The 70th Infantry Division (german: 70. Infanterie-Division) was a unit 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 ...

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 ...

. It was formed late in 1944 from personnel previously exempted from military service due to stomach disorders or injuries (sometimes referred to as a "

Stomach division In military terminology, a stomach division is a unit created for the purpose of containing combatants of disuse in the front lines. Its name originates from its original conception, in which men suffering from stomach illnesses were moved to a sin ...

").

History

As World War II progressed, German manpower available for military service declined and this was exacerbated by the severe losses suffered in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...

, for example. Groups of men, previously declared unfit for active service, were drafted or recalled into service. These included those with stomach complaints and it was decided that these men would be concentrated into one formation to facilitate the provision of special foods and to isolate infectious or unpleasant conditions (hence the unofficial description of "White Bread" or Magen (Stomach) Division). In August, 1944, the Division garrisoned Walcheren Island and

South Beveland Zuid-Beveland (; "South Beveland") is part of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands north of the Western Scheldt and south of the Eastern Scheldt. Topography It is a former island, now peninsula, crossed by the Canal through Zuid-Beveland ...

and in October consolidated on Walcheren during the assault by the

II Canadian Corps II Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I Corps (United Kingdom), I (British) Corps (August 1, 1944 to April 1, 1945) and I Canadian Corps (April 6, 1943 to November 1943, and April 1, 1945 until the end of hostilities), ...

. Although not a first-class formation, the 70th was installed in static defences and supported by ample heavy artillery, held out for several days. The Division, left with no escape route from Walcheren, surrendered on 5 November 1944 and 10,000 Germans became

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. Later, during 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 ...

, the Germans employed another "Stomach" unit, the Infantrie Ersatz und Ausbildungs Battaillon 282 (M), referred to as "Stomach Trouble Battalion 282" by the 749th Tank Battalion.

Order of battle

The Divisional commander was Generalleutnant

Wilhelm Daser Wilhelm Josef Daser (31 August 1884 in Germersheim – 14 July 1968 in Ingolstadt) was a German military officer who commanded the 70th infantry division of the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Scheldt and surrendered unconditionally on 6 Novem ...

. Structure of the division: * 1018th Grenadier Regiment (1018. Grenadier-Regiment) * 1019th Grenadier Regiment (1019. Grenadier-Regiment) * 1020th Grenadier Regiment (1020. Grenadier-Regiment) * 170th Artillery Regiment (170. Artillerie-Regiment) * 170th Fusilier Battalion (70. Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon) * 170th Tank Destroyer Company (170. Panzerjäger-Kompanie) * 170th Engineer Battalion (170. Pionier-Bataillon) * 170th Signal Detachment (170. Signalabtrennung) * 170th Field Replacement Battalion (170. Feldersatz-Bataillon) * 170th Divisional Supply Group (170. Divisionsversorgungsgruppe)

External links

The Battle of the Scheldt September-November 1944

References

{{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II Military units and formations established in 1944 0*070 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944