The 14th Luftwaffe Field Division ''(14. Luftwaffen-Felddivision)'' was a

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

Field

Division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was transferred to the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

in November 1943 as the 14th Field Division (L) and spent its entire operational existence on occupation duties in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. It saw no ground combat during its period of service.

History

In 1942,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

authorised the creation of

field divisions using surplus ground crew. This was done, rather than transferring these men to the

, because

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

personally intervened with Hitler, stating that he was concerned that his men's "fine National Socialist attitudes" would be contaminated. This decision ultimately led to the commitment of many of these inadequately trained divisions mainly to the Eastern Front, where they suffered heavy casualties. The 14th Luftwaffe Field Division was formed in late 1942 from the 61st Air Regiment. Despite not having completed its training or having been fully equipped, the division was sent to

German-occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

in January 1943, in order to replace the 196th Infantry Division which was being shifted to the Eastern Front. The 14th Luftwaffe Field Division initially garrisoned the Mo area, near

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, and was transferred to the German Army on 1 November 1943 as the 14th Field Division (L). It was later deployed to the

Jutland Peninsula Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. In mid-1944 it was transferred back to Norway and was deployed in the

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...

region, under the control of XXXIII Army Corps, and remained in Norway until the end of the war, when it was disbanded.

Organization

The following units made up the division: * 27th Luftwaffe Field Regiment * 28th Luftwaffe Field Regiment * 14th Luftwaffe Field Artillery Regiment * 14th Luftwaffe Tank Destroyer Battalion * 14th Luftwaffe Bicycle Battalion * 14th Luftwaffe Engineer Company * 14th Luftwaffe Signal Company * 14th Luftwaffe Field Divisional Supply Troops The 4th Luftwaffe Field Artillery Battalion of the 14th Luftwaffe Field Artillery Regiment became the 1st Motorised Flak Battalion of the 15th Motorised Flak Regiment in October 1943.

Commanders

The following officers commanded the division: *''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

'' (from 28 November 1942) ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

'' Gunther Lohmann (after 1 September 1943) *''Generalleutnant''

Wilhelm Richter Friedrich-Wilhelm Richter (1892–1971) was a German soldier. He was a general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He is most notable for commanding the 716th Infantry Division during the D-Day Landings in June 1944. Richter was a son of the ...

(from 1 February 1945)

Footnotes

References

* * {{Luftwaffe Field Divisions Luftwaffe Field Divisions Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945