Josef Köhler, born in Ludwigshafen on 26 July 1906, was a trained carpenter and SPD member. In spring 1933 he was among the Social Democrats taken into Nazi “protective custody” under the Reichstag Fire Decree. From 17 March to 12 April 1933 he was imprisoned in Neustadt camp, sharing cell 40 with several other prisoners, including Wilhelm Weber, the son of Jakob Weber. He was then transferred to Frankenthal prison and held there until 25 April 1933. As a member of the Reichsbanner, Köhler remained under surveillance after his release. Despite the SPD ban, he continued to take part in underground resistance in Mutterstadt, helping distribute illegal leaflets, brochures and posters against the Nazi regime, at great risk to himself and his family. In 1946 he joined the newly elected board of the re-founded SPD in Mutterstadt. He died there on 14 March 1973.
