23rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

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23rd Infantry Division

Troop registration number of the 23rd Infantry Division

" Fridericus Rex ", the monogram of the Prussian kings,
was the troop identification of the 23rd Infantry Division from November 1942.
active October 15, 1935 to May 8, 1945 (surrender)
Country German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire
Armed forces Wehrmacht
Armed forces army
Type Infantry Division
structure see structure
garrison Potsdam
Second World War Attack on Poland in 1939

Western campaign 1940
War against the Soviet Union 1941–1942
War against the Soviet Union 1943–1945

Commanders
list of Commanders
insignia
Division badge until October 1942, the grenadier head Division badge until October 1942, the grenadier head

The 23rd Infantry Division was a major unit of the army of the German Wehrmacht .

Division history

The 23rd Infantry Division was a reserve of the 4th Army in the northern section of the front during the attack on Poland . Together with the 3rd Panzer Division , they fought to occupy the Polish corridor between Pomerania and East Prussia . The division then marched through East Prussia to advance on the far eastern edge of the front towards Białystok .

In October the division was relocated to the western border of Germany in the Bitburg area. From here, on May 10, 1940, at the beginning of the western campaign, they crossed the German- Luxembourg border and advanced via Bastogne to the Meuse near Charleville . After the Maas had been overcome, the Aisne was reached at Rethel and crossed in the second phase of the western campaign . After fighting in the Champagne region , Maiche and Montbéliard on the Swiss border were reached and the demarcation line secured.

As early as September 1940, the division moved to East Prussia and remained there until the attack on the Soviet Union began . In June 1941 she was subordinate to the 4th Army in Army Group Center, with which she advanced towards Narew . Then she took part in the battle of the cauldrons near Białystok and Minsk and continued towards Beresina .

During the attack on Moscow , the division fought near Vyazma and Moshaisk . On December 1, 1941, the division was temporarily enclosed at Federowka and had to be fought free. A little later the division fought on the bow of Klin and had to repel an enemy intrusion by the Soviet 1st shock army in its sector. After the failed attack, the withdrawal dragged on until the end of February.

In June 1942 the division moved to Charleroi in Belgium . There it was disbanded and almost all of the units came to the newly formed 26th Panzer Division .

The newly established 23rd Infantry Division (see structure) was relocated to the Eastern Front to Army Group North in February 1943 and secured the Volkhov until April . The division stayed in the northern sector and fought on alternating sectors of the front. In January 1944, the retreat into the Baltic States and the fight in the panther position began . It remained active in the Baltic States until November 1944 and then moved to Thorn in West Prussia , where it was last refreshed. She spent the last months of the war in East Prussia before capitulating on May 8, 1945 in the Vistula lowlands.

structure

The 23rd Infantry Division was set up in 1935 as the second division in Wehrkreis III (Berlin) . In the course of the army expansion , the 9th Infantry Regiment came from the 3rd Infantry Division ( Frankfurt (Oder) ) to the newly established division. The other infantry regiments were formed from units of the Prussian state police. In August 1939 the associations were in the following locations:

  • Infantry Regiment 9 ( Potsdam )
  • 67th Infantry Regiment ( Berlin-Spandau )
  • Infantry Regiment 68 ( Brandenburg (Havel) )
  • Artillery Regiment 23 (Potsdam)
  • Reconnaissance Department 23 ( Fürstenwalde )
  • Anti-tank department 23 (Potsdam)
  • Pioneer Battalion 23 (Berlin-Spandau)
  • News Department 23 (Potsdam)
  • Medical services 23: Medical company 1./23, medical company 2./23, ambulance train 1./23, ambulance train 2./23, field hospital 23 (field hospital 23 only until August 14, 1942, then as an army field hospital. 23 army troops)

On July 2, 1942, all units except for the 68th Infantry Regiment and the 23rd / 3rd Artillery Regiment were used to set up the 26th Panzer Division. The remaining units were relocated to Denmark and the 23rd Infantry Division was re-established through transfers from military districts III (Berlin), VI ( Münster ) and X ( Hamburg ).

23rd Infantry Division
August 1939 		23rd Infantry Division
August 1942
  • 9th Infantry Regiment
  • 67th Infantry Regiment
  • 68th Infantry Regiment
  • Grenadier Regiment 9
  • Grenadier Regiment 67
  • Fusilier Regiment 68
  • Artillery Regiment 23
  • Reconnaissance Department 23
  • Fusilier Battalion 23rd
  • Anti-tank department 23
  • Panzer Jäger Division 23
  • Engineer Battalion 23
  • News Department 23

Commanders

Well-known members of the division

Resistance fighters of July 20, 1944

Other people

Knight's Cross bearer

Surname Award Award date Rank unit
Gilsa, Werner-Albrecht Freiherr von und zu Knight's cross 0May 6, 1940 Colonel Kdr. Inf.Rgt 9
Hannig, Felix Knight's cross 17 Sep 1941 Major dR Kdr. I./Inf.Rgt 9
Brandt, Hans-Otto Knight's cross Aug 21, 1941 Lieutenant dR Zugführer id 10./Inf.Rgt 67
Kalkhoff, Walter Knight's cross May 26, 1940 Sergeant Gruppenführer id 1./Inf.Rgt 67
Fliessbach, Peter Knight's cross December 20, 1941 First lieutenant Leader 4./Art.Rgt 23
Brentführer, Gerhard Knight's cross 0Oct. 4, 1944 First Lieutenant dR Chief 4./Gren.Rgt 9
Bussche-Streithorst, Axel Freiherr von dem Knight's cross 0March 7, 1944 Captain Kdr. I./Gren.Rgt 9
Henle, Hermann Knight's cross 19 Sep 1943 Captain Führer II./Werfer-Rgt 70
Jordan, Hermann Knight's cross Aug 16, 1943 Captain Leader III./Gren.Rgt 9
Schulze, Walter Knight's cross 0Apr 5, 1944 sergeant Zugführer id 6./Gren.Rgt 9
Büttner, Franz Knight's cross Dec 18, 1944 Corporal Gruppenführer id 7./Gren.Rgt 67
Losing, Werner Knight's cross Feb. 29, 1944 Private Soldier id 12./Gren.Rgt 67
Knight, Klaus Knight's cross Oct 28, 1944 Captain Führer II./Gren.Rgt 67
Tesch, Hermann Knight's cross 0June 9, 1944 Lieutenant dR Führer 11./Gren.Rgt 67
Horak, Erich Knight's cross Sep 24 1943 Sergeant Major Platoon leader at 6./Füs.Rgt 68
Mertens, Otto Knight's cross Apr 11, 1944 Captain dR Führer III./Füs.Rgt 68
Bostell, Wolfgang von Knight's cross 0Sep 2 1944 lieutenant Platoon leader I. Zug / Stug.Abt 1023 id Pz.Jäg.Abt 23
Rehbein, Max H. Knight's cross 0March 5, 1945 Captain dR Kdr. Pi.Btl 23

literature

  • Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945. Volume 4. The Land Forces 15–30 . 2nd Edition. Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1976, ISBN 3-7648-1083-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Samuel W. Mitcham . German Order of Battle: 1st – 290th Infantry Divisions in World War II - Paderborn: Stackpole Books, 2007. - Vol. 1. - 400 p. - (Stackpole military history series). - ISBN 0-8117-3416-1 .
  2. ↑ Werner Finck; The good soldier Finck , Berlin, Munich 1975; P. 40.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939–1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , pp. 187ff.