87th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
|
87th Infantry Division |
|
|---|---|
 Troop registration number of the 87th Infantry Division |
|
| active | August 26, 1939 to May 1945 (surrender) |
| Country |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire
|
| Armed forces | Wehrmacht |
| Armed forces | army |
| Type | Infantry Division |
| structure | see structure |
| Installation site | Altenburg |
| Nickname | Green heart |
| Second World War |
Western campaign, Eastern Front |
| Commanders | |
| list of | Commanders |
The 87th Infantry Division (87th ID) was a major military unit of the Wehrmacht during World War II .
history
During mobilization on August 26, 1939, the division was set up as part of the 2nd wave in Altenburg in Wehrkreis IV . After the installation was completed, it was moved to the Eifel to secure the border . As part of the western campaign , it penetrated south Belgium to the Somme and was involved in the second phase of the battle for Paris , where it then temporarily remained as an occupying force. In October 1940 about a third of the division was given up for the establishment of the 319th Infantry Division .
In the spring of 1941 the division was moved to East Prussia and placed under the 9th Army for the attack on the Soviet Union . Via the stations in Suwałki and Vilna , she was involved in the Białystok Kettle Battle . A little later she was deployed north of Smolensk . In August 1941 there was major fighting between IR 187 and the 32nd Cossack Division in the Pripjet Marshes west of Bobruisk . In the winter of 1941, the division marched as part of the Taifun company via Vyazma - Gschatsk - Moshaisk - Rusa and Zvenigorod to shortly before Moscow before it had to retreat back into the Gschatsk area. The year 1942 was determined for the division by the heavy defensive battles in the front arc of Rzhev . In the spring of 1943 she settled in the company buffalo movement via Sychovka , Dorogobusch in the Velisch area from the Rzhev front arc. On April 1, 1943, the GR 173 had to be dissolved due to heavy losses; it was only re-established in April of the following year. In October 1943, the 3rd Panzer Army retreated to the Panther position in the Vitebsk area .
At the beginning of 1944 the division was subordinated to the 16th Army on the southern wing of Army Group North . As a result of the Soviet summer offensive in 1944 , the division then had to withdraw via Dorpat to Kurland , where the entire army group was enclosed. This was followed by participation in the six battles of Courland until the surrender in May 1945.
people
| period of service | Rank | Surname |
|---|---|---|
| September 1, 1939 to February 17, 1942 | Lieutenant General | Bogislav von Studnitz |
| February 17 to March 1, 1942 | Major general | Walther Lucht ( m. D. F. b. ) |
| March 1 to August 22, 1942 | Lieutenant General | Bogislav von Studnitz |
| August 22, 1942 to February 1, 1943 | Lieutenant General | Werner Richter |
| February 1 to November 22, 1943 | Lieutenant General | Walter Hartmann |
| November 22, 1943 to August 1944 | Lieutenant General | Mauritz Freiherr von Strachwitz |
| August to September 1944 | Major general | Gerhard Feyerabend (m. D. F. b.) |
| September 1944 to January 16, 1945 | Major general | Helmuth Walter (m. D. F. b.) |
| January 16 to May 8, 1945 | Lieutenant General | Mauritz Freiherr von Strachwitz |
Well-known members of the division
- Bernhard Bechler (born February 9, 1911 in Lengenfeld (Vogtland) ; † November 30, 2002 in Kleinmachnow )
- Bechler was a member of the 87th Infantry Division, was awarded the German Cross in Gold near Stalingrad on January 28, 1943 , and a little later became a Soviet prisoner of war as an officer in the 6th Army. During his captivity, Bechler became a member of the National Committee Free Germany and was later involved in building the NVA .
- Berger was commander of the Infantry Regiment 187 and was awarded the Knight's Cross in this position.
- 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
structure
- 173rd Infantry Regiment
- 185th Infantry Regiment
- 187th Infantry Regiment
- Artillery Regiment 187
- Engineer Battalion 187
- Anti-tank department 187
- Reconnaissance Department 187
- News Department 187
- Supply Troops 187
literature
- Hermann Oehmichen & Martin Mann: The Path of the 87th Infantry Division from 1939–1945 , self-published by the traditional community, 1969.
- Klaus Froh & Rüdiger Wenzke: The generals and admirals of the NVA: A biographical manual , Ch. Links Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-86153-438-9 .
- 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 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Infantry behind the lines - still a viable concept? , Major Mike McMahon, Infantry School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
