The 30th Infantry Division (german: 30. Infanterie-Division) of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

was created on 1 October 1936 in

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

and mobilized on 26 August 1939 for the upcoming

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

. At that time, it consisted of the usual German infantry division elements: three infantry regiments of three battalions each, one three-battalion regiment of light artillery, one battalion of heavy artillery, a panzerjager (anti-tank) battalion, an aufklärungs (reconnaissance) battalion, a signals battalion, a pioneer (engineer) battalion, and divisional supply, medical, and administrative units. Just prior to the invasion of Poland, the division was positioned on the left wing of Army Group South under the X Army Corps. It was to attack in the general direction of the area in front of

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

. It fought battles in areas of Kalisch, during the Vistula crossing at Warta, also at Kol. Balin, Niewiesz and Uniejew. During the

Battle of Bzura The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was the largest Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Google Print snippet ...

they suffered heavy losses, including 1500 POWs captured by the Poles. They had to reject violent counterattacks and attempts to escape by the trapped Polish troops. Their commander Major General von Briesen personally led his last held in reserve battalion into battle and was seriously wounded and lost his right forearm. The Division, henceforth was referred to as "Briesen Division". After the Battle of Bzura was over, the division moved north of Lowicz in pursuit of the defeated enemy. Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L05487, Paris, Avenue Foch, Siegesparade

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L05487, Paris, Avenue Foch, Siegesparade

On 16 June 1940, the unit conducted a victory parade in Paris. In the winter of 1941 the division was trapped in the

Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket (german: Kessel von Demjansk; russian: Демя́нский котёл) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. Th ...

along with the

12th 12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...

, 32nd, 123rd and 290th infantry divisions, and the SS-Division ''Totenkopf'', as well as

RAD RAD or Rad may refer to: People * Robert Anthony Rad Dougall (born 1951), South African former racing driver * Rad Hourani, Canadian fashion designer and artist * Nickname of Leonardus Rad Kortenhorst (1886–1963), Dutch politician * Radley R ...

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

, Todt organization and other auxiliary units, for a total of about 90,000 German troops and around 10,000 auxiliaries. Their commander was ''General der Infanterie''

Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt __NOTOC__ Walter von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt (13 July 1887 – 9 May 1943) was a German general (General of the Infantry (Germany), General of the Infantry) during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leav ...

, commander of the II. Armeekorps (2nd Army Corps).

Commanders

*Generalleutnant Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, creation – 4 February 1938 *Generalmajor

Kurt von Briesen __NOTOC__ Kurt von Briesen (3 May 1886 – 20 November 1941) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. Briesen led the 30th Infantry Division in the invasion of Poland in 1939. O ...

, 4 February 1938 – 1 July 1939 *Generalleutnant

Franz Böhme Franz Friedrich Böhme (15 April 1885 – 29 May 1947) was an Army officer who served in succession with the Austro-Hungarian Arny, the Austrian Army and the German Wehrmacht. He rose to the rank of general during World War II, serving as Comm ...

, 1 July 1939 – 19 July 1939 *General der Infanterie

, 19 July 1939 – 25 November 1940 *Generalmajor Walter Buechs, November 1940 – 5 January 1941 *General der Infanterie

Kurt von Tippelskirch __NOTOC__ Kurt Oskar Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm von Tippelskirch (9 October 1891 – 10 May 1957) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded several armies and Army Group Vistula. He surrendered to the United S ...

, 5 January 1941 – 5 June 1942 *Generalleutnant

Thomas-Emil von Wickede __NOTOC__ Thomas-Emil von Wickede (23 April 1893 – 23 June 1944) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the X Army Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Wickede was ...

, 5. Juni 1942 – 29 October 1943 *Generalleutnant Paul Winter, September 1943 *Generalmajor Gerhard Henke (acting), 29 October 1943 – 5 November 1943 *General der Infanterie Wilhelm Haase, 5 November 1943 – 15 March 1944 *Generalleutnant Hans von Basse (acting), 15 March 1944 – 15 August 1944 *Generalmajor Otto Barth, 15 August 1944 – 30 January 1945 *Generalleutnant Albert Henze, 30 January 1945 – capitulation

References

* Breithaupt, Hans (1955). ''Die Geschichte der 30. Infanterie-Division 1939 – 1945''. Podzun, Bad Nauheim. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:30th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 0*030 Military units and formations established in 1936 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945