The 551st Volksgrenadier Division () was a

Volksgrenadier ''Volksgrenadier'' was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The na ...

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 mar ...

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the German Army 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 opposing ...

, active from 1944 to 1945. The division was established on 11 July 1944 at the Thorn military training area in

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...

under the designation 551st Sperr-Division. On 19 July 1944 the division was renamed the 551. Grenadier Division. In October, the division was involved in heavy fighting in Lithuania. On 9 October 1944 it was renamed 551. Volksgrenadier Division. Afterwards, the division fought in the

Tilsit Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск; german: Tilsit; Old Prussian: ''Tilzi''; lt, Tilžė; pl, Tylża) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania. Geography So ...

area of East Prussia and was taken prisoner by the Soviets. Its commander was Generalleutnant

Siegfried Verhein __NOTOC__ Siegfried Verhein (1 October 1897 – 30 June 1963) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Verhein surrendered to the Red Army in the cours ...

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551. Grenadier-Division

{{Infantry Divisions of the Wehrmacht Volksgrenadier divisions Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945