The 538th Frontier Guard Division, also known as the Division z.b.V. 538. was a short-lived

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 ...

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 ...

that participated in the

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...

. It was disbanded immediately after the Yugoslav surrender.

History

The division was raised on 9 December 1939 in

Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...

within ''

Wehrkreis The military districts, also known in some English-language publications by their German name as Wehrkreise (singular: ''Wehrkreis''), were administrative territorial units in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. The task of military distr ...

'' XVIII using the 20th Border Defence Detachment which was stationed along the Reich- Italian border, and was commanded by ''Generalleutnant'' (Major General) Emmerich von Nagy. It was called up for duty on 28 March 1941 for the

. Along with the 1st Mountain Division, it was part of the XLIX Mountain Corps commanded by '' General der Infanterie'' (Lieutenant General)

Ludwig Kübler Ludwig Kübler (2 September 1889 – 18 August 1947) was a German ''General der Gebirgstruppe'' (Lieutenant General) who commanded the 1st Mountain Division, XXXXIX Mountain Corps, 4th Army and the Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littora ...

. On the first day of the invasion, the division was stationed on the northwestern part of the border between the Reich and

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, and seized important mountain passes, hills and tunnels on the Yugoslav side of the border. These successes enabled the spearheads of the 1st Mountain Division to quickly cross the border and push deep into Yugoslav territory. The division was stood down after the invasion, and was disbanded on 18 April 1941.

Composition

The division was created from the 20th Frontier Guard (german: Grenzschutz) Detachment, which included: *193rd Frontier Watch Sector (

Spittal an der Drau Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Bezirk'') by area. Geography The town is located o ...

) *194th Frontier Watch Sector (

) *195th Frontier Watch Sector (

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

) On 1 April 1941, immediately prior to the invasion of Yugoslavia, the primary units of the division were: *Divisional staff, administration and troops (including a motorcycle platoon, a mountain signals platoon and a military police (german: Feldgendarmerie, links=no) detachment) *Elements of the 194th Infantry Regiment **1st Battalion (3 companies) **2nd Battalion (3 companies) *Elements of the 139th Mountain Regiment **1st Battalion (one company) **2nd Battalion (2 companies) *499th Infantry Replacement Battalion (2 companies) *Sperr Pioneer Battalion Elements of both the 194th Infantry Regiment and 139th Mountain Regiment were detached and placed under command of the 1st Mountain Division.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:538th Frontier Guard Division (Wehrmacht) Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1941