The 302nd Infantry Division (German: ''302. Infanteriedivision''), initially formed as the 302nd Static Infantry Division, was a

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

infantry division in

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 ...

History

The division was raised in November 1940 from men in Military District II as the 302nd Static Infantry Division (german: 302. (Bodenständige) Infanterie Division) and was initially used as a French-occupying force, with some elements remaining in Germany. According to Hauptmann Joachim Lindner: 'Day after day nothing.'

Dieppe raid

An Allied amphibious raid, to determine if a large landing could be attempted, was made at

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on 19 August 1942. The Allies suffered heavy losses with men and tanks strewn over the beach along with landing craft. The operation painted a grim picture for any future Allied incursion. A German major observed, 'I have not witnessed images more terrible. In one landing craft the entire crew of about forty men had been wiped out by a direct hit. On the water we could see bits of wrecks, ships in ruins, corpses floating and soldiers wrestling with death. In Paris there was jubilation. The enemy's operation was smashed in just over nine hours!' Over 6,000 troops landed at Dieppe (mainly Canadians) and less than 2,500 of them succeeded in returning to Britain afterwards. The Germans suffered a coastal battery damaged, 48 Luftwaffe planes destroyed, and approximately 600 casualties. This first combat led to the division being nicknamed the "Dieppe division". In October 1942 the division was reorganized as the 302nd Infantry Division (with improved mobility and offensive capabilities), and after a few additional months serving as a

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

in France and was transferred to the Eastern Front in early 1943 to help shore up the line after the German defeat in the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

Actions in the Eastern front

In January 1943, the division was sent to the Eastern Front to aid in the Kharkov offensive, where it fought in

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). A ...

(then known as Voroshilovgrad). Between April and September the division switched to defensive tactics along the

Mius-Front The Mius-Front was a heavily fortified German Nazi defensive line along the Mius River in the Donbas region of the Soviet Union and Ukraine during World War II. It was created by the Germans in October 1941, under direction of General Paul Ludwi ...

. It defended the Ukrainian city of

Zaporizhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zapor ...

between October and December before withdrawing to the Nikopol bridgehead, where General Rüdiger was wounded-in-action. The division retreated west to the Dnieper in April. Rüdiger's replacement, General von Bogen, was captured by Soviet troops during May 1944 in

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

. Colonel Fischer, the 302nd Artillery Regiment's commander, took his place. The division met its end on 25 August 1944 when the Soviets succeeded in encircling it during its withdrawal from the Dniester. During the encirclement Fischer was wounded and soon after captured.

Aftermath

Decimated during the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive, the division was disbanded and those few survivors were transferred to the

15th 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 (number), 14 and preceding 16 (number), 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky ...

and 75th Infantry Divisions.

Elements

;1940 *570th Infantry Regiment *571st Infantry Regiment *572nd Infantry Regiment *302nd Artillery Regiment *302nd Anti-tank Battalion *302nd Reconnaissance Battalion *302nd Engineer Battalion *302nd Supply Battalion *302nd Divisional Supply detachment ;1943 *570th Infantry Regiment *571st Infantry Regiment *572nd Infantry Regiment *302nd Artillery Regiment *302nd Mobile Battalion *302nd Bicycle unit *302nd Engineer Battalion *302nd Intelligence Department *302nd Infantry Division supply troops *302nd Medical Company *302nd Ambulance Train ;1944 *570th Grenadier Regiment *572nd Grenadier Regiment *Division Group 125 **Regiment Group 420 *Regiment Group 421 *302nd Divisional fusilier battalion *302nd Artillery Regiment *302nd Mobile Battalion *302nd Engineer Battalion *302nd Field Replacement Battalion *302nd Intelligence Department *302nd Infantry Division Supply Troops *302nd Medical Company *302nd Ambulance train

References

Bibliography

*
302. Infanterie-Division
. German language article. Retrieved April 9, 2005. * Hargreaves, Richard (2006). “The Germans in Normandy”, Pen and Sword, . {{DEFAULTSORT:302 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II