The 174th Reserve Division was a

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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 ...

. Formed as the 174th Replacement Division on 10 June 1940, it commanded replacement training units in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

and the

Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...

, based in

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...

. It was re-organised as the 174th Reserve Division on 15 September 1942 in the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German oc ...

. The division continued to control training units until 1943 when those elements of the division were sent to northern

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 populous ...

. On 31 July 1944 the division was absorbed by the 26th Infantry Division which had suffered heavy losses in the

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. ...

. The 26th Infantry Division was badly mauled at

Kovel Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runi ...

on the Eastern Front, and on 10 September 1944 was itself disbanded at Radom in central Poland and was absorbed into the 253rd Infantry Division.

Order of battle

In December 1943, the major units of the division were: *24th Reserve Grenadier Regiment *209th Reserve Grenadier Regiment *266th Reserve Grenadier Regiment *14th Reserve Artillery Battalion *14th Reserve Engineer Battalion

Commanders

The division was commanded by the following officers: *''

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 ...

'' (Brigadier) then '' Generalleutnant'' (Major General) Konrad Guhl (10 June 1940 – 1 April 1942) *''Generalleutnant'' Kurt Renner (1 April 1942 – 26 August 1943 (killed) *''Generalleutnant''

Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt (15 January 1892 – 9 September 1964) was a German ''Generalleutnant'' who commanded several division (military), divisions during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. History He command ...

(26 August 1943 – 31 July 1944)

Footnotes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:174th Reserve Division (Wehrmacht) Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944