The 13th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division (german: 13.Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the ''
Luftwaffe'' branch of the ''
Wehrmacht'' that fought in World War II.
History
The 13th Luftwaffe Field Division was formed on 15 October 1942 at the
Fallingbostel Training Area.
In early 1943, the division was transferred to Army Group North on the Eastern Front and assigned to the
18th Army. The division took over a position section on the
Volkhov River in the area of
Chudovo
Chudovo (russian: Чудово) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
*Chudovo, Chudovsky District, Novgorod Oblast, a town of district significance in Chudovsky District of Novgorod Oblast
;Rural localities
* ...
- Dymno- Spasskaya Polist. Here the division remained in the following months.
On 1 November 1943, the division was taken over by the Wehrmacht and renamed Feld-Division 13. In January 1944, the division was struck by the major Russian
Leningrad–Novgorod offensive. In heavy rearguard action, it had to retreat to the
Luga sector and from here further to the
Pskow
Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
area. After a temporary deployment on the southern edge of
Lake Pskov
Lake Peipus ( et, Peipsi-Pihkva järv; russian: Чудско-Псковское озеро, Псковско-Чудское озеро, Chudsko-Pskovskoye ozero, Pskovsko-Chudskoye ozero); is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on ...
, the division moved to the area south of
Ostrov.
At the end of March 1944 the division fought on the
Opochka
Opochka (russian: Опо́чка) is a town and the administrative center of Opochetsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Velikaya River, south of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: ; 9,902 (2019 estimat ...
-
Pskow
Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
railway line, and suffered so many casualties that it was dissolved on 1 April 1944.
What remained of the Division was incorporated into the
12th Luftwaffe Field Division.
Commanders
* Generalleutnant
Herbert Olbrich
Herbert Olbrich (1 July 1897 in Friedheim – 29 October 1976 in München) was a Luftwaffe Generalleutnant during World War II, and a recipient of the Slovak victory cross order. He was captured in Flensburg on 12 May 1945 and became a Briti ...
, (November 1942 - 25 January 1943)
* Generalmajor
Hans Korte
Hans Korte (8 April 1929 – 25 September 2016) was a German actor.
Filmography
* ''Yesterday Girl'' (1966), as The Judge
* ' (1967, TV Movie), as Ernst Röhm
* ' (1970), as Kommissar
* ''Nachbarn sind zum Ärgern da'' (1970), as Max Hirnbiss
...
, (25 January 1943 - 1 October 1943)
* Generalleutnant
Hellmuth Reymann, (1 October 1943 - 1 April 1944)
Sources
Lexikon der Wehrmacht Luftwaffen-Felddivision 13{{Luftwaffe Field Divisions
0*013
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1944