The 167th Volksgrenadier Division (German: ''167. Volksgrenadierdivision''), formerly the 167th Infantry Division (German: ''167. Infanteriedivision'') was a

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 ...

infantry division in

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 ...

Operational history

Formation and France

The 167th Infantry Division was formed in the Bavarian capital of Munich in November 1939, absorbing the 7th; 27th and 34th Field-Replacement Battalions from their respective divisions in January. It was also at this point that its commanding officer, Colonel Gilbert, was promoted to major general, shortly before his replacement by Lieutenant General Oskar Vogl. The division took part in the initial 1940 invasion of France with

Army Group C Army Group C (in German, ''Heeresgruppe C'' or ''HGr C'') was an army group of the German Wehrmacht, that was formed twice during the Second World War. History Army Group C was formed from Army Group 2 in Frankfurt on 26 August 1939. It initia ...

, capturing Ouvrage Kerfent and Ouvrage Bambesch - two components of the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...

- between 20–21 June. The division remained in occupied France until February 1941, when it returned to its garrison in Bavaria. In August 1940, Major General Hans Schönhärl took over as commanding officer, being promoted to lieutenant general in December.

Barbarossa and the Soviet Union

In June 1941, the division was transferred to the occupied Polish capital of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

as the Axis forces began their assault on the Soviet Union in

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

. In August, Schönhärl was replaced as commanding officer by Major General Verner Schartow, himself replaced by Major General Wolf Trierenberg. On December 17,

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

forces succeeded in punching a hole in the 167th's sector, only to be forced back by support from the 112th Infantry, with some tank support. Later the Division took part in the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

, and finally against the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, where the 167th Infantry Division was disbanded due to heavy losses in January 1944.

Second formation as 167th Volksgrenadier Division (October 1944)

The re-created division, now designated ''167. Volksgrenadierdivision'', took part in the

Ardennes Offensive The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

. On New Years Day, it, along with the 5th Parachute Division, aided the panzers in defending the area around the Belgian town of Lutrebois in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. While the three were able to hold off the approaching Americans and dealt heavy casualties to their enemies, the situation elsewhere in the Ardennes was different and the 167th was ordered to fall back.

Commanders

*''Major General'' Martin Gilbert (1 December 1939 – 10 January 1940) *''Major General'' Oskar Vogl (10 January – 2 August 1940) *''Lieutenant General'' Hans Schönhärl (2 August 1940 – 11 August 1941) *''Major General'' Verner Schartow (11 August 1941) *''Lieutenant General''

Wolf-Günther Trierenberg __NOTOC__ Wolf-Günther Trierenberg (18 June 1891 – 25 July 1981) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. In February–March 1945 ...

(11 August 1941 – 25 November 1943) *''Colonel''

Hans Hüttner __NOTOC__ Hans Hüttner (19 November 1885 – 11 September 1956) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who held commands at the division and corps levels. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. At ...

(25 November 1943 – 1 February 1944) *''Lieutenant General''

Hanskurt Höcker Hanskurt Höcker (1 August 1894 – 10 August 1961) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ...

(17 October 1944 – 4 April 1945)

Area of Operation

*Germany (December 1939 – May 1940) *France (June 1940 – February 1941) *Germany (March – May 1941) *Eastern front, Central section (June 1941 – April 1942) *Netherlands (May 1942 – February 1943) *Eastern front, Southern section (March 1943 – February 1944) *Ardennes and Eifel (December 1944 – April 1945)

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:167th Volksgrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 1939 establishments in Germany