The 226th Infantry Division (german: 226. Infanterie-Division) was an
infantry division
A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers.
In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Histo ...
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
**Ge ...
Heer 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 opposing ...
.
History
The 226th Infantry Division was formed on 26 June 1944 on the military base at
Neuhammer. A division of the 27th ''
Aufstellungswelle'', its staff was taken from the dissolved
111th Infantry Division. Initially, the 226th Infantry Division consisted of the Grenadier Regiments 1040, 1041, and 1042, as well as the Artillery Regiment 226.
The deployment of the 226th Infantry Division was completed by 15 August 1944 and the division was transferred to the
Western Front. There, the division, after combat in the
Operation Astonia
Operation Astonia was the codename for an Allied attack on the German-held Channel port of Le Havre in France, during the Second World War. The city had been declared a ''Festung'' (fortress) by Hitler, to be held to the last man. Fought from ...
, was put on defensive duty in various coastal fortresses, including
Calais and
Dunkirk. As the Allied forces advanced through France, the units of the 226th Infantry Division were entrapped in the
Atlantic pockets. Calais was captured by the Allies on 30 September 1944, causing the loss of Grenadier Regiment 1041. Dunkirk remained under siege until 9 May 1945, after
German surrender
The German Instrument of Surrender (german: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht, lit=Unconditional Capitulation of the "Wehrmacht"; russian: Акт о капитуляции Германии, Akt o kapitulyatsii Germanii, lit=Act of capit ...
.
Between September 1944 and May 1945, the 226 Infantry Division continued to fight at ''
Kampfgruppe'' strength.
Superior formations
References
{{Subject bar, portal1=Military of Germany, portal2=World War II
Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II
Military units and formations established in 1944
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945