23rd Infantry Division
The German 23rd Infantry Division (''23. Infanterie-Division''), later the 26th Panzer Division, was a military unit operational during
World War II. It was organized along standard lines for a German
infantry division. It was non-motorised and relied on horse-drawn wagons for its mobility. The unit carried the nickname ''Grenadierkopf''.
The 23rd Infantry participated in the
invasion of Poland in 1939 as part of the reserve component of the
4th Army. The division was commanded by
Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt and consisted of the
9th
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
,
67th, and
68th infantry regiments.
Commanding officers
*Generalleutnant
Ernst Busch, creation – 4 February 1938
*General der Infanterie
Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, 4 February 1938 – 1 June 1940
*Generalleutnant
Heinz Hellmich
Heinz Hellmich (9 June 1890 – 17 June 1944) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
On 1 April 1942, Hellmich was appoint ...
, 1 June 1940 – 17 January 1942
*Generalleutnant
Curt Badinski, 17 January 1942 – 9 July 1942
26th Panzer Division
In July 1942, the division was reorganized as the 26th Panzer Division (''26. Panzer-Division''). It then served occupation duties in the west until mid-1943, whereupon it transferred to Italy to resist the Allied invasion, fought at
Salerno
Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...
, and remained in Italy for the rest of the war, surrendering to the British near
Bologna at the end.
Soldiers of the division, then commanded by
Eduard Crasemann, were involved in the
Padule di Fucecchio massacre on 23 August 1944. Crasemann was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for war crimes after the war and died in jail in West Germany in 1950.
Commanding officers
*General der Panzertruppe
Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz, 14 September 1942
*Generalmajor
Hans Hecker __NOTOC__
Hans Hecker (26 February 1895 – 1 May 1979) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Awards and decorations
* Knight's Cross ...
, 22 January 1944
*General der Panzertruppe Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz, 20 February 1944
*Oberst Dr. rer. pol. Dr. jur.
Hans Boelsen
Hans Boelsen (6 March 1894 – 24 October 1960) 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. During his time in command of the 114th Jäger Division, the unit ...
, 11 April 1944 – 7 May 1944 (deputy)
*Generalleutnant
Eduard Crasemann, 6 July 1944
*Oberst Carl Stollbrock, 15 December 1944 - 15 January 1945 (deputy)
*Generalmajor
Alfred Kuhnert __NOTOC__
Alfred Kuhnert (19 March 1898 – 28 November 1977) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Awards
* Knight's Cross of the I ...
, 29 January 1945
*Generalleutnant
Viktor Linnarz
Generalleutnant Viktor Leopold Linnarz (19 August 1894 – 14 October 1979) was a German army officer who served in the Prussian Army in World War I and the German Army during World War II.
He joined the Prussian Army in March 1914 and was awarde ...
, 19 April 1945
New 23rd Infantry Division
In November 1942 a new 23rd Infantry Division was formed, with the new 9th and 67th regiments called ''Grenadier'' to distinguish them from the original 9th and 67th regiments now called ''
Panzergrenadier'' in the 26th Panzer Division. This new division served on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war, ultimately surrendering in
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
.
Commanding officers
*Generalmajor Friedrich von Schellwitz, re-creation - August 1943
*General der Artillerie
Horst von Mellenthin, August 1943 - 1 September 1943
*Generalleutnant
Paul Gurran
__NOTOC__
Paul Gurran (11 January 1893 – 22 February 1944) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He was married to Irmgard Begrich, a cousin of Jo ...
, 1 September 1943 - 22 February 1944
*Generalleutnant Walter Chales de Beaulieu, 22 February 1944 - 1 August 1944
*Generalleutnant Hans Schirmer, 1 August 1944 - disbanded
See also
*
German order of battle for Operation Fall Weiss
This article details the order of battle of German military units during the invasion of Poland in 1939.
The German army's forces for the invasion of Poland (codename ''Fall Weiss,'' English - "Case White") were divided into Army Group North (con ...
*
List of German divisions in World War II
*
SS Panzer Division order of battle
The SS Panzer Division (german: SS-Panzerdivision, short: SS-PzDiv) was an SS formation during World War II. The table below shows the order of battle to which an SS Panzer division aspired.Willamson, Gordon (1994). ''The SS Hitler´s Instrument ...
*
Panzer division
A Panzer division was one of the armored (tank) divisions in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later the Waffe ...
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:23rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
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Military units and formations established in 1934
1934 establishments in Germany
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945