The 265th Infantry Division (german: 265. 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 265th Infantry Division was formed after an OKH directive on 20 May 1943 as a static (i.e. non-motorized) division, intended for occupation duty in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The initial divisional commander was

Walter Düvert Walter Düvert (2 October 1893 – 4 February 1972) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Düvert retired from active duty on 30 November 1944. Awards and ...

. The staff was formed on 3 June 1943 from staff personnel of the 403rd Security Division. After the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

in June 1944, a part of the 265th Infantry Division, at '' Kampfgruppe'' strength, was involved in combat against the

Western allies The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...

. On 27 July 1944,

Hans Junck Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

took command of the division. On 2 October 1944, the division was formally dissolved and disbanded in

Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, with the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide v ...

until 24 January 1945. The remnants of the division's formations were trapped in the Atlantic pockets.

Divisional order of battle

The initial forces were assembled from various ''

Wehrkreis The military districts, also known in some English-language publications by their German name as Wehrkreise (singular: ''Wehrkreis''), were administrative territorial units in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. The task of military distr ...

'' districts from northern Germany and included: * Grenadier Regiment 894 (three battalions). * Grenadier Regiment 895 (two battalions). * Grenadier Regiment 896 (two battalions). * Artillery Regiment 265 (three artillery detachments). The detachments of Artillery Regiment 265 were equipped with Soviet-made '' Beutewaffe'' artillery guns. In October 1943, the 1st battalion of Grenadier Regiment 894 was transferred to the Eastern Front. This battalion was later replaced within the 894th Regiment by the North Caucasian Battalion 800 on 19 April 1944. Additionally, the Eastern Battalion 654 was integrated as the 3rd battalion into Grenadier Regiment 895, bringing the division to a total of eight battalions.

Superior formations

Noteworthy individuals

, divisional commander between 1 June 1943 and 27 July 1944. *

, divisional commander between 27 July 1944 and 2 October 1944.

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 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944