The 3rd Division was a unit 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 ...

Creation

In the Order of 31 July 1920 for the Reduction of the Army (to comply with the upper limits on the size of the military contained in the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

), it was determined that a division would be established in every ''Wehrkreis'' (

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

) by 1 October 1920. The 3rd Division was formed in January 1921 out of the Reichswehr-Brigaden 3, 6 and 15, all part of the former ''Übergangsheer'' (Transition Army). It consisted of 3 infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, an engineering battalion, a signals battalion, a transportation battalion, and a medical battalion. The commander of the Wehrkreis III was simultaneously the commander of the 3rd Division.
For the leadership of the troops, an Infanterieführer and an Artillerieführer were appointed, both subordinated to the commander of the Division. The unit ceased to exist as such after October 1934 and its subordinate units were transferred to one of the 21 Divisions newly created in that year.

Commanding officers

*General der Artillerie Hermann Rumschöttel, 1 October 1920 – 16 June 1921 *General der Infanterie Richard von Berendt, 16 June 1921 – 3 August 1921 *General der Kavallerie Rudolf von Horn, 3 August 1921 – 31 January 1926 *General der Infanterie Otto Hasse, 1 February 1926 – 1 April 1929 *General der Infanterie Rudolf Schniewindt, 1 April 1929 – 1 October 1929 *General der Infanterie Joachim von Stülpnagel, 1 October 1929 – 1 February 1932 *General der Infanterie

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German field marshal in the '' Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into a Prussian family with a long military tradition, Rundstedt entered th ...

, 1 February 1932 – 1 October 1932 *Generalleutnant Werner Freiherr von Fritsch, 1 October 1932 – 1 February 1934

Infanterieführers

*Generalmajor Karl von Fabeck (1 Oct 1920 - 31 Mar 1921) *Generalmajor Ernst Hasse (1 Apr 1921 - 31 Mar 1922) *Generalmajor Gottfried Edelbüttel (1 Apr 1922 - 31 Jan 1925) *Generalmajor Friedrich Freiherr von Esebeck (1 Feb 1925 - 31 Oct 1926) *Generalmajor Heinrich von Bünau (1 Nov 1926 - 31 Jan 1929) *Generalleutnant Wolfgang Fleck (1 Feb 1929 - 30 Apr 1931) *Generalmajor Hugo Zeitz (1 May 1931 - 30 Sep 1931) *Generalmajor Ulrich von Waldow (1 Oct 1931 - 31 Jan 1933) *Generalmajor Maximilian Freiherr von Weichs (1 Feb 1933 - 30 Sep 1933) *Generalmajor

Wilhelm Keitel Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (; 22 September 188216 October 1946) was a German field marshal and war criminal who held office as chief of the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' (OKW), the high command of Nazi Germany's Armed Forces, duri ...

(1 Oct 1933 - 30 Sep 1934) *Generalmajor

Hermann Hoth Hermann Hoth (12 April 1885 – 25 January 1971) was a German army commander, war criminal, and author. He served as a high-ranking panzer commander in the Wehrmacht during World War II, playing a prominent role in the Battle of France and on t ...

(1 Oct 1934 - 15 Oct 1935)Axis History
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Notable Artillerieführers

*Generalmajor

Theodor Endres __NOTOC__ Theodor Endres (25 September 1876 – 18 January 1956) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Endres retired from active service on 31 January 1943. Awards a ...

(1 Nov 1930 - 30 Sep 1931) *Generalmajor

Günther von Kluge Günther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge (30 October 1882 – 19 August 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II who held commands on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He commanded the 4th Army of the Wehrmacht during the invasion o ...

(1 Nov 1931 - 30 Sep 1933) *Generalmajor

(1 Oct 1933 - 31 Mar 1934)

Garrisons

The divisional headquarters was in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

References

Feldgrau.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Division (Reichswehr) Infantry divisions of Germany Military units and formations established in 1920 Military units and formations disestablished in 1934