The 16th Infantry Division of the German Army was formed in 1934. On 26 August 1939 the division was mobilized for the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

(1939). It participated in the Battle of France in August 1940. The division was then split, resulting in two independent units: The

16th Panzer Division The 16th Panzer Division (german: 16. Panzer-Division) was a formation of the German Army in World War II. It was formed in November 1940 from the 16th Infantry Division. It took part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union ...

and the 16th Motorized Infantry Division. Then later, from 1944 onward, combined with other non 16th elements, was known as the 116th Panzer Division.

16th Panzer Division

The 16th Panzer Division served as a reserve in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

during the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

campaign in 1941. It then participated 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 ...

with

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group So ...

, also in 1941. A ''kampfgruppe'' of 16th Panzer Division, led by Count Strachwitz, reached the outskirts of Stalingrad on 23 August 1942, brushing aside the sole Soviet defences, anti-aircraft guns manned by female factory workers (possibly the

1077th Anti-Aircraft Regiment The 1077th Anti-aircraft Regiment (, ''1077-y zenith artilleriyskiy Polk'') unPolk) under Colonel Raiynin, was a unit of the Stalingrad Corps Region of the Soviet Air Defence Forces that fought during the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. The Stalingr ...

). The 16th Panzer Division was encircled and ultimately destroyed at Stalingrad during the winter of 1942–43. It was rebuilt for a campaign in the west, fought in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

during the Italian Campaign in 1943 and returned to the Russian Front later in the year. Severely mauled near Kiev, it was withdrawn to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

for rehabilitation in 1944. The 16th Panzer Division returned to the east in 1945, where it surrendered to the Soviets and Americans in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

Motorized Division

The 16th Motorized Infantry Division, nicknamed ''Windhund'' ("Greyhound"), participated in the

campaign in 1941 along with the 16th Panzer Division (see above). It took part in

with Army Group South later in the year. It advanced on the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

with elements coming to within 20 miles of

Astrakhan Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the ...

in 1942 – the most easterly point reached by any German unit during the war. It also participated in the Battle of Stalingrad. The 16th Motorized Infantry Division participated in defensive operations after the Soviets broke up the front of the southern sector. In June 1943, it was upgraded to 16th

Panzergrenadier ''Panzergrenadier'' (), abbreviated as ''PzG'' (WWII) or ''PzGren'' (modern), meaning '' "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier"'', is a German term for mechanized infantry units of armoured forces who specialize in fighting from and in conjun ...

Division. This upgraded formation was depleted in the continuous retreats and was transferred to France for rest and refitting.

116th Panzer Division

In March 1944, it was reorganized as the 116th Panzer Division (with the number changed since the 16th Panzer Division was already taken by its sibling), absorbing the 179th Reserve Panzer Division in the process. This new formation fought in the

Battle of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

and was almost destroyed in the Falaise Gap. It subsequently defended the Siegfried Line at Aachen in an understrength condition. The 116th Panzer Division was withdrawn for refitting and then recommitted, but was unable to hold the city of Aachen. It later participated in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest then in the

Battle of the Bulge 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 ...

, again sustaining heavy casualties. It was caught in the Wesel Pocket, but got across the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

, ultimately surrendering within the Ruhr Pocket in April, 1945.

16th Volksgrenadier Division

In parallel, a 16th Volksgrenadier Division was created in October 1944, which defended the

Upper Rhine The Upper Rhine (german: Oberrhein ; french: Rhin Supérieur) is the section of the Rhine between Basel in Switzerland and Bingen in Germany, surrounded by the Upper Rhine Plain. The river is marked by Rhine-kilometres 170 to 529 (the ...

until March 1945, when it was forced to retreat deeper into Germany.

War crimes

The 16th Motorized Infantry Division has been implicated in the San Clemente di Caserta massacre,

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

, on 4 October 1943, when 25 civilians were murdered.

Organization

Structure of the division: * Headquarters * 16th Reconnaissance Battalion * 60th Infantry Regiment * 64th Infantry Regiment * 79th Infantry Regiment * 16th Field Replacement Battalion * 16th Engineer Battalion * 16th Artillery Regiment * 16th Anti-Tank Battalion * 16th Signal Battalion * 16th Divisional Supply Group

Commanding officers

16th Infantry Division

* Generalleutnant Gerhard Glokke (October 1934 – 12 October 1937) * Generalleutnant Gotthard Heinrici (12 October 1937 – 31 January 1940) * Generalmajor Heinrich Krampf (1 February 1940 – 31 May 1940) * Generalmajor

Hans-Valentin Hube Hans-Valentin Hube (29 October 1890 – 21 April 1944) was a German general during World War II who commanded armoured forces in the invasions of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. In the course of the war, Hube led the 16th Infantry Divisi ...

(1 June 1940 – 6 August 1940)

16th Motorized Infantry Division

* Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis (12 August 1940 – 15 March 1941) * Generalleutnant Sigfrid Henrici (15 March 1941 – Mid August 1941) * Generalleutnant

Johannes Streich Johannes Streich (16 April 1891 – 20 August 1977) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 5th Light Division during the early stages of the North African Campaign. Sacked for his poor performance during the ...

(Mid August 1941 – Mid November 1941) * Generalleutnant Sigfrid Henrici (Mid November 1941 – 13 November 1942) * Generalmajor

Gerhard Graf von Schwerin Gerhard Helmut Detleff Graf von Schwerin (23 June 1899 – 29 October 1980) was a German General der Panzertruppe during World War II. World War I Gerhard von Schwerin was born to a Prussian aristocratic family in 1899. His father was a civil ...

(13 November 1942 – 20 May 1943) * Oberst Wilhelm Crisolli (20 May 1943 – 27 June 1943)

16th Panzergrenadier Division

* General der Panzertruppen

(27 June 1943 – January 1944) * Generalmajor Günther von Manteuffel (January 1944 – March 1944) * Generalmajor Karl Stingl (March 1944)

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:16th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 0*016 Military units and formations established in 1934 1934 establishments in Germany 1*16 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations of Germany in Yugoslavia in World War II