260th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

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260th Infantry Division

Insignia of the 260th Infantry Division

Troop association badge: "Hörnle", from the coat of arms of Württemberg
active August 26, 1939 to July 1944 (extermination)
Country German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire
Armed forces Wehrmacht
Armed forces army
Branch of service infantry
Type Drawn infantry, later grenadier division
structure structure
Strength 15,019 debit
garrison Ludwigsburg
Nickname Hörnle Division
Second World War German-Soviet War in the West
commander
list of Commanders

The 260th Infantry Division was a major unit of the German Wehrmacht that was set up as a division of the 4th wave on August 26, 1939 in Ludwigsburg . During Operation Bagration , the large-scale Soviet attack against Army Group Center in the summer of 1944, the division in the Minsk pocket was destroyed.

history

Lineup

In the period from August 26 to September 1, 1939, the 260th Infantry Division was set up as a division of the 4th wave of deployment in Ludwigsburg during the mobilization section 1939/40 . At that time the division numbered 491 officers, 99 civil servants, 2,165 NCOs and 12,264 soldiers and thus had a total strength of 15,019 men.

The from Ulm Dating Lieutenant General Hans Schmidt was the first commander of this United Württemberg association. His order of the day of September 1, 1939 to take command read as follows:

“ As of today, I will take command of the division. Our troops have been reorganized. Old soldiers who valiantly defended the fatherland with their lives 25 years ago stand in line with the youth, who, I am convinced, will emulate their example. We will use all our strength to perfect the training so that we can cope with any task in the shortest possible time. True to our soldiers' oath, we will do our duty to the utmost. Schmidt, Lieutenant General. "

During the attack on Poland between September 1 and 9, 1939, the division moved to the Münsingen military training area. The commander received the transfer orders for his division on September 8, 1939 at Army High Command 7 in Calw.

March

France declared war on the German Reich on September 3rd. The 260th Infantry Division was ordered to the Western Front on September 9 and 10, 1939, and marched there. Until April 19, 1940, the division was in position on the Upper Rhine on both sides of the towns of Müllheim and Neuenburg am Rhein . The division command post was in Badenweiler . Position expansion and scouting troop companies were operated.

During a French fire attack near Neuchâtel on positions of the 2nd Battalion, Infantry Regiment 470 on January 8, 1940, the worker Eberle of a construction unit was shot in the head. He was the division's first fallen victim.

From April 20, 1940, the division was used for four weeks in the operational area of ​​the Western Front. Training was carried out in the Villingen area , night marches to Tübingen and rail loading to Reutlingen , Metzingen and Kirchentellinsfurt . In Reutlingen, parts of the divisional headquarters were housed in the Ypres barracks. At the end of April, the subordination to the 2nd Army , together with the 298th and 162nd Infantry Divisions, the division formed the XXXXII. Army Corps.

The units in the Eifel (near Erdorf and Bitburg) were unloaded from April 21 to 23.

On the morning of May 10th, the first day of the campaign in the west , they marched into Dasburg in Luxembourg, which was completely occupied that day. This was followed by the advance through Luxembourg via Dasburg - Clervaux (23-25 ​​May) - Allerborn. The association marched through Belgium via Graide - Our - Louette St.Pierre - Willerzie. The Kingdom of Belgium capitulated on May 28, 1940. The 260th Infantry Division stopped in front of the Meuse crossing at Monthermé and was initially the XIII. Army corps subordinated to corps reserve.

On May 30, 1940, the 260th Infantry Division of the 12th Army and the XIII. Army Corps subordinated. This changed the thrust from west to south. On May 31, 1940, a divisional order ordered that all vehicles be marked with their own identification. This seemed necessary when several divisions, e.g. B. used the same marching streets. The coat of arms became the "Hörnle", a modification of the deer antlers in the coat of arms of the former Kingdom of Württemberg .

French campaign

On June 1, 1940, the march north of the Aisne began. The division crossed the Meuse near Monthermé. The division command post was in Arnicourt Castle near the city of Lonny. The transition over the Aisne was prepared at Rethel . The Artillery Regiment 260 (without the II. Division) and the Engineer Battalion 653 were subordinated to the 17th Infantry Division to support the attack and to create the bridgehead at Château-Porcien near Rethel.

The II./AR 260 was subordinate to the 21st Infantry Division also deployed in this area. The soldiers fought with the heat, there was little water, but there was plenty of wine, sparkling wine and champagne. Between June 9 and 13, 1940, the breakthrough battle took place through the French Aisne front. The division suffered great losses. A violent Aisne crossing at Château-Porcien and Rethel was enforced on June 9, 1940. The Reconnaissance Division 260 fought for Machault and forced the breakthrough at the Suippe section.

From mid-June 1940 the division took part in pursuit battles through the Champagne region: from Givry and Revigny over the Rhine-Marne Canal , on both sides of the Saône Valley over the plateau from Langres to Dijon (Nuits St.Georges - Beaune - Chagny). On June 21, a parade took place with a march past the division commander in Dijon, and on June 22, the armistice was officially announced.

At the end of June the division occupied the city of Dijon . She was responsible for securing the demarcation line from Bourbon-Lancy on the Loire via Paray-le-Monial on the Canal du Center - Montchanin - Chalon-sur-Saône - Chaussin . The division command post was in the Château de la Verrerie in Le Creusot . On June 30, the division was the XXV. Army Corps subordinated.

The division was used as an occupation force in France in the Belfort area (division command post in the old fortress) - Montbéliard - Delle (on the Swiss border ) - Morvillars until September 11, 1940 . During this time the division was kept in constant training. On August 24, the 260th Infantry Division was subordinated to the XVIII Army Corps.

Since September 12, 1940, they were tasked with securing the demarcation line and deployed as an occupying force in the Le Creusot - Autun area. There was constant training of the troops. Due to the numerous combat exercises in areas with vegetation, the division was nicknamed the "Heckenschleicher Division". On September 14, 1940, it was placed under the XXXXV. Army Corps instead. On October 15, 1940, another change of subordination took place: the XXVII. Army corps became the higher-level agency.

War against the Soviet Union

1941

A holiday ban was ordered from May 4, 1941, and on June 22, a radio message arrived at Army High Command 1: “The 260th Infantry Division will be relocated to the Eastern Front.” On this fateful day, the “ Operation Barbarossa ” began - the German Invasion of the Soviet Union . Between June 30 and July 3, the 260th Infantry Division was evacuated from the Le Creusot area and the 215th Infantry Division took over the section. The units traveled by rail from France via Germany to Poland . The unloading took place in Mordy, near the town of Siedlce . This was followed by the march to the Soviet border north of Brest-Litovsk .

The subordination to the XXXV followed. Army Corps. Then the advance towards Berezina began . Express marches of 50 to 70 kilometers daily via Baranowitschi to the west of Bobruisk (Beresina) followed; the association was deployed south of Bobruisk. Parts of the division (III. / Infantry Regiment 470) were loaded onto trucks and transported to combat partisans near Lubany. On July 13, the division was assigned to the XXXXIII. Army Corps subordinated. This made it a link between the Central and South Army Groups .

In the period from July 19 to August 8, there were heavy defensive and offensive battles south of the city of Bobruisk . During the hard and bloody fighting on July 24th around the towns of Romanishche and Ugly, 51 attacking enemy tanks were shot down. The division lost 92 dead and 510 wounded.

From August 9th, the division pushed forward on pontoon bridges built by pioneers over the Berezina south of Bobruisk in the direction of Slobin. The left neighbor was the 267th Infantry Division, the 134th Infantry Division followed the Hörnledivision. A bridgehead was built south of Slobin on the Dnepr after a hard battle . On August 18, the division was the XIII. Army Corps subordinated.

Persecution battles across Gomel to Desna took place until the end of August . The 260th Infantry Division advanced through the villages of Gorodnya - Dubrovnoye - Tschernisch to Kisselewka on the Desna , the town of Gomel, consisting mainly of wooden houses, was completely destroyed in these fighting. The division marched there on August 22nd, and on August 28th it crossed the border with Ukraine .

From August 24, the attack of the XIII began. Army corps to the south with 3 divisions. Lieutenant General Schmidt ordered to force a crossing over the Desna on both sides of Kisselewka (east of Chernigov ) on the night of September 1st . Infantry Regiment 470, later reinforced by parts of Infantry Regiment 480, formed a bridgehead on both sides of Wibli. On September 1, the battle for the city of Chernigov began.

On September 2, there was strong Soviet artillery fire on Wibli. The situation only stabilized on September 3rd. Soviet troops attacked the beachhead 15 times and were thrown back each time. On September 5, the troops of the 5th Soviet Army withdrew. On this day the Hörnledivision was the XXXXIII. Army Corps subordinated.

Persecution broke out up to September 12 and ended in the pocket of the Battle of Kiev . On September 12, the division was the XIII. Army Corps subordinated. The battles of the past few days cost the division more than 4,000 personnel losses (including 515 dead) and 600 horses. On September 9th, the division reached Yanovka, a small town south of Chernigov. Here was the southernmost point of the advance.

On September 14th the regrouped 260th Infantry Division marched via Chernigov and Starodub (September 22nd) into the area southeast of Roslavl. Lieutenant General Schmidt was awarded the Knight's Cross in Unecha on September 23 .

On September 26th, the first frost heralded winter. Between September 28 and October 3, the division positioned itself to break through the Stalin Line . In the north the defensive battle at Jelnja took place first , followed by the breakthrough through the upper Desna position and the formation of a bridgehead at Star Chotmirowka.

On October 2, which began business typhoon , the battle of Moscow . In the period from October 3rd to October 11th, they passed over Bolva and Ugra and reached Vorotynsk airfield . On October 8, the 260th Infantry Division was subordinated to the 4th Army . The division received orders to storm the Oka bridges south of Kaluga .

On October 11th, the division reported the capture of the city of 90,000. The 17th Infantry Division penetrated from the west after several days of fighting. The infantry regiment 470 broke in from the south (after two Oka crossings within 24 hours). Soldiers of 7th / Infantry Regiment 21 and Infantry Regiment 470 shook hands at the Oka Bridge on the southern edge of Kaluga.

From mid-October the advance against Moscow began via Anashuja (divisional command post October 17), Ssashkino (there was a night attack on parts of the 470 infantry regiment) and Petrishcheva. This was followed by turning the units to the southeast and throwing back the Soviet forces over the Oka on both sides of Aleksin .

The 52nd Infantry Division replaced the 260, who marched into the staging area on both sides of Gosteschewo (replacement by the 17th Infantry Division) to attack over the Protwa . The right neighbor was the 52nd Infantry Division, the left neighbor was the 137th Infantry Division.

A bridgehead was built on both sides of Kremjonki (Kremenki). On October 13th, the period of mud began, which made progress almost impossible.

On October 30, the division handed the section over to the 52nd Infantry Division. Fierce fighting broke out on the Protwa. Work began on digging trenches in the Kremjonki bridgehead. The fighting over the Browna sector was followed by the attack and capture of Browna on November 3rd. A 5-minute fire attack was too short here, so there were losses in the staging area. Nevertheless, the 260th Infantry Division advanced to Pavlovka (about 15 kilometers west of Serpukhov ).

The advance ended about 90 kilometers southwest of Moscow. On November 6, the division command post was in Lgowo, the easternmost point of the advance.

From November 14, the Soviet armed forces fully took the initiative. This was followed by a deployment on the Protwa (left neighbor 268th Infantry Division, right neighbor 52nd Infantry Division) and defensive battles in the Kremjonki bridgehead. On November 30th, the 480 infantry regiment had a combat strength of 546 men, on December 15th the thermometer showed −31 degrees Celsius.

In mid-December defensive battles took place south of the Protwa (Troitzkoje - Gosteschewo), which ended with the evasion to the west (Hitler's order on December 16: “The troops do not take a step backwards!”). On December 16 and 17 there was a shift one division width to the south. Each regiment received 150 replacement men, some of whom had to be deployed unarmed. On December 18, twelve T-34 tanks and two heavy battle tanks of the KW-1 type broke through the main battle line and were shot down.

From December 21, the division fought in defensive battles between Protwa and Ugra. One was involved in retreat fighting at Aulowo - Walkowo. The III. / Infantry Regiment 470 is included, relief is provided by II. / 470 and 1st SS Regiment 4. Soviet troops broke through at Tschausowo and Altuchowo, the division was included for the first time. The 268th Infantry Division fought the way from Nedelnoye to the south. On December 31st, Lieutenant General Schmidt was appointed Commanding General for IX. Army corps transferred, Colonel Walter Hahm took over the division. It was possible to evade the narrow area at Nedelnoje. Further alternative skirmishes via Frolowo and Kondrovo to Ostroshnoje were the result.

On Christmas Eve 1941 the division had 925 instead of 5,000 combat troops, 76 instead of 500 machine guns. In addition, the new year began with -45 ° C.

1942

At the beginning of 1942 defensive battles broke out on both sides of Ostrozhnoye. The Panzerjägerabteilung 559 with 100 soldiers was subordinated to the 470 Infantry Regiment. Soviet troops attacked the division's positions several times a day. Major Baur, Commander Infantry Regiment 470, was wounded with a shot in the stomach, Major Schütz took over command. On January 26th, Soviet forces (30 men) entered Grebnewo. These were destroyed by the last division reserve (one non-commissioned officer, 9 soldiers, 1 machine gun and some detectors from the 470 infantry regiment). The evacuation of the position took place according to orders on January 27th. The strength of the 470 infantry regiment was still 105 soldiers.

From January 28th to March 6th the winter battle took place near Juchnow . The division was in defense on the Ugra near Kolychmanowo. The Ressa-Ugra position on both sides of Raljaki on the taxiway to Juchnow was prepared, and shortly afterwards the division moved to the new position. The combat strength on February 24 was 1,111 men.

From the beginning of March, the division conducted defensive battles in the winter position west of Juchnow in fixed winter positions on the Ressa and Ugra. Scouting troops took place on both sides, combat reconnaissance should bring in prisoners. Strong partisan formations about 100 kilometers to the west threatened the division's supplies, the war haws lost due to battles with the partisans .

The division commander Lieutenant General Hahm (center) - in Uspech, Russia in mid-May 1943

On April 1, Major General Hahm was promoted. On May 1, the division was the XII. Army Corps subordinated. On May 31, a marching battalion with 1,000 replacements reached the division. The combat strength was 5,000 soldiers.

In July the division received a further 1,250 man replacements. On December 19, the High Command of the XII. Army Corps ordered the change of identification marks. With that, the popular Hörnle disappeared as a symbol of the 260th Infantry Division. The new identification mark was an "R". On October 15, the infantry regiments 460, 470 and 480 were renamed Grenadier regiments 460, 470 and 480. Between August 27 and October 6, General Dietrich von Choltitz led the division on behalf of Major General Hahm.

1943

On January 30, 1943, Hahm was promoted again ; now to lieutenant general . In the first two months of the year the division lost 841 men: 62 dead, 227 wounded, 7 missing and 495 men due to illness.

At the beginning of March, the front that had been held for a year was given up, and the troops were constantly evading to the west in the direction of Jelnja . Enemy forces followed suit, with heavy casualties on both sides. The so-called "buffalo movement" ended after 125 kilometers on March 18 in the "buffalo position" between Buda and Djuki, which meant that the front was shortened in spring and 22 divisions were saved.

The new main battle line was in front of the Jelnja - Spas-Demensk railway , about 12-15 kilometers from the tracks and was fully occupied on March 17. On March 18, Soviet troops attacked with strong armored forces: 50 tanks broke through to Genedilowo, 40 were on the main battle line.

After heavy fighting in the first few days, the buffalo position was expanded. The front now ran roughly on the line Kamenka - Wesselucha - Sslusna - Chotilowka - Tashchilovo - Lasinki. The opposing units behaved a little more calmly and also expanded their positions. Combat reconnaissance was carried out continuously by both sides. The units in the front section were repeatedly moved, the division command post moved to Uspech on March 24th. The soldiers mostly spent their everyday life at the front with training.

In the first days in the buffalo position, the division's artillery fired 11,000 rounds of ammunition. On August 8, a major Soviet offensive began on the entire Eastern Front. The division had to give up the buffalo position and avoid constantly fighting with heavy losses. The new positions were designated as follows:

  • Barbarossa position (near Stray Nowiki)
  • Ssnopot position
  • Schuiza position
  • Desna position
  • Easter position

Contemporary witnesses describe the opposing soldiers: "The Russian infantry is bad - 15-year-olds and old men, they have no rifles, but are all equipped with submachine guns."

On September 28, the entire division crossed the Ssash River. After giving up the Easter position, extreme marching movements attempted to carry all the material with them in the western, rear area. Motor vehicles and horses, often in shuttle traffic, were subjected to extreme stress.

On October 1st the Pronja was crossed at Kuzminitschi and Kononowka. The end of these movements was the Pronja position along the Pronja between the town of Tschaussy and Azaritschi (23 km south). Attempts to break through by opposing troops were halted in often bitter hand-to-hand combat with varying degrees of success. Lieutenant General Hahm was on leave due to illness (he did not return) and was replaced by Colonel Dr. Bracher represented.

On November 9th, Major General Robert Schlueter took over the leadership of the division. After the situation had calmed down somewhat, the positions were expanded. The division headquarters was initially in Ussuscheck, later in Dubrowka. The rear area included the villages of Stary Bishow and Mogilew . Christmas and the turn of the year were spent without major disruptions by opposing troops.

1944

In January and February 1944 it remained quiet, so that the division could deal with realignments and training. However, you continued to feel your way in the trench warfare. The Grenadier Regiment 470, which had previously been worn out, was set up again at the end of January.

In the spring the division swapped the section with the 31st Infantry Division and was thus deployed on the right wing of the 4th Army and at the interface to the 9th Army in confusing forest positions. The command post was in Judino. In addition to the expansion of the main battle line, shock troops were still successfully deployed. The thaw set in and made larger movements impossible.

The commander of the division, Major General Schlueter, was seriously wounded by partisans and lost an arm on the way to his home leave on April 21. His successor became Major General Günther Klammt on May 10th .

From May 21, the division moved by rail to the Orsha - Horki - Mogilew area in exchange for the 56th Infantry Division. The staff was now in the south of Schischewo, later in Krassulino-Jurowka. The following major formations were now deployed along the main battle line: 110th Infantry Division - 260th Infantry Division - 25th Panzer Grenadier Division - 78th Infantry and Storm Division (the last 3 divisions were part of the XXVII Army Corps). The 480 Infantry Regiment was subordinated to the 78th Infantry and Storm Division, which was deployed on both sides of the taxiway . The division defended in this position until June 26, 1944.

Operation Bagration , the major Soviet offensive , began on June 22nd . After the most violent artillery preparations, 4 Soviet army groups took up the position and rolled over the German defenders. The attack against the 4th Army, to which the division now belonged, began on June 23. Before the German troops could break loose, the Soviet attackers had brought the front to collapse. Among other things, the 3rd Army of the 1st Belarusian Front under General Gorbatov attacked the Central Army Group .

The neighboring divisions of the 260th Infantry Division had already been defeated on June 25th and were pushed back by the enormous superiority of the enemy. According to Soviet information, on June 20, 1944, the four army groups who took up had:

  • 166 divisions, including 6 cavalry divisions
  • 9 rifle brigades and several fortified rooms
  • 31,000 guns from 7.6 cm caliber
  • 5,200 tanks and self-propelled guns
  • 6,000 aircraft

The front of Army Group Center collapsed completely on June 25th. The 4th Army (the 260th Infantry Division now belonged to the XXVII Army Corps) lost the cities of Orsha and Mogilev that day . The new commander-in-chief of Army Group Center, Field Marshal Walter Model , disregarded all "stop orders" and continued to pull back the front. An evasion over several positions behind the Dnepr as a result of the most difficult fighting was the result. There were enemy break-ins in front of Orsha, the bulk of the division crossed the Dnieper at Kopys and Kopistza on June 26th on a war bridge of the Pioneer Battalion 653. There the division defended until June 27th against strong enemy armored forces coming from Orsha to the south and attacked the west. On the afternoon of the 27th, the remnants of the 480 Grenadier Regiment returned to the division. On June 28, the retreat to the Berezina began on muddy forest paths, which made it almost impossible for the heavy equipment to get through. The Drut was exceeded at Teterin on June 30th.

At the beginning of July, the division crossed the Berezina on a 12-ton bridge, which the engineer battalion 110 had completed during the night. In addition to the heavy Soviet artillery fire, the muddy bank made it difficult to cross over. Most of the large equipment was also lost here. On the night of July 2nd they gathered behind the Beresina for the last time, the combat strength was almost 2,000 soldiers. Minsk fell into Soviet hands on July 3rd. The units had to conduct retreat battles in a moving cauldron (together with the remnants of the 78th Infantry Division , 267th Infantry Division, 25th Panzer Grenadier Division and Infantry Regiment 199 " Julius List "). Soviet troops attacked from different sides and from the air. The division commanders held a final briefing near Cherven. The order to break through to the west was given after the heavy weapons had been blown up and desperate attempts to break out were unsuccessful.

A contemporary witness of this headless escape reports: “On July 5, 1944 - within the 7th cauldron - I met the division commander Major General Günther Klammt on a stream . His bucket truck was stuck in the mud. His command was: 'Soldiers, you have been released from your oath of your oath , make your way west in small groups. Save yourself who can, good luck! '” Major General Günther Klammt was shortly afterwards taken prisoner by the Soviets.

Constantly fighting and left alone through ever new encirclements, the fate of the division took place. The bloody losses were innumerable, there was no hope for the wounded. The end was chaos, death and imprisonment. The pocket was cleared 35 km east of Minsk by Soviet troops. An estimated 32 divisions (around 300,000 German soldiers) of Army Group Center were taken prisoner. Numerous soldiers died on the way to the assembly camp as a result of weakness, injury or dysentery. Only a few managed to escape, mostly at night and through partisan territory, to the German detention centers.

people

Commanders

Other prominent personalities

structure

  • Infantry Regiment 460 (later Grenadier Regiment 460)
  • Infantry Regiment 470 (later Grenadier Regiment 470)
  • Infantry Regiment 480 (later Grenadier Regiment 480)
  • Artillery Regiment 260
  • Panzerjäger detachment 260
  • News Department 260
  • Reconnaissance Department 260
  • Medical company 260
  • Engineer Battalion 653
  • Division Supply Leader

literature

  • Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945 . Volume 8: The Land Forces 201–280 . 2nd Edition. Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1979, ISBN 3-7648-1174-9 . ; P. 257 f.

Web links