__NOTOC__ The 3rd Infantry Division was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

division of the

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 ...

that fought 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 ...

. The division was established under the cover name ''Wehrgauleitung Frankfurt'' in 1934 by expanding the 3rd Division of the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

. It was redesignated ''Kommandant von Frankfurt'' shortly afterward, and took on its bona fide name when the formation 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 announced in October 1935. In March 1939 the division took part in the invasion and

occupation of Czechoslovakia Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

. During World War II the division took part in the

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 ...

in September 1939 where it was part of the German 4th Army. It then took part in the invasion of France in May 1940. In October that year it returned to Germany and was upgraded to a fully motorized division. (Most German divisions during the war had no transport for the infantry and used horses to tow their artillery; German industry could not turn out sufficient motor transport while also trying to meet other military requirements.) Redesignated the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division it took part in

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 ...

in June 1941, advancing on

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

under Army Group North. In October the division was transferred to Army Group Center for Operation Typhoon and the

Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...

and the defensive battles of the winter. In mid-1942 it was transferred to Army Group South to take part in the summer offensive ''Fall Blau'' ("Case Blue"), and was ultimately caught up 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 ...

, where it was destroyed in the encirclement with the German 6th Army in February 1943. It was reconstituted as the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division in March, absorbing the 386th Motorized Division in the process. It then fought on the Italian Front until the summer of 1944, when it was transferred to the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

to help re-establish the front line after the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

breakout from the Normandy beachhead. Later in the year, it participated in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

and then in the defensive actions at Remagen, ultimately surrendering in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945, shortly before

Victory in Europe Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

Commanding officers

3rd Infantry Division

*Oberst Curt Haase, 4 April 1934 – 3 July 1936 *Generalmajor

Walter Petzel Walter Petzel (1883–1965) was a German officer, who finished as a General of Artillery in the Second World War. Life and early career Petzel was born on 28 December 1883, the son of a landowner, in Oborzysk in the Province of Posen in what is ...

, 3 July 1936 – 11 October 1938 *Generalleutnant

Walter Lichel __NOTOC__ Walter Lichel (1 May 1885 – 10 December 1969) was a German general during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Lichel surrendered to the Allied troops in 1945 and was held until 1947. A ...

, 11 October 1938 – 1 October 1940

3rd Infantry Division (mot.)

*General der Artillerie Paul Bader, 1 October 1940 – 25 May 1941 *General der Artillerie

Curt Jahn General Kurt Jahn, aka Curt Jahn, (February 16, 1892 – November 7, 1966) was a German Army general and commander in Lombardy, Italy during World War II. Born in Schmalkalden, Germany, he was captured west of Milan on 1 May 1945 and interned in B ...

, 25 May 1941 – 1 April 1942 *Generalleutnant

Helmuth Schlömer __NOTOC__ Helmuth Schlömer (20 May 1893 – 18 August 1995) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II and commanded the XIV Panzer Corps in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. Helmuth Schlömer joint the army in March 1913 and was ...

, 1 April 1942 – 15 January 1943 *Oberst i. G. Jobst Freiherr von Hanstein, 15 January 1943 – 28 January 1943

3rd Panzergrenadier-Division

*General der Panzertruppe

Fritz-Hubert Gräser __NOTOC__ Fritz-Hubert Gräser (3 January 1888 – 4 November 1960) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Awards * Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class ...

, 1 March 1943 – March 1944 *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 ...

, March 1944 – 1 June 1944 *Generalleutnant

Hans-Günther von Rost Hans-Günther von Rost (15 November 1894 – 23 March 1945) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Rost was killed on 23 March 1945 near Székesfeh ...

, 1 June 1944 – 25 June 1944 *Generalleutnant

Walter Denkert __NOTOC__ Walter Denkert (23 February 1897 – 9 July 1982) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * German Cross in Gold (8 March 1945) * Kn ...

, 25 June 1944 – April 1945

War crimes

The division has been implicated in a number of war crimes in Italy between September 1943 and August 1944, when up to twenty-two civilians were executed in each incident. Two members of the division, Lieutnant Wolfgang Lehnigk-Emden and NCO Kurt Schuster were sentenced to life in prison in absentia by an Italian court for their role in the Caiazzo massacre, the murder of twenty-two civilians at Caiazzo, near Naples, in October 1943 but not extradited. Lehnigk-Emden was captured by Allied forces during the war, confessed the crime but then released by accident. He was found guilty of manslaughter by the ''

Bundesgerichtshof The Federal Court of Justice (german: Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) is the highest court in the system of ordinary jurisdiction (''ordentliche Gerichtsbarkeit'') in Germany, founded in 1950. It has its seat in Karlsruhe with two panels being situat ...

'', Germany's highest court but released because of the Statute of limitations had expired. This caused considerable outrage in both Germany and Italy because of the particularly brutal nature of the crime, and was seen as a Miscarriage of justice.

Organization

* Frankfurt Infanterie Regiment ** I. Battalion ** II. Battalion ** III. Battalion * Crossen Infanterie Regiment ** I. Battalion ** II. Battalion ** III. Battalion * Frankfurt / Oder Artillerie Regiment ** I. Battalion ** II. Battalion ** III. Battalion ** IV. Battalion * Küstrin Engineer Battalion ** I. Kompanie ** II. Kompanie ** III. Kompanie * Potsdam Support Division Group ** News Detachment

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 0*003 German units at the Battle of Stalingrad Military units and formations established in 1934 1934 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 de:3. Panzer-Grenadier-Division fr:3e Panzergrenadier Division sv:3. Panzergrenadier-Division