60th Motorized Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

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60th Infantry Division
60th Infantry Division (motorized)
Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle

Association badge of the 60th Infantry Division

Association badge of the 60th Infantry Division (motorized)
active October 15, 1939 to 1944
Country German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire
Armed forces Wehrmacht
Armed forces army
Branch of service infantry
Type Infantry Division
structure structure
Installation site Danzig
Second World War German-Soviet War
Battle of Stalingrad
Commanders
list of Commanders

The 60th Infantry Division , from 1940 60th Infantry Division (motorized) , from 1943 Panzergrenadier Division "Feldherrnhalle" , was a major unit of the army of the German Wehrmacht .

The 60th Infantry Division (ID) was formed after the attack on Poland from the Eberhardt Brigade, a unit of the State Police of the Free City of Danzig , named after its commander, Major General Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt . In the summer of 1940, she was motorized and in August (60th Infantry Division mot. ) Renamed. The III. Btl./IR 92 was renamed the 3rd Jäger Battalion on November 17, 1941, in the tradition of the Royal Prussian Reserve Jäger Battalion No. 27 from the First World War , it used Finnish symbols. The 60th ID (mot) was completely destroyed in Stalingrad . It was originally planned to integrate the survivors into a new unit called the 60th Panzer Grenadier Division. But in May 1943 it was given the name Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle .

Division history

Areas of application for the 60th ID

  • Germany: September 1939 to May 1940
  • France: May to August 1940

Areas of application for the 60th ID (mot.)

  • France: August 1940 to April 1941
  • Yugoslavia: April to November 1941
  • Eastern Front, Southern Section: November 1941 to October 1942
  • Stalingrad: October 1942 to February 1943

Fields of application of the Feldherrnhalle division

  • France: June to October 1943
  • Eastern Front, Central Section: October 1943 to February 1944
  • Eastern Front, Northern Section: February to June 1944
  • Eastern front, central sector: June to October 1944
  • Hungary: October to November 1944

On October 15, 1939, the division in Danzig was formed from the Eberhardt group (Sonderverband Danzig) and on November 5, the Artillery Regimental Staff z. b. V. 703, the light artillery departments 741 and 750 and the artillery department 761 reinforced. The latter was enlarged to Artillery Regiment 160 on April 1, 1940. From July 18, 1940, the division was motorized with tracked vehicles and the 243 infantry regiment was disbanded. On April 1, 1942 were motorcyclists - Battalion 160 and the Reconnaissance Department 160 fused together. On the same day, the Army Flak Artillery Department 282 was named IV. (Flak) / Art. Reg. 160 fed to the division.

The division was destroyed in Stalingrad in January 1943 .

The re-erection was to take place by April 1, 1943, but was postponed until May 8, 1943. From the remnants of the old division, the divisional staff and the I./Grenadier-Regiment 92, I./Grenadier-Regiment 120, 13./92, 14./120, staff and 1st company / tank department 160, I. / 160 Artillery Regiment, Engineer Battalion and a News Company.

As the 92nd Grenadier Regiment was set up on April 9, 1943, independently of the division as an army force, the staff, 1st Battalion and 13th Company / 92 were reclassified to Grenadier Regiment 120. The general renaming to the 60th Panzer Grenadier Division, which was decreed on May 27, 1943,  did not take place, instead it was given the name Panzergrenadier Division Feldherrnhalle .

Use at Stalingrad

The 60th Motorized Infantry Division was affiliated to the XIV Panzer Corps of the 6th Army under Infantry General Gustav Anton von Wietersheim and had the task of securing the left, northern wing between the Don and the Volga . After the forces had been regrouped for the upcoming attack on Stalingrad , the 305th Infantry Division , the 76th Infantry Division , the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division and the 16th Panzer Division were in the corridor of the two rivers deployed to counterbalance the 1st Guard Army and 66th Army of the Red Army . A 29 kilometer wide strip south of the Kotluban station as far as the Volga had to be secured. Major General Otto Kohlermann formed defense lines around the village of Borodkin over the Tatar Wall to the village of Kuzmichi with the Pioneer and Reconnaissance Battalion  60, the Machine Gun Battalion 9 and the Panzer Grenadier Regiment 120 in the east. The Panzergrenadier Regiment 92 were split up, with some battalions deployed south of Orlovka.

During the Soviet Kotluban offensive by the 4th Panzer Army, the 24th Army, the 1st Guard Army and the 66th Army from September 3rd to 12th 1942 in the north of Stalingrad , the 60th Motorized Infantry Division played a central role. The broad-based offensive of the Red Army tied up artillery forces and the air force, which were missing from the conquest of Stalingrad, and led to the 60th Motorized Infantry Division having to activate its reserves to prevent the breakthrough. On September 5, Kohlermann dispatched Panzergrenadier Regiment 92 and parts of Panzergrenadier Regiment 120 to the northern Orlowka sector to reinforce Panzergrenadier Regiment 8 on Hill 139.7 and near Kuzmichi. On September 10, 1942, the Division at Hügel 139.7 had to face repeated massive attacks by the 1st Guard Army. In the Kotluban offensive, 250,000 Red Army soldiers with 300 tanks were deployed and attacked the defensive positions of the Wehrmacht in frontal attacks with ranks of rifles. For the Red Army, the offensive was associated with high losses, but it resulted in the German attack on Stalingrad being carried out with a much longer delay and fewer forces than originally planned.

During the entire battle of Stalingrad , the northern line in the Kotluban region was one of the weak points of the 6th Army; nevertheless it was possible from here to exert pressure on the Gorokhow group (124th SB, 149th SB and 282nd NKVD SB). To the north of the industrial complexes in Stalingrad, the Soviet Orlovka front ledge, which from then on the advance of the LI. Army Corps threatened. It was not until the advance through the Stalingrad suburbs from September 5 to 9 that the danger of an enemy break-in in the Don-Volga Corridor was reduced for a while, although the three divisions deployed there had no more than 100 tanks at their disposal.

The combat strength of the seven Panzergrenadier battalions was still in the following condition on September 14, 1942: one medium strength (500–700 men) and six average (400–500), engineer battalion also average (300–400).

From September 18 to October 2, 1942, Andrei Jerjomenko's Second Kotluban Offensive failed due to the defense by the 60th Motorized Infantry Division, the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division and the 16th Panzer Division. The axis of his main attack was on hill 139.7 of the Kuzmichi region and the village of Samofalowka. The breakthrough was supposed to take place at the supposedly weakest point between the VIII Army Corps and the XIV Panzer Corps.

The 24th Army was to defeat 60th Motorized Infantry Division with approx. 34,000 soldiers at the 564 km station and move south of the railway line to Gorodishche. The defensive positions of 76th ID and 60th ID (motorized) with approx. 6000 soldiers consisted of a dense network of trenches , fire positions and bunkers , which could not be overcome. Despite a ratio of 6: 1 in favor of the Red Army and some initial successes on September 18, 1942, the company failed. The 60th Motorized Infantry Division held its own on hills 145.5 and 152.4 and a region that was called "Bolshoi Trenches" on the German side. Waves of dive bombers and massed artillery fire destroyed the Soviet armored wedges. The fighting between September 18 and 19, 1942 on the Kotluban Front cost about 36,000 Red Army soldiers their lives, gained 20 square kilometers of land and finally brought the 564 km station into Soviet possession. Of the German units, the 76th Infantry Division suffered the greatest losses on the Kotluban Front, in such a way that it had to be replaced by the 113th Infantry Division.

From September 14th to 26th, the combat strength of the battalions fell to six average (400–500 men) battalions and a weak (200–300 men) engineer battalion. On September 27, 1942, Major General Hans-Valentin Hube ordered another attack by the 60th Motorized Infantry Division and the 16th Panzer Division in company strength on the Orlowka front ledge, which, however, quickly collapsed, so that reinforcements by 94th Infantry Division and 389 ID had to be brought to the north of Stalingrad. This was also due to the fact that the Red Army exerted permanent pressure on the defense positions of the 6th Army in the Kotluban region and that the fighting in Stalingrad tied up some urgently needed units, which only arrived in the Orlovka area with considerable delay.

From September 29 to October 3, 1942, the actual attack on the Orlowka front line began, carried out by 389 ID and 94 ID in the south, the Stahel group and 60 ID (motorized) from the west and from the 16th Panzer Division was executed in the north. The 6,500-strong Red Army units under Colonel KM Andriusenko were trapped along the course of the Orlowa and were supposed to be destroyed on all sides. Before the attack, the 60th Motorized Infantry Division moved into starting positions on Hill 147.6 and was to attack with battalion and company strength with the motorbike battalion 160. Due to the incessant attacks by the Red Army near Kotluban, only parts of Hube's forces could be made available for the Orlowka company. On September 29, 1942 at 10 a.m., a combat group of the 60th Motorized Infantry Division, supported by 15 tanks, moved towards the village of Orlowka, but was brought to a standstill in front of the positions of the 115th Rifle Brigade of the Red Army. from which several days and bitter battles developed. Craig describes this attack from the perspective of Lieutenant Heinrich Klotz, who led a group of World War I veterans and initially refused to send his soldiers in a frontal attack against well-developed Soviet positions without tank support. In the morning fog of the next day, Klotz carried out the divisional order despite the expectation of a bloodbath, and a large part of his company fell through artillery fire and misplaced air raids by his own air force. Of the 120 soldiers in his group, 90 died. Despite local losses and setbacks, the correction of the Orlovka front was very successful overall.

The combat strength of the 60th Motorized Infantry Division sank after the Orlovka operation on October 5, 1942 to four average (400–500 men), two weak (300–400 men) and one exhausted, exhausted battalion with fewer than 300 men . The Pioneer Battalion 160 was also in a very exhausted condition with fewer than 200 men. During the major German attack on the tractor factory on October 14, 1942, the 60th Motorized Infantry Division was again occupied with defensive tasks in the Kotluban region, with the 92nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment taking over the key defense in the village of Kuzmichi. Yeremenko and Rokossovsky postponed their major attack planned for the end of October due to days of continuous rain. At the beginning of November 1942 the 60th Motorized Infantry Division was reinforced after a short break, but received no replacement for its destroyed tracked vehicles. Paulus planned to use the division in the attack on November 15, 1942 on the chemical factory "Lazur" in the railway loop "Tennis racket" east of Mamajew Hill . This plan was rejected again by Paulus and Weichs , since the forces of 60th Motorized Infantry Division were no longer sufficient for further offensive operations despite slight reinforcements.

structure

1940

  • 92nd Infantry Regiment
  • 243rd Infantry Regiment
  • 244th Infantry Regiment
  • Artillery Regiment 160
  • Engineer Battalion 160
  • Motorcyclist Battalion 160
  • Reconnaissance Department 160
  • Infantry Division News Department 160
  • Infantry Division Supply Leader 160

1942

  • Motorized Infantry Regiment 92
  • Motorized Infantry Regiment 120
  • Motorcyclist Battalion 160
  • Reconnaissance Department 160
  • Artillery Regiment 160
  • Engineer Battalion 160
  • Infantry Division News Department 160

Combat rules of 60th Infantry Division (motorized)

  • Rod
    • Card office (mot.)
    • Motorbike rider train
  • IR (mot.) 92
    • News train (mot.)
    • Reconnaissance Company (motorized)
      • Motorbike rider train
      • Pioneer train
    • I.-III. Battalion with each
      • 3 motorized companies
      • 1 machine gun company (motorized)
    • Infantry Gun Company (motorized)
    • light infantry column
  • IR (mot.) 120
    • News train (mot.)
    • Reconnaissance Company (motorized)
      • Motorbike rider train
      • Pioneer train
    • I.-III. Battalion with each
      • 3 motorized companies
      • 1 machine gun company (motorized)
    • Infantry Gun Company (motorized)
    • light infantry column
  • Panzerjäger Battalion 160
    • News train (mot.)
    • 3 motorized tank destroyer companies
    • heavy machine-gun company
  • Motorcyclist Battalion 160
    • 3 companies
    • heavy machine gun company (motorized)
    • Reconnaissance Company (motorized)
      • Infantry gun train (motorized)
      • Panzerjäger-Zug (motorized)
      • Pioneer train (motorized)
  • Reconnaissance Department 160
    • News train (mot.)
    • Armored Car Company
    • Motorbike Rifle Company
    • heavy reconnaissance company
      • Panzerjäger platoon
      • Pioneer train
      • Infantry gun train
    • Reconnaissance column (mot.)
  • AR 160
    • Support troops (motorized)
      • News train
      • Weather train
    • I.-III. Department with each
      • 1 survey team (motorized)
      • 1 message train (motorized)
      • 3 batteries (mot.)
  • News Department 160
    • Telephone company (mot.)
    • Telecommunication company (mot.)
    • light news column (motorized)
  • Engineer Battalion 160
    • 3 companies (motorized)
    • Bridge column (motorized)
    • light pioneer column (mot.)
  • Infantry Division News Department 160

Changes in the structure from 1939 to 1944

60th ID 1939 60th ID (mot.) 1942 Feldherrnhalle Division 1944
- - Panzer Battalion Feldherrnhalle
92nd Infantry Regiment Motorized Infantry Regiment 92 Feldherrnhalle Fusilier Regiment
243rd Infantry Regiment Infantry Regiment 120 (motorized) Grenadier Regiment Feldherrnhalle
244th Infantry Regiment - -
Artillery Regiment 160 Artillery Regiment 160 Feldherrnhalle artillery regiment
Engineer Battalion 160 Engineer Battalion 160 Pioneer Battalion Feldherrnhalle
Motorcyclist Battalion 160 Motorcyclist Battalion 160 -
Intelligence Division 160 Intelligence Division 160 Panzer Reconnaissance Department Feldherrnhalle
Infantry Division News Department 160 Infantry Division News Department 160 Feldherrnhalle news department

Commanders

Commander of the 60th ID
period of service Rank Surname
August 26, 1939 to August 1940 Major general Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt
Commanders of the 60th Infantry Division (motorized)
period of service Rank Surname
August 1940 to May 15, 1942 Lieutenant General Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt
May 15 to November 1942 Colonel Otto Kohlermann
November 1942 to February 1943 Major general Hans-Adolf von Arenstorff
Commanders of the Panzer Grenadier Division "Feldherrnhalle"
period of service Rank Surname
June 1943 to February 18, 1944 Lieutenant General Otto Kohlermann
February 19, 1944 to April 3, 1944 Major general Albert Henze
April 4 to July 8, 1944 Major general Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller
July 8 to November 1944 Major general Günther Pape

Awards

A total of 13 members of the 60th ID (mot.) Were awarded the Knight's Cross and 37 with the German Cross in Gold.

Knight's Cross bearer of the 60th ID (motorized)
Rank Surname unit Award date
lieutenant Rolf Schneege Pioneer platoon leader StabsKp./IR 120 (mot.) May 14, 1941
Captain Erich Schröter Battalion Commander I. Btl./IR 120 (motorized) 0September 8, 1941
Colonel Karl-Albrecht von Groddeck Regimental commander IR 120 (motorized) 0September 8, 1941
Lieutenant General Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt Division commander 60th ID (motorized) December 31, 1941
major Georg Hesse Battalion Commander III. Bag / IR 120 (mot.) December 31, 1941
Lieutenant colonel Rudolf Petershagen Battalion Commander II. Btl./IR 92 (motorized) July 20, 1942
Corporal Fritz Mette Group leader 9.Kp./GR 92 (mot.) 0January 5, 1943
major Karl Willig Battalion Commander II. Btl./GR 120 (motorized) January 18, 1943, RK with oak leaves
First lieutenant Friedrich Sacha Company commander 2nd Kp./Panzerjäger-abteilung 160 January 20, 1943
First lieutenant Franz Klitsch Leader StabsKp / GR 120 (mot.) January 22, 1943
Senior physician Dr. Horst Wilcke Battalion doctor III.Btl./IR 120 (motorized) July 25, 1942
Captain Karl Willig Battalion Commander II.Btl./IR 120 (motorized) July 25, 1942
sergeant Albert Dressel Platoon leader 3.Kp./Panzer-Abteilung 160 October 13, 1942
Knight's Cross of the Feldherrnhalle Division
Rank Surname unit Award date
Captain Erich Oberwoehrmann Leader tank department "Feldherrnhalle" 0February 7, 1944
major Wilhelm Schöning Battalion Commander 1st Battalion / Fusilier Regiment "Feldherrnhalle" 0February 7, 1944
Sergeant Major Herbert Berger Platoon leader 10.Kp./GR (mot.) "FHH" March 12, 1944
Captain Hans-Arno Ostermeier Leader of a combat group leader PzGren.Div. "FHH" August 23, 1944

literature

  • David M. Glantz: Armageddon in Stalingrad: September-November 1942 (The Stalingrad Trilogy, Volume 2). University of Kansas Press, Lawrence 2009, ISBN 978-0-7006-1664-0 .
  • Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945 . 2nd Edition. tape 5 . The Land Forces 31-70 . Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1977, ISBN 3-7648-1107-2 .

See also

References and comments

  • David M. Glantz: Armageddon in Stalingrad: September – November 1942. (The Stalingrad Trilogy, Volume 2). University of Kansas Press, Lawrence 2009.
  1. pp. 30-32.
  2. a b pp. 40-41.
  3. p. 52.
  4. p. 56.
  5. pp. 68-69
  6. pp. 98, 105-106.
  7. p. 137.
  8. p. 169.
  9. pp. 171-172, 175-177, 182.
  10. p. 231.
  11. p. 239.
  12. pp. 291-292.
  13. pp. 294, 296-297.
  14. p. 302
  15. pp. 355, 448.
  16. pp. 611-612.

Further evidence and comments

  1. A Russian defensive installation built in the 13th century against Tartar cavalry attacks from the north near Shishikin on the Don in the Kotluban region to the Tsaritza estuary in Stalingrad. The Tatar Wall consisted of a deep ditch and a high rampart, which represented a tank barrier until the Second World War. historisches-tonarchiv.de
  2. ^ William E. Craig: The Battle of Stalingrad. Factual report, Heyne, Munich 1991, p. 122.
  3. from the infantry regiment "Danzig 1", formerly the State Police Regiment 1, formed
  4. ↑ formed from the infantry regiment "Danzig 2", formerly the State Police Regiment 2
  5. ↑ formed from the artillery department of the Gdańsk State Police