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56th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 56th Infantry Division (german: 56. Infanterie-Division; nicknamed ''Gekreuzte Säbel'', 'crossed sabres', after the divisional symbol) was a German infantry division which fought during World War II. Formed in late August 1939, it participated in occupation duty in Poland before fighting in the Battle of France. The 56th spent mid-1940 in Belgium, then returned to Poland in the early northern hemisphere fall, fighting in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The division spent the rest of its existence on the Eastern Front, participating in the Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Kursk, suffering heavy losses in the latter. In late 1943 the division was dissolved and its headquarters used to form Corps Detachment D, which was destroyed during Operation Bagration. The headquarters of the latter was again used to reform the division in East Prussia in September 1944, but it was again destroyed in the Heiligenbeil Pocket in early 1945. History The div ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nazy Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a dictatorship. Under Hitler's rule, Germany quickly became a totalitarian state where nearly all aspects of life were controlled by the government. The Third Reich, meaning "Third Realm" or "Third Empire", alluded to the Nazi claim that Nazi Germany was the successor to the earlier Holy Roman Empire (800–1806) and German Empire (1871–1918). The Third Reich, which Hitler and the Nazis referred to as the Thousand-Year Reich, ended in May 1945 after just 12 years when the Allies defeated Germany, ending World War II in Europe. On 30 January 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, the head of government, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
14th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 14th Infantry Division (German: ''14. Infanterie-Division''; nickname: the ''Sächsische Division'' or Saxonian Division) was a formation of the Germany Army (Wehrmacht) which fought during World War II. History and Organisation The division was formed in 1934 in Leipzig, by expanding the 11th (Saxonian) Infantry Regiment of the 4th Division of the old Reichswehr. As this was a direct breach of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, its existence was initially concealed; it was formally designated as the 14th Infantry Division in October 1935. This history, particularly of Infantry Regiment 11, made it one of the prestige infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht. Mobilised in the 1st wave in 1939, the division was involved in the German invasion of Poland, where it attacked towards Częstochowa and Lublin, and the following year's invasion of France. In October 1940 it was 'motorised', i.e. provided with motor transport as opposed to the usual horse and foot mobility of We ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named in honour of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. A Baltic port city, it successively became the capital of the Królewiec Voivodeship, the State of the Teutonic Order, the Duchy of Prussia and the provinces of East Prussia and Prussia. Königsberg remained the coronation city of the Prussian monarchy, though the capital was moved to Berlin in 1701. Between the thirteenth and the twentieth centuries, the inhabitants spoke predominantly German, but the multicultural city also had a profound influence upon the Lithuanian and Polish cultures. The city was a publishing center of Lutheran literature, including the first Polish translation of the New Testament, printed in the city in 1551, the first book in Lithuanian and the first Lutheran catechism, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3rd Panzer Army
The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 November 1940. It was a constituent part of Army Group Centre and participated in Operation Barbarossa and fought in the Battle of Moscow in late 1941 and early 1942. Later it served in Operation Typhoon, where it was placed under operational control of the Ninth Army. ''Panzergruppe 3'' was retitled the 3rd Panzer Army on 1 January 1942. Orders of battle At the start of Operation Barbarossa the Group consisted of the XXXIX and LVII Army Corps (mot.). 2 October 1941 Part of Army Group Centre. * Commander: Colonel General Hermann Hoth * Chief of Staff: Colonel Walther von Hünersdorff * XLI Motorized Corps under General of Panzer Troops Georg-Hans Reinhardt ** 1.Panzer-Division under Lieutenant General Friedrich Kirchner ** 36.Infant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vitebsk
Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest city. It is served by Vitebsk Vostochny Airport and Vitebsk Air Base. History Before 1945 Vitebsk developed from a river harbor where the Vićba River (Віцьба, from which it derives its name) flows into the larger Daugava River, Western Dvina, which is spanned in the city by the Kirov Bridge. Archaeological research indicates that Baltic tribes had settlements at the mouth of Vitba. In the 9th century, Slavic settlements of the tribal union of the Krivichs replaced them. According to the ''Chronicle of Michael Brigandine'' (1760), Princess Olga of Kiev founded Vitebsk (also recorded as Dbesk, Vidbesk, Videbsk, Vitepesk, or Vicibesk) in 974. Other versions give 947 or 914. Academician Boris Rybakov and historian Leonid Alekseyev ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
262nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
, image = , image_size = , dates = 26 August 1939 – 2 November 1943 , start_date = , end_date = , country = , branch = Heer (Wehrmacht) , type = Infantry , size = Division , nickname = , battles = Phony War Battle of MoscowBattle of Kursk , notable_commanders = The 262nd Infantry Division (german: 262. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. History The 262nd Infantry Division was formed in Mistelbach in Wehrkreis XVII on 26 August 1939, the day of German mobilization, as a division of the fourth '' Aufstellungswelle''. It initially consisted of the Infantry Regiments 462, 482, and 486, as well as the Artillery Regiment 262. The initial divisional commander w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Werwolf
''Werwolf'' (, German for "werewolf") was a Nazi plan which began development in 1944, to create a resistance force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany, in parallel with the ''Wehrmacht'' fighting in front of the lines. It is widely misconstrued as having been intended to be a guerrilla force to harass Allied forces after the defeat of Germany, a misconception created by Joseph Goebbels through propaganda disseminated in the waning weeks of the war through his "Radio Werwolf", which was not actually connected in any way with the military unit. Nomenclature How and by whom the name was chosen is unknown, but it may have alluded to the title of Hermann Löns' novel, ''Der Wehrwolf'', first published in 1910. Set in the Celle region (Lower Saxony) during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), the novel concerns a peasant named Harm Wulf. After marauding soldiers kill his family, Wulf organises his neighbors into a militia who pursue the sol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Von Hase
Karl Paul Immanuel von Hase (24 July 1885 – 8 August 1944) was a German career soldier and figured among the members of the resistance against Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. Biography Hase was born in Hanover. He was the fifth child of Paul and Frieda von Hase. On 12 December 1921, Hase married Margarete, Baronesse von Funck in Neustrelitz. They had four children: Ina, Maria-Gisela, Alexander and Friedrich-Wilhelm. He held the following posts in the Reichswehr/Wehrmacht during the time of the Third Reich: * 1933–1934 Battalion commander in Neuruppin; * 1934–1935 Battalion commander in Landsberg an der Warthe; * 1935–1938 Commander 50th Regiment; * 1939–1940 Commander 46th Division; * 1940 Commander 56th Division; * 1940–1944 City commandant of Berlin. From 1938, Brigadier-General von Hase was privy to the conspiracy plans plotted by such men as Wilhelm Canaris, Hans Oster, Generals Erwin von Witzleben, Franz Halder and Erich Hoepner. He was an uncle of Dietrich Bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa). On 25 January 1945, after it was encircled in the Königsberg pocket, Army Group Centre was renamed Army Group North (), and Army Group A () became Army Group Centre. The latter formation retained its name until the end of the war in Europe on 11 May after VE Day. Formation The commander in chief on the formation of the Army Group Centre (22 June 1941) was Fedor von Bock. Order of battle at formation Campaign and operational history Operation Barbarossa On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies launched their surprise offensive into the Soviet Union. Their armies, totaling over three million men, were to advance in three geographical directi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
304th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 304th Infantry Division (german: 304. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. The 304th Infantry Division was deployed twice, once in November 1940 and once again in February 1945, after the destruction of the previous formation in January of that same year. History First deployment The 304th Infantry Division was formed as a static infantry division on 15 November 1940 as part of the 13th ''Aufstellungswelle'' in the area north of Leipzig. Its initial recruits were drawn from a third each of the 56th and 294th Infantry Divisions. The division was initially commanded by Heinrich Krampf. Initially, the 304th Infantry Division consisted of the following parts: * Infantry Regiment 573 (three battalions), drawn from members of the 56th Infantry Division. * Infantry Regiment 574 (three battalions), drawn from members of the 294th Infantry Division. * Infantry Regiment 575 (three battalions), drawn from members of both the 56th an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
294th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 294th Infantry Division was a German infantry division in World War II that participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia. The 294th Infantry Division was amalgamated with the 513th Infantry Regiment to create the 513th Grenadier Regiment, on October 15, 1942. The division was destroyed by the end of August 1944 during the Soviet Jassy–Kishinev Offensive and its commander killed. Organization Structure of the division: * Headquarters * 294th Reconnaissance Battalion * 513th Infantry Regiment * 514th Infantry Regiment * 515th Infantry Regiment * 294th Field Replacement Battalion * 294th Engineer Battalion * 294th Artillery Regiment * 294th Tank Destroyer Battalion * 294th Signal Battalion * 294th Divisional Supply Group Commanding officers *''Generalleutnant'' Otto Gabcke, 13 February 1940 – 22 March 1942 , killed in action *''General der Infanterie'' Johannes Block, 22 March 1942 – 12 August 1943 *''Generalmajor'' Hermann Frenking, 12 August – 24 December 1943 *''Gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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