The 240th Infantry Division for special deployment (german: 240. Infanterie-Division z.b.V.) was a
z.b.V. staff of the German
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 opposin ...
. While nominally a divisional staff, it was
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
a corps-level unit. It was only active from April to June 1942.
Operational history
The ''240. Infanterie-Division z.b.V.'' was formed in
Bielefeld
Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...
on 16 April 1942 for deployment in the
occupied Netherlands.
The division's only commander was
Joseph Lehmann
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
.
Throughout its short lifespan, which lasted from 16 April 1942 to 15 June 1942, the 240th Infantry Division oversaw the
82nd Infantry Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
,
167th Infantry Division and
719th Infantry Division.
On 15 June 1942, the 240th Infantry Division, which had already effectively been a corps command, was formally upgraded and redesignated
LXXXVIII 8thArmy Corps.
Noteworthy individuals
*
Joseph Lehmann
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, commander of the 240th Infantry Division.
References
{{Subject bar, portal1=Military of Germany, portal2=World War II
Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II