126th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
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126th Infantry Division |
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|---|---|
 Troop identification: |
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| active | October 1940 to May 8, 1945 |
| Country |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire
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| Armed forces | Wehrmacht |
| Armed forces | army |
| Branch of service | infantry |
| Type | Infantry division |
| structure | See: Outline |
| garrison | Muenster |
| Second World War | War against the Soviet Union 1941–1945 |
| Commanders | |
| Please refer: | List of commanders |
The 126th Infantry Division was a major military unit of the Wehrmacht in the German Reich .
history
The division was formed in mid-October 1940 mainly from parts of the 11th Infantry Division by surrendering III Battalions of Infantry Regiments 2, 23 and 44 and the 253rd Infantry Division , also by surrendering the III. Battalions of infantry regiments 453, 464 and 473 as well as parts of the artillery regiments, the engineer battalions, the tank destroyer departments and the intelligence departments of these two divisions were set up in the military district VI Münster on the Sennelager military training area. The reconnaissance department of the 16th Infantry Division as well as the veterinarians, fodder masters and grooms of the 36th Infantry Division were added as additional troop units , since the two divisions were motorized.
The division attacked the Soviet Union from the Memel area and advanced across the Baltic states to Lake Ladoga in order to take up positions east of the Volkhov . At the end of 1941 the division was replaced by the Spanish Blue Division and moved west of the Volkhov. The reinforced 424 Infantry Regiment, detached from the division for several months, meanwhile advanced to Lake Ilmen and was involved in the capture of the cities of Novgorod , Sinyavino , Schluesselburg and Lipki.
From the summer of 1942, the 126th Infantry Division took part in the defense of the Demyansk pocket until it was cleared in February 1943. The division was then filled up and reclassified into a new type 44 division.
After heavy fighting on the Volkhov and Leningrad , the division had to move to Latvia during the retreat . On February 20, 1944, large parts of the 9th Air Force Field Division were incorporated to fill up .
In the autumn of 1944 the division got into the Kurland pocket as part of Army Group North near Riga . After heavy losses, the division was only led as a combat group. On May 8, 1945, the remaining 70 officers and 3,000 soldiers laid down their weapons in the Preekuln-Vartava area south of Libau and began the march into Soviet captivity. Only the Grenadier Regiment 422 could still be evacuated by ship across the Baltic Sea with parts of the 11th Infantry Division.
structure
- Infantry Regiment 422 (from 1943 Grenadier Regiment with two instead of three battalions)
- Infantry Regiment 424 (from 1943 Grenadier Regiment with two instead of three battalions)
- Infantry Regiment 426 (from 1943 Grenadier Regiment with two instead of three battalions)
- Fusilier Battalion 126 (from 1943)
- Artillery Regiment 126
- Engineer Battalion 126
- Panzerjäger detachment 126
- Reconnaissance Division 126
- Field Replacement Battalion 126 (from 1943)
- News Section 126
- Division Supply Leader 126
Commanders
- Division commanders
| date | Rank | Surname |
| October 18, 1940 to October 10, 1942 | Major General / Lieutenant General | Paul Laux |
| October 10, 1942 to October 14, 1942 | Colonel | Kurt Chill |
| October 14, 1942 to April 25, 1943 | Colonel / Major General | Harry Hoppe |
| April 25, 1943 to July 27, 1943 | Major general | Friedrich Hofmann |
| July 27, 1943 to November 7, 1943 | Lieutenant General | Harry Hoppe |
| November 7, 1943 to January 5, 1945 | Colonel / Major General / Lieutenant General | Gotthard Fischer |
| January 5, 1945 to January 30, 1945 | Colonel |
Kurt Hähling (in charge of the tour) |
| January 30, 1945 until dissolution | Major general | Kurt Hähling |
| date | Rank | Surname |
| October 5, 1940 | Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel | Hans-Georg von Schaewen |
| June 24, 1942 | Lieutenant colonel | Reinhard Merkel |
Well-known members of the division
- Kurt Dieckert (1893–1959) was with the division on the Volkhov Front and fought in the Battle of the Volkhov in early 1942
- Kurt Hähling (1897–1983) was a member of the Dresden District Assembly for the NDPD from 1953 to 1963 and deputy chairman of his party
- Alfred Hemmann (1895-1957), was from August 1941 to November 1942 Commander of Infantry Regiment 426 and was in this position with the Knight's Cross award
- Franz von Roques (1877–1967) was the leader of a task force from the 126th Infantry Division for one month from October 1941
literature
- Karl Brockmann: From Leningrad to Courland . 1st edition. Self-published, Winterberg 2006 (Kräling-Druck, Siedlinghausen).
* Gerhart Lohse: Geschichte der rheinisch-westfälischen 126. Infanterie-Division 1940–1945, Hans-Henning Podzun, Bad Nauheim, 1957
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Cf. Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945. Volume 6. The Land Forces 71-130 . 2nd Edition. Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1979, ISBN 3-7648-1172-2 . ; P. 313f.
- ^ Samuel W. Mitcham: German Order of Battle: 1st-290th Infantry divisions in World War II . In: German Order of Battle . tape 1 . Stackpole Books, Mechnicsburg 2007, ISBN 978-0-8117-3416-5 , pp. 180 ( google.de [accessed March 7, 2020]).
- ^ Franz Kurowski: Demjansk - The cauldron in the ice .: 14 days defensive battle in the northern section of the eastern front. Podzun-Pallas-Verlag GmbH, 2001, ISBN 978-3-7909-0718-6 , p. 199 ( google.de [accessed March 7, 2020]).
