The 10th Flak Division () was a flak division of the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. It was active from April 1941 until 1945.

History

The 10th Flak Division was formed in April 1941 in Ploiești in the Kingdom of Romania, initially under the name "10th Air Defense Command" (). Its main assignment was the protection of the Romanian oilfields in the larger Ploiești area. It initially contained the 180th and 202nd Flak Regiments, and was commanded by Johann Siefert. The 10th Air Defense Command was renamed "10th Flak Division" on 1 September 1941. There was considerable pressure on the Luftwaffe to mobilize stationary flak divisions and free them up for service on the Eastern Front, where significant pressure laid on the Wehrmacht. In March 1942, it was replaced in Romania and sent to the Eastern Front, where it saw action in the Siege of Sevastopol. Its flak regiments were left behind, notably 180th Flak Regiment, which subsequently saw action during USAAF air raids at Ploiești. Both the 180th and 202nd Flak Regiments were later taken over by the 5th Flak Division ( Kuderna). In May 1942, the 10th Flak Division was in the

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

area under the supervision of the 2nd Army of Army Group South (later: Army Group B). During this time, it contained the 153rd and 124th Flak Regiments. It was assigned between May 1942 and the end of that year to the

I Flak Corps A flak corps (german: Flakkorps) was a massed anti-aircraft (AA) artillery formation employed by the '' Luftwaffe'' for anti-aircraft, antitank, and fire support operations in World War II. A ''Flakkorps'' was a flexible organization that was made ...

, along with the

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

15th 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 (number), 14 and preceding 16 (number), 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky ...

and

17th 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

Flak Divisions. In 1943/44, the 10th Flak Division continued its service during the German withdrawals on the Eastern Front, first in southern Russia and later in

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

, where it served as part of Army Group North Ukraine (later: Army Group A). On 30 June 1943,

Franz Engel Franz Engel (1834 in Röbel – 1920 in Neubrandenburg) was a German explorer and naturalist. He traveled extensively in South America in the years 1857–63 and published the results of his explorations in several volumes, including ''Studien ...

took command of the division. By 23 October, it was equipped with 25 heavy flak batteries as well as 28 medium and light flak batteries. The 10th Flak Division surrendered to the Red Army at Königinhof on 8 May 1945. At the end of the war, Franz Engel was still in command of the division (although he had been briefly interrupted by Oskar Vorbrugg from 3–10 February 1945).

References

{{Flak divisions of the Wehrmacht Flak divisions Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Romania in World War II