15th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
| 15th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
Army | |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Würzburg |
| Engagements |
|
| Insignia | |
| Early vehicle identifier |  |
The 15th Infantry Division (German: 15. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Army during the interwar period and World War II, active from 1934 to 1945.
The division was formed on 1 October 1934 in
Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. In October 1944 a new 15. Infanterie-Division was raised near Cluj-Napoca using the remainders of the old division and new recruits. On 5 May 1945 the division surrendered to the Red Army at Brod
.
History
The division was formed on 2 October 1934 in
German rearmament, it was renamed the 15th Infantry Division on 15 October 1935 before being relocated to Frankfurt in Wehrkreis IX on 1 October 1936. The 15th included the 81st Infantry Regiment at Frankfurt, the 88th Infantry Regiment at Hanau, the 106th Infantry Regiment at Aschaffenburg, and the 51st Artillery Regiment at Fulda. The division was mobilized for World War II on 25 August 1939 with the 81st, 88th, and 106th Infantry Regiments, the 51st Artillery Regiment, and support troops. By mobilization, the 81st and 106th Regiments both gained an additional battalion. The 51st included the three battalions of the 15th Artillery Regiment and one battalion of the 51st Artillery Regiment.[1]
After being mobilized, the 15th was assigned to
Case Red as part of the VI Army Corps of the 2nd Army. After France surrendered, the 15th remained there as part of the occupation force, assigned to the XXVII Army Corps of the 12th Army (transferred to 1st Army in September). After a battalion from each infantry regiment went to the 134th Infantry Division at Grafenwöhr on 20 November, the division received new battalions to replace the transferred units, but these were soon used to form the 260th Infantry Regiment of the 113th Infantry Division. The headquarters of the 51st Artillery Regiment was renumbered as that of the 15th on 1 February 1941.[1]
Transferred to the
Gzhatsk sector from February as part of the XX, VII, and V Army Corps of the 4th Panzer Army, the division was withdrawn to France to rebuild in May after temporarily disbanded five battalions due to losses.[1] In a propaganda move, the infantry regiments of the division were renamed grenadier regiments along with all German infantry regiments on 15 October 1942.[2]
In France, the division was assigned to
Second Jassy–Kishinev Offensive in August 1944.[1]
The division was reformed on 4 October 1944 at
1st Army, and in March 1945 the 1236th was renumbered as the 81st. Retreating into the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia in January, the division fought with the corps, transferred to 1st Panzer Army of the reformed Army Group Centre, in April near Žilina. It retreated into Moravia in May, now with XXIV Army Corps, and surrendered to Soviet troops at Brod at the end of the war.[1]
Organization (1939)
- Infanterie-Regiment 81 (Stab, I.-III.)
- Infanterie-Regiment 88 (Stab, I.-III.)
- Infanterie-Regiment 106 (Stab, I.-III.)
- Artillerie-Regiment 15 (I.-III.)
- Artillerie-Regiment 51 (Stab., I.)
- Beobachtungs-Abteilung 15
- Aufklärungs-Abteilung 15
- Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 15
- Pionier-Bataillon 15
- Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 15
- Feldersatz-Bataillon 15
- Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubführer 15
Commanders
- General der Artillerie Fritz Brandt 1 October 1934 - 31 March 1936
- Generalleutnant Emil Leeb 1 April 1936 - 1 April 1939
- Generalmajor Walter Behschnitt 1 April 1939 - 6 October 1939
- Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis 6 October 1939 - 12 August 1940
- Generalleutnant Ernst-Eberhard Hell 12 August 1940 - 8 January 1942
- Oberst Alfred Schreiber 8 January 1942 - 3 February 1942
- Generalmajor Bronislaw Pawel 3 February 1942 - 18 Juni 1942
- Generalleutnant Erich Buschenhagen 18 June 1942 - 20 November 1943
- Generalmajor Rudolf Sperl 20 November 1943 - August 1944
- Oberst Ottomar Babel 14 August - 5 September 1944 (missing)
2nd formation
- Generalmajor Siegfried von Rekowski (cancelled)
- Generalmajor Hanns Laengenfelder 17 October 1944 - 5 May 1945
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Tessin 1970, pp. 5–7.
- ^ Liedtke 2016, p. 253.
Bibliography
- Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand: Das Heer 1933-1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues. Vol.III: Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1969, p. 286.
- Liedtke, Gregory (2016). Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941-1943. Solihull: Helion and Company. ISBN 9781910777756.
- Tessin, Georg (1970). Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945 [Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Frankfurt: E.S. Mittler & Sohn.
External links