The 296th Infantry Division (german: 296. 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 296th Infantry Division was formed on 5 February 1940 as a division of the eighth ''
Aufstellungswelle'' in the
Passau-
Deggendorf
Deggendorf () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the Deggendorf district.
It is located on the left bank approximately in the middle between the Danube cities of Regensburg and Passau. The Danube forms the town's natural border towards ...
area in
Wehrkreis XIII. Its initial regiments were the Infantry Regiment 519, 520, 521, as well as Artillery Regiment 296 "Reichsgründung".
The initial commander of the 296th Infantry Division was
Wilhelm Stemmermann, appointed on 1 January 1941.
Between the summer of 1940 and the spring of 1941, the 296th Infantry Division was stationed in the
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
area.
Between June 1941 and July 1944, the 296th Infantry Division fought on the
Eastern Front.
Between June and September 1941, the division served under
Army Group South
Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II.
It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group So ...
, and was then transferred to
Army Group Center
Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army for ...
, where it remained until its destruction in 1944.
The division fought at the
Battle of Kiev between August and September 1941 and then advanced via
Tula towards
Oryol, where it remained through the year 1942 and into August 1943. Until June 1944, it was driven back to
Babruysk
Babruysk, Babrujsk or Bobruisk ( be, Бабруйск , Łacinka: , rus, Бобруйск, Bobrujsk, bɐˈbruɪ̯s̪k, yi, באָברויסק ) is a city in the Mogilev Region of eastern Belarus on the Berezina River. , its population was 209 ...
via
Gomel
Gomel (russian: Гомель, ) or Homiel ( be, Гомель, ) is the administrative centre of Gomel Region and the second-largest city in Belarus with 526,872 inhabitants (2015 census).
Etymology
There are at least six narratives of the o ...
.
The division was destroyed at Babruysk during ''
Operation Bagration
Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
''. The division was formally dissolved on 3 August 1944.
Superior formations
Noteworthy individuals
*
Wilhelm Stemmermann, divisional commander between 1 January 1941 and 8 January 1942.
*
Friedrich Krischer, divisional commander between 8 January 1942 and 3 April 1943.
*
Karl Faulenbach Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austri ...
, divisional commander between 3 April 1943 and 1 January 1944.
*
Arthur Kullmer, divisional commander between 1 January 1944 and 19 June 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 1940
Military units and formations disestablished in 1944