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Luftwaffe Field Division
The Luftwaffe Field Divisions (German: ''Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen'' or LwFD) were German military formations during World War II. History The divisions were originally authorized in October 1942, following suggestions that the German Army could be bolstered by transferring personnel from other services. The head of the ''Luftwaffe'', Hermann Göring, formulated an alternative plan to raise his own infantry formations under the command of ''Luftwaffe'' officers; this was at least partly due to political differences with the ''Heer''. Göring took great pride in the degree of political commitment and indoctrination of ''Luftwaffe'' personnel (he went as far as to describe paratroopers of the ''Luftwaffe'' as "political soldiers") while the Army was considered (by Nazi standards) too "conservative" (linked to conservative or monarchical traditions and ideals harking back to the Imperial days of the Kaiser). The plan was approved, and the divisions were raised from 200,000 to 250,00 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nazi 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 gove ... [...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 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 have com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4th Luftwaffe Field Division
The 4th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division (german: 4.Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the ''Luftwaffe'' branch of the ''Wehrmacht'' that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ground crew of the ''Luftwaffe'' and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to June 1944 when it was destroyed during Operation Bagration. Operational history The 4th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division, one of several Luftwaffe Field Divisions of the ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force), was formed in mid-1942 in Gross-Born Troop Maneuver Area, under the command of ''Oberst'' Rainer Stahel. Intended to serve as infantry, its personnel were largely drawn from surplus ''Luftwaffe'' ground crew. In November 1942, it was assigned to Army Group Centre on the Eastern Front. Posted to a sector near Vitebsk, it defended this against Soviet operations. In November 1943, responsibility for the division was transferred to the Army and it was renamed 4th Field Division (L). Its Field ''Jager' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3rd Luftwaffe Field Division
The 3rd ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division (german: links=no, 3.Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the Luftwaffe branch of the Wehrmacht that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ground crew of the ''Luftwaffe'' and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to early 1944 at which time it was disbanded. Operational history The 3rd ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division, one of several such divisions of the ''Luftwaffe'', was formed in mid-1942 in Gross-Born Troop Maneuver Area, under the command of '' Generalmajor'' Robert Pistorious. Intended to serve as infantry, its personnel were largely drawn from surplus ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force) ground crew. Towards the end of 1942, the division was assigned to Army Group Centre on the Eastern Front and fought in engagements at Nevel from November 1942 to October 1943. Responsibility for the division was transferred to the Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armā ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Mars
Operation Mars (Russian: Операция «Марс»), also known as the Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive Operation (Russian: Вторая Ржевско-Сычёвская наступательная операция), was the codename for an offensive launched by Soviet forces against German forces during World War II. It took place between 25 November and 20 December 1942 around the Rzhev salient in the vicinity of Moscow. The offensive was a joint operation of the Soviet Western Front and Kalinin Front co-ordinated by Georgy Zhukov. The offensive was one in a series of particularly-bloody engagements that are collectively known in Soviet and Russian histories as the Battles of Rzhev, which occurred near Rzhev, Sychevka and Vyazma between January 1942 and March 1943. The battles became known as the "Rzhev meat grinder" ("Ржевская мясорубка") for their huge losses, particularly on the Soviet side. For many years, they were relegated to a footnote in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bely, Tver Oblast
Bely (russian: Бе́лый) is a town and the administrative center of Belsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Obsha River. Population: 6,900 (1897). History The name of the town means "white" in Russian, although it is unknown how or why this name originated. The fortress of Bely is first mentioned in a chronicle in 1350, since it was conquered by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was located on the border between Lithuanian and Russian lands, and intermittently changed affiliation between Lithuania (later Poland) and the Grand Duchy of Moscow. In the 15th century, it became the seat of the Belsky branch of the ruling House of Gediminas. The town was overrun by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1503. Three years later, Muscovites built a formidable castle, which the Lithuanians laid a siege to in 1508. The town was again subordinated to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1618 and 1654, after which it finally went under Moscow. In the course of the admini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sturmgeschütz III
The ''Sturmgeschütz III'' (StuG III) assault gun was Germany's most-produced fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle during World War II, and second-most produced German armored combat vehicle of any type after the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track. It was built on a slightly modified Panzer III chassis, replacing the turret with an armored, fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun. Initially intended as a mobile assault gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and much like the later '' Jagdpanzer'' vehicles, was employed as a tank destroyer. Development The '' Sturmgeschütz'' originated from German experiences in World War I, when it was discovered that, during the offensives on the Western Front, the infantry lacked the means to engage fortifications effectively. The artillery of the time was heavy and not mobile enough to keep up with the advancing infantry to destroy bunkers, pillboxes, and other minor fortifications with direct f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skoda 75 Mm Model 15
The Skoda 7.5 cm Gebirgskanone M. 15 was a mountain gun used by Austria-Hungary in World War I. In German service, it was known as the 7.5 cm GebK 15. The Italians designated them as the Obice da 75/13 and the Wehrmacht would designate captured guns as 7.5 cm GebK 259(i) after the surrender of Italy in 1943. History Its development was quite prolonged, as the Austrians couldn't decide on the specifications that they wanted. Initially, they wanted a gun that could be broken down into no more than five pack-animal loads to replace the various 7 cm mountain guns in service, but prolonged trials proved that the 7.5 cm M. 12 prototype to be the best gun. However, the commander-in-chief of Bosnia-Hercegovina believe it to be too heavy and demanded a return to the 7 cm caliber to save weight. Skoda dutifully built enough guns for a test battery in the smaller caliber and tested them during the spring of 1914 where they were judged inferior to the 7.5&nbs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Nevel (1943)
The Battle of Nevel was a successful military operation conducted by the Red Army in the Pskov Oblast of western Russia and in northern Belarus during World War II, from October 6 to roughly December 16, 1943 although fighting persisted in the area into the new year. The initial attack created an unexpected breakthrough of the German defenses and liberated the town of Nevel on the first day and subsequent attacks over the next four days created a salient about 35km wide and 25 km deep at the junction between German Army Groups North and Center. Through the following weeks the forces of 1st Baltic Front continued to expand the salient and attempt to outflank and encircle the units of German 16th Army and 3rd Panzer Army to its north and south while those same units, at Hitler's orders, "held the goalposts" and attempted to cut off the salient itself. Hitler finally conceded these efforts were futile on December 16 as 1st Baltic continued attacking southwards toward Vitebs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2nd Luftwaffe Field Division
The 2nd ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division (german: 2. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the ''Luftwaffe'' branch of the Wehrmacht that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ''Luftwaffe'' ground crew and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to October 1943, when it was destroyed and disbanded. Operational history The 2nd ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division was one of several ''Luftwaffe'' divisions formed in 1942 from surplus ground crew and intended to serve as conventional infantry divisions. The 2nd was raised at Groß Born in September 1942, under the command of Colonel Hellmuth Petzold. The division was sent in November 1942 to the central sector of the Eastern Front, where it helped repel Soviet attacks in the area around Smolensk. After the establishment of the II Luftwaffe Field Corps, the division became subordinated to this Corps and was relocated to the Nevel area. The division had the task of securing the connection between Army Group ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1st Luftwaffe Field Division
The 1st ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division (german: 1. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the Luftwaffe branch of the Wehrmacht that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ground crew of the ''Luftwaffe'' and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to early 1944 at which time it was disbanded. Operational history The 1st ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division, the first of several such divisions, was formed in mid-1942 in Königsberg, Eastern Prussia, under the command of ''Oberst'' Gustav Wilke. Intended to serve as infantry, its personnel were largely drawn from surplus ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force) ground crew. The division included four battalions of infantry, as well as artillery, engineer and signal units although it lacked regimental staff. After training was completed in December 1942 it was sent to Army Group North as part of the 18th Army although still under ''Luftwaffe'' command. Stationed near Novgorod, it was transferred to the Army in Decem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-395-1513-30, Russland, Luftwaffensoldat, Offizier
The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv (BArch) (german: Bundesarchiv) are the National Archives of Germany. They were established at the current location in Koblenz in 1952. They are subordinated to the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media ( Claudia Roth since 2021) under the German Chancellery, and before 1998, to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. On 6 December 2008, the Archives donated 100,000 photos to the public, by making them accessible via Wikimedia Commons. History The federal archive for institutions and authorities in Germany, the first precursor to the present-day Federal Archives, was established in Potsdam, Brandenburg in 1919, a later date than in other European countries. This national archive documented German government dating from the founding of the North German Confederation in 1867. It also included material from the older German Confederation and the Imperial Chamber Court. The oldest documents in this collection dated back to the year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
