The 339th Infantry Division was a
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
**Ger ...
military unit which fought 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 opposin ...
.
History
The 339th Infantry Division was created in December 1940 as an infantry division of the 14th
Aufstellungswelle
In the German Wehrmacht before and during World War II, infantry divisions were raised as part of a designated ''Aufstellungswelle'' (deployment wave) or ''Welle'' (wave), sometimes translated as "draft". The ''Aufstellungswelle'' system was adopte ...
in military district IX in
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
. In May 1941 it was moved to the border with the Soviet Union. After
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
, the 339th ID was deployed in August 1941 in the rear area of
Army Group Center near
Vitebsk and
Bobruisk in Belarus.
From January 1942 to January 1943, the 339th ID fought in the
Battles of Rzhev with the
2nd Panzer Army
The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941.
Organisation
Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 1940 ...
around
Bryansk. In Summer 1943, the Division fought in the
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...
, still as part of the 2nd Panzer Army, under the
LV Army Corps.
In October 1943, the Division became part of the
4th Panzer Army
The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World War ...
under
Army Group South. On 2 November 1943, after suffering heavy losses in the
Battle of the Dnieper, the remnants of the 339th ID formed ''Divisions-Gruppe 339'' and was combined with the remains of other divisions to form
Korps-Abteilung C
The 183rd Infantry Division was a German infantry division in World War II.
History
The division was formed during the 7th Aufstellungswelle on 28 November 1939 in Gutsbezirk Münsingen (Wurttemberg).
It participated in the French campaign ...
. The 339th ID itself was disbanded.
Commanders
* Generalleutnant Georg Hewelke (15 December 1940 - January 1942) - died of a heart attack
* Generalleutnant Kurt Pflugradt (January - 8 December 1942)
* Generalmajor Martin Ronicke (8 December 1942 - 1 October 1943)
* Generalmajor
Wolfgang Lange (1 October 1943 – 15 November 1943)
Sources
Axis History
* Georg Tessin: Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945. Band 9. Die Landstreitkräfte 281 – 370. Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1974, ISBN 3-7648-1174-9.
{{DEFAULTSORT:339th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
Military units and formations established in 1940
Military units and formations disestablished in 1943
Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II