The 1st ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division (german: 1. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the

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 ...

branch 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 previo ...

that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ground crew of the ''Luftwaffe'' and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to early 1944 at which time it was disbanded.

Operational history

The 1st ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division, the first of several such divisions, was formed in mid-1942 in Königsberg, Eastern Prussia, under the command of ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

Gustav Wilke __NOTOC__ Gustav Wilke (6 March 1898 – 14 March 1977) was a German paratroop general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 May 1940 as '' ...

. Intended to serve as infantry, its personnel were largely drawn from surplus ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force) ground crew. The division included four battalions of infantry, as well as artillery, engineer and signal units although it lacked regimental staff. After training was completed in December 1942 it was sent to

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...

as part of the 18th Army although still under ''Luftwaffe'' command. Stationed near Novgorod, it was transferred to the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in December 1943. The division saw little fighting until the withdrawal from

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in January 1944 during which it was involved in heavy defensive battles north of Novgorod. The division's personnel were inadequately trained for its role as infantry and due to the heavy losses incurred in the Soviet attacks of the 1943/1944 winter, the division itself was disbanded shortly afterwards. Its surviving personnel were absorbed by the 28th ''Jager'' Division.

Commanders

*''Oberst''

(30 September 1942 – 16 January 1943; 14 April – 14 June 1943; 23 July — 30 September 1943); *'' Generalmajor'' Werner Zech (17 January – 13 April 1943); *''Oberst'' Anton Longin (15 June – 22 July 1943); *''Generalmajor'' Rudolf Petrauschke (1 October 1943 – February 1944).

War commentary

At least 680 graves of soldiers of the 1st Luftwaffe Field Division are found at the war cemetery in

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...

, where a total of 11.400 German and Spanish soldiers are buried.de:Kriegsgräberstätte Nowgorod
/ref>

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 01 1942 establishments in Germany 1944 disestablishments in Germany Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944