The 231st Infantry Division (german: 231. Infanterie-Division) was an
infantry division of the German
Heer
Heer may refer to:
People
* Jeet Heer, Canadian author and journalist
* Jeffrey Heer (born 1979), American computer scientist and entrepreneur
* Kamal Heer (born 1973), Punjabi singer and musician
* Oswald Heer (1809–1883), Swiss botanist and ...
during
World War II.
Operational history
The 231st Infantry Division was created on 26 August 1939 as part of the third ''
Aufstellungswelle
In the German Wehrmacht before and during World War II, infantry divisions were raised as part of a designated ''Aufstellungswelle'' (deployment wave) or ''Welle'' (wave), sometimes translated as "draft". The ''Aufstellungswelle'' system was adopte ...
'' in
Nuremberg in
Wehrkreis XIII. It initially consisted of the Infantry Regiments 302 (
Amberg
Amberg () is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. In 2020, over 42,000 people lived in the town.
History
The town was first mentioned in 1034, at that time under t ...
), 319 (
Regensburg
Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...
) and 342 (
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
), as well as the Artillery Regiment 231.
The division's first and only commander was
Hans Schönhärl.
The division operated in the
Saar
Saar or SAAR has several meanings:
People Given name
*Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player
*Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist
*Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor
Surname
* Ain Saar (born 1968), Esto ...
region as part of the
1st Army First Army may refer to:
China
* New 1st Army, Republic of China
* First Field Army, a Communist Party of China unit in the Chinese Civil War
* 1st Group Army, People's Republic of China
Germany
* 1st Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army ...
reserves.
After the
German capture of Warsaw it was transferred to occupied
Poland, where it served as a frontier guard in the south of the German-Soviet demarcation line to prevent Soviet attacks during the timespan in which the main German forces
were pinned down in the west.
On 8 June 1940, it was organizationally part of the ''Oberost'' group (''Grenzabschnittskommando Süd''), along with the
228th and
311th Infantry Divisions. It served as part of
XXXIV Army Corps.
By 25 June 1940, it had been moved to ''Gen. z.b.V. II'' in
Hanover to prepare for dissolution.
The 231st Infantry Division was disbanded on 31 July 1940,
at
Ohrdruf, Thuringia.
During its entire lifespan, it had not once seen combat.
Noteworthy individuals
*
Hans Schönhärl, first and only divisional commander of the 231st Infantry Division.
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 1939
Military units and formations disestablished in 1940