterie-Division. In spring 1943 he assumed command of Grenadier-Regiment 316. For his outstanding leadership of the regiment during the defensive fighting around Leningrad, where he played a decisive role in repelling a Soviet breakthrough attempt against the besieged city early in 1943, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 April 1943 as Major der Reserve (later listed as Oberstleutnant der Reserve). Early in 1944, while still commanding Grenadier-Regiment 316, Kolbeck again distinguished himself repeatedly on the Wolchow front northeast of Tsjudovo, where his regiment repeatedly acted as a breakwater against superior Soviet forces during their offensive; through skillful and energetic leadership he once more prevented a major breakthrough by numerically far stronger enemy units, for which he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (the 403rd award) on 22 February 1944 as Oberstleutnant der Reserve. Additional awards included the 1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse on 23 December 1939, the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse on 9 July 1940, the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen and the Eastern Front Medal. In December 1944 his regiment was transferred to the Western Front; by the end of the war he had been promoted to Oberst der Reserve and entered captivity.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/212th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)