The 84th Infantry Division (german: 84. Infanterie-Division) was an

infantry division A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 6,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Histo ...

of the German Heer 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 ...

Operational history

The 84th Infantry Division was raised as part of the 25th deployment wave, along with the 77th, 85th, 89th, 91st and 92nd Infantry Divisions. The deployment of the 25th wave had been ordered on 9 January 1944 and was to use manpower of the

Ersatzheer The Replacement Army () was part of the Imperial German Army during World War I and part of the Wehrmacht during World War II. It was based within Germany proper and included command and administrative units as well as training and guard troops. I ...

. Divisions of the 25th wave only received two instead of three regiments. The 84th was sent to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to serve under 15th Army of

Army Group D Army Group D (''Heeresgruppe D'') was a German Army Group which saw action during World War II. Army Group D was formed on 26 October 1940 in France, its initial cadre coming from the disbanded Army Group C. On 15 April 1941, the status of Army ...

, along with the 77th and 85th, whereas the 89th went to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, the 91st to

Baumholder Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verba ...

and the 92nd to

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

. Initially, the 84th Infantry Division consisted of the Grenadier Regiments 1051 and 1052. It was deployed on 2 February 1944. The 84th Infantry Division, under 15th Army and

Army Group B Army Group B (German: ') was the title of three German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. Operational history Army Group B first took part in the Battle of France in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The second formation of Ar ...

between May and July, was used as part of the German defense against the Allied Operation Overlord, which began on 6 June 1944, beginning on 29 July. and was destroyed in the Falaise Pocket on 20 August. The division was subsequently redeployed in the

Kleve Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléveris; la, Clivia; Low Rhenish: ''Kleff'') is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century ...

area as a division with three regiments around September. The third regiment, initially named ''Katzmann'', was designated Regiment 1062 on 24 December 1944. This second iteration of the division was again destroyed by forces of the

Western Allies The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...

at the

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...

bridgehead (

Operation Varsity Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest ai ...

) and was intended to be subsequently redeployed once again in the Lüneburg Heath, but this third iteration of the division did not come to pass due to the end of the European war in May 1945.

Noteworthy individuals

Heinz Fiebig __NOTOC__ Heinz Fiebig (23 March 1897 – 30 March 1964) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who may have been a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Nominated for the ...

: Divisional commander of 84th Infantry Division at the end of the war.

References

{{Infantry Divisions of the Wehrmacht Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II