26th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
| 26. Infanterie-Division 26th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
Army | |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | World War II |
The 26th Infantry Division (
582nd Volksgrenadier Division of the 32nd mobilisation wave (32. Welle). Remnants of the Division entered U.S. captivity in the Harz
region in 1945.
Commanding officers
- General der Infanterie Sigismund von Förster, 1 September 1939
- Generaloberst Walter Weiß, 15 January 1941
- General der Infanterie Friedrich Wiese, 15 April 1942
- Generalleutnant Johannes de Boer, 5 August 1943
- Generalmajor Heinz Kokott, 10 August 1944
Operational history
The 26th Infantry Division spent the early war years on the
253rd Infantry Division
(253. Infanterie-Division).
A new 26th Volksgrenadier Division was formed on September 17, 1944, in the
Warthelager (now Biedrusko in west central Poland), near Poznań by absorption of the 582nd Volksgrenadier Division and remnants of the old 26th Infantry Division. This new division spent the rest of the war on the Western Front under Army Group B
(Heeresgruppe B) until it entered U.S. captivity in the Harz in 1945.
Organisation
1939
- Infanterie-Regiment 39, I-III Battalions
- Infanterie-Regiment 77, I-III Battalions [1]
- Infanterie-Regiment 78, I-III Battalions
- Artillerie-Regiment 26, I-III Battalions plus the Ist Battalion of Artillerie-Regiment 62
- Aufklärungs-Abteilung 26
- Panzerjäger-Abteilung 26
- Pionier-Abteilung 26
- Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 26
- Feldersatz-Bataillon 26
1944
- Füsilier Regiment 39, I and II Battalions
- Grenadier Regiment 77, I and II Battalions
- Füsilier Regiment 78, I and II Battalions
- Artillerie-Regiment 26, I-IV Battalions
- Divisions-Füsilier-Kompanie 26 (later expanded to Füsilier-Bataillon 26)
- Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 26
- Pionier-Abteilung 26
- Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 26
- Feldersatz-Bataillon 26
See also
- First World War
References
- Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand (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.
- Georg Tessin (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.