The 82nd Infantry Division (German: ''82. Infanteriedivision'') was a

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 ...

infantry 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 ...

. The 82nd was part of the sixth ''

Aufstellungswelle In the German Wehrmacht before and during World War II, infantry divisions were raised as part of a designated ''Aufstellungswelle'' (deployment wave) or ''Welle'' (wave), sometimes translated as "draft". The ''Aufstellungswelle'' system was adopte ...

'' of German infantry divisions.

Operational history

The 82nd Infantry Division was raised in December 1939 and was first deployed into action the following May during the invasion of France and the low countries. Returning to Germany in December 1940, they were redeployed into the Netherlands the following month. In May, the division was separated - elements of the 82nd were to remain as an occupational force in the Netherlands, while the rest were to invade the Soviet Union. In June 1941, in preparation for the then-upcoming invasion, ''Major General'' Josef Lehmann was promoted to ''Lieutenant General''. In December 1942, the occupational elements would move to the Eastern front. In mid-January 1943, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive targeted on the city of

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...

. During the Battle of Voronezh, ''Lieutenant General'' Alfred Bäntsch was killed; he was replaced by ''Lieutenant General'' Karl Faulenbach. In July 1943, the division took part in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

as a component of ''General of the Infantry'' Erich Straube's XIII Corps, which in itself was a portion of the 2nd Army. In December, ''Major General''

Hans-Walter Heyne __NOTOC__ Hans-Walter Heyne-Hedersleben (10 January 1894 – 29 August 1967) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Heyne surrendered to the Soviet troops in June 1944 during the ...

was promoted to ''Lieutenant General''. In early 1944, the division was encircled by Soviet Armed Forces near

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

during the

Battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. Although it managed to escape from the Soviets, it sustained such heavy casualties that it was reduced to being a designated "Division Group", absorbed by the 254th Infantry Division.

Components

*158th Infantry Regiment *166th Infantry Regiment *168th Infantry Regiment *182nd Artillery Regiment *182nd Bicycle Squadron *182nd Tank Destroyer Battalion *182nd Engineer Battalion *182nd Signals Battalion *182nd Divisional Supply Troops

Commanders

;note: All Generals are listed with the rank they had when assigned to divisional command. *''Major General'' Josef Lehmann (1 December 1939 – 1 April 1942) *''Major General''

Friedrich Hoßbach Friedrich Hossbach (22 November 1894 – 10 September 1980) was a German staff officer in the Wehrmacht who in 1937 was the military adjutant to Adolf Hitler. Hossbach created the document that later became known as the Hossbach Memorandum. Ca ...

(1 April – 6 July 1942) *''Lieutenant General'' Alfred Bäntsch (6 July 1942 – 31 January 1943) *''Lieutenant General'' Karl Faulenbach (31 January – 15 Mar 1943) *''Major General''

(15 March – April 1943) *''Colonel''

Friedrich-August Weinknecht __NOTOC__ Friedrich-August Weinknecht (5 October 1895 – 26 October 1964) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded several infantry divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. We ...

(April – May 1943) *''Lieutenant General'' Hans-Walter Heyne (May 1943 – 10 May 1944)

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:82nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 0*082 1939 establishments in Germany