__NOTOC__ The 9th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division (german: 9.Luftwaffen-Feld-Division) was an infantry division of the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'' branch of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

'' that fought in World War II. It was formed using surplus ground crew of the ''Luftwaffe'' and served on the Eastern Front from late 1942 to June 1944. It was badly mauled during the Soviet offensive of January 1944 near

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. It was later merged with the 225th Infantry Division.

Operational history

The 9th ''Luftwaffe'' Field Division, one of several such divisions of the ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force), was formed in October 1942 in Eastern Prussia, in the Arys Troop Maneuver Area, under the command of ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

'' Hans Erdmann. Intended to serve as infantry, its personnel were largely drawn from the 62nd Air Regiment. In December 1942, it was assigned to

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comma ...

on the Eastern Front. Posted to a sector near

, it defended its frontlines for over 12 months.

Commanders

*''Oberst'' Hans Erdmann (October 1942–September 1943); *''Oberst'' Anton-Carl Longin (September–November 1943); *''Generalleutnant'' Paul Winter (November 1943); *''Oberst'' Ernst Michael (November 1943–January 1944); *''Oberst'' Heinrich Geerkens (January 1944).

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * 0*009 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 {{Germany-WWII-stub