7th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
|
7th Infantry Division |
|
|---|---|
 Troop registration |
|
| active | October 1, 1934 to April 1945 |
| Country |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire
|
| Armed forces | Wehrmacht |
| Armed forces | army |
| Branch of service | infantry |
| Type | Infantry Division |
| structure | structure |
| Insinuation | last Army East Prussia ( Army Group Vistula ) |
| Divisional headquarters | Munich |
| Butcher |
Attack on Poland Western campaign |
The 7th Infantry Division was a major unit of the army of the German Wehrmacht .
Division history
Lineup
It was set up on October 1, 1934 as Artillery Leader VII and Division of the 1st wave of deployment in Munich in Military District VII . Since the deployment was carried out in the course of the expansion of the Reichswehr , the 7th ID had the code name Artillerieführer VII until it was exposed on October 15, 1935.
War missions
The 7th ID was transferred to Slovakia on August 1, 1939 , where it was mobilized from August 26th. From September 1, 1939, the division took part in the attack on Poland . After reaching the Jablunka Pass and the Zwardoń Saddle, it pursued Polish troops across the Dunajec and took part in the conquest of Przemyśl .
After the attack on Poland was over, the 7th Infantry Division was relocated to the western border of the German Reich. From there she took part in the western campaign and from May 10, 1940 advanced via Löwen and Tournai into the Scheldt section, where she took part in the Battle of the Scheldt. Then the 7th Infantry Division crossed the Lys and took part in the fighting for Lille . After the armistice in June, the division remained stationed as an occupying force in northern France.
In April 1941 the 7th Infantry Division was transferred to the Generalgouvernement in order to prepare for Operation Barbarossa . The division took part in the attack on the Soviet Union from June 22, 1941 by advancing via Białystok to Minsk , then to Mogilew and Roslavl . 7th Infantry Division took part in the Kesselschlacht near Smolensk , advanced via Nara and took part in the Battle of Moscow , whereby the German offensive about 60 km west of Moscow paralyzed due to the adverse weather conditions. After the start of the Soviet counter-offensive on December 5, 1941, the division fought in the Schelkowka-Dorochowo area. At the beginning of 1942, the retreat to the Nara and Gshatsk positions took place. In 1943 the 7th Infantry Division fought in the arch of Orel and withdrew to Gomel via the Desna and Dnejpr rivers . Later, in early 1944, the retreat took place over the Pripjet Marshes , via Pinsk and Bielsk to the Bug , with the division fighting between Bug and Narew in the weeks and months that followed . After that, in 1945, after fighting near Włodawa - Węgrów and Castenburg [?], They had to retreat to Danzig between Narew and the lower Vistula via Zichenau , Thorn and Graudenz . After the last defensive battles around the bridgehead on the Vistula, the division surrendered in the Stutthof - Steegen area .
people
Division commanders
| period of service | Rank | Surname |
|---|---|---|
| Establishment - November 12, 1936 | Lieutenant General | Franz Halder |
| November 12, 1936 to July 31, 1939 | Lieutenant General | Otto Hartmann |
| August 1 to September 30, 1939 | Major general | Eugene Ott |
| October 1 to December 1, 1939 | Major general | Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz |
| December 1, 1939 to December 13, 1941 | Lieutenant General | Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz |
| December 29, 1941 to November 1, 1942 | Major general | Hans Jordan |
| November 1, 1942 to October 2, 1943 | Lieutenant General | Fritz-Georg von Rappard |
| October 2 to November 30, 1943 | Colonel | Carl André (in charge of the tour) |
| December 1 to December 8, 1943 | Major general | Gustav Gihr |
| December 8, 1943 to August 1944 | Lieutenant General | Fritz-Georg von Rappard |
| August 1944 | Colonel | Alois Weber |
| September 1944 until the surrender | Lieutenant General | Fritz-Georg von Rappard |
General Staff Officers (Ia)
| period of service | Rank | Surname |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 to December 21, 1941 | Lieutenant colonel | Paul Reichelt |
| January 1942 to May 1943 | major | Maximilian Leyherr |
| May to November 1943 | major | Klaus Obermair |
| November 1943 to January 1944 | Lieutenant colonel | Rudolf Plücker |
| January to June 1944 | major | Hans Flierl |
| June to November 1944 | major | Walter Birk |
| November 1944 to April 1945 | major | Hanno Krause |
Well-known members of the division
- Emil Spannocchi (1916–1992), Austrian general, was a platoon leader in Reconnaissance Department 7
structure
- 19th Infantry Regiment
- 61st Infantry Regiment
- 62nd Infantry Regiment
- Anti-tank department 7
- 7th Artillery Regiment
- Artillery Regiment 43
- Observation Department 7
- Reconnaissance Department 7
- Engineer Battalion 7
- Field Replacement Battalion 7
- Infantry Division News Department 7
- Infantry Division Supply Leader 7th
literature
- Wilhelm Hertlein: Chronicle of the 7th Infantry Division . Bruckmann, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-7654-1956-7 .
- Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in World War II 1939–1945. Volume 3: The Land Forces 6-14 . 2nd Edition. Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1974, ISBN 3-7648-0942-6 .
- Mitcham, Samuel W., Jr. (2007). German Order of Battle. Volume One: 1st - 290th Infantry Divisions in WWII. PA; United States of America: Stackpole Books. P. 45, ISBN 978-0-8117-3416-5 .
