16th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
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| 16th Infantry Division 16th Motorized Infantry Division 16th Panzergrenadier-Division | |
|---|---|
Panzer | |
| Role | Armoured warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Gotthard Heinrici Gerhard von Schwerin |
| Insignia | |
| 16th Panzer Division |  |
The 16th Infantry Division of the
16th Panzer Division
The 16th Panzer Division served as a reserve in Romania during the Balkans campaign in 1941. It then participated in Operation Barbarossa with Army Group South, also in 1941.
A kampfgruppe of 16th Panzer Division, led by Count Strachwitz, reached the outskirts of Stalingrad on 23 August 1942, brushing aside the sole Soviet defences, anti-aircraft guns manned by female factory workers[1] (possibly the 1077th Anti-Aircraft Regiment). The 16th Panzer Division was encircled and ultimately destroyed at Stalingrad during the winter of 1942–43.[2]
It was rebuilt for a campaign in the west, fought in
Motorized Division
The 16th Motorized Infantry Division, nicknamed Windhund ("Greyhound"), participated in the Balkans campaign in 1941 along with the 16th Panzer Division (see above). It took part in Operation Barbarossa with Army Group South later in the year. It advanced on the Caucasus with elements coming to within 20 miles of Astrakhan in 1942 – the most easterly point reached by any German unit during the war.
It also participated in the Battle of Stalingrad.[4] The 16th Motorized Infantry Division participated in defensive operations after the Soviets broke up the front of the southern sector.
In June 1943, it was upgraded to 16th Panzergrenadier Division. This upgraded formation was depleted in the continuous retreats and was transferred to France for rest and refitting.
116th Panzer Division
In March 1944, it was reorganized as the
It subsequently defended the
16th Volksgrenadier Division
In parallel, a 16th Volksgrenadier Division was created in October 1944, which defended the Upper Rhine until March 1945, when it was forced to retreat deeper into Germany.
War crimes
The 16th Motorized Infantry Division has been implicated in the San Clemente di Caserta massacre, Campania, on 4 October 1943, when 25 civilians were murdered.[5][6]
Organization
Structure of the division:[7]
- Headquarters
- 16th Reconnaissance Battalion
- 60th Infantry Regiment
- 64th Infantry Regiment
- 79th Infantry Regiment
- 16th Field Replacement Battalion
- 16th Engineer Battalion
- 16th Artillery Regiment
- 16th Anti-Tank Battalion
- 16th Signal Battalion
- 16th Divisional Supply Group
Commanding officers
 |
16th Infantry Division
- Generalleutnant Gerhard Glokke (October 1934 – 12 October 1937)
- Generalleutnant Gotthard Heinrici (12 October 1937 – 31 January 1940)
- Generalmajor Heinrich Krampf (1 February 1940 – 31 May 1940)
- Generalmajor Hans-Valentin Hube (1 June 1940 – 6 August 1940)
16th Motorized Infantry Division
- Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis (12 August 1940 – 15 March 1941)
- Generalleutnant Sigfrid Henrici (15 March 1941 – Mid August 1941)
- Generalleutnant Johannes Streich (Mid August 1941 – Mid November 1941)
- Generalleutnant Sigfrid Henrici (Mid November 1941 – 13 November 1942)
- Generalmajor Gerhard Graf von Schwerin(13 November 1942 – 20 May 1943)
- Oberst Wilhelm Crisolli (20 May 1943 – 27 June 1943)
16th Panzergrenadier Division
- General der Panzertruppen Gerhard Graf von Schwerin(27 June 1943 – January 1944)
- Generalmajor Günther von Manteuffel (January 1944 – March 1944)
- Generalmajor Karl Stingl (March 1944)
References
- ISBN 978-0-70061-664-0.
- ^ Mitcham (2000), p. 131.
- ^ Mitcham (2000), p. 132.
- ISBN 978-1-47383-386-9.
- ^ "San Clemente di Caserta, Caserta, 4/10/1943". Atlas of Nazi and Fascist Massacres in Italy (in Italian). Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ "16. Panzer-Division". Atlas of Nazi and Fascist Massacres in Italy (in Italian). Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-81174-654-0.
Bibliography
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2000). The Panzer Legions. ISBN 978-0-8117-3353-3.
- Müller-Hillebrand, Burkhard (1969). Das Heer 1933–1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues (in German). Vol. III: Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende. Frankfurt am Main: Mittler. p. 286.
- Tessin, Georg (1970). Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 1939–1945 (in German). Vol. IV: Die Landstreitkräfte 15–30. Frankfurt am Main: Mittler.