The Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division ("Regular Volunteer Division") was a German

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 marine i ...

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

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 ...

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 created on 1 February 1944 in Southern France. The Division was a so-called '' Ostlegion'', which means its personnel was made up from volunteers from the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. Specifically ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division'' consisted of Turkic, Azerbaijani,

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

, Tartar, Cossack,

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

and other Soviet volunteers, spread over five regiments. The primary purpose of the division were anti-partisan operations against the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. In 1944, the French

Maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The network ...

started numerous uprisings in France. To defeat the French forces, units of the ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division'' were used in various operations. This included German operations against the ''

Maquis du Mont Mouchet The Maquis du Mont Mouchet were a group of French resistance fighters during the Second World War that were based at Mont Mouchet. The Germans, having discovered the maquis, made several attacks up until May 1944 with about 3,000 men and using a ...

'', ''

Maquis de l'Ain et du Haut-Jura The Maquis de l'Ain et du Haut-Jura were a group of maquis fighters in the French resistance during World War II. On 11 November 1943, the Maquis de l'Ain et du Haut-Jura, on orders from Colonel Henri Romans-Petit, took possession of the town of ...

'' and the ''

Maquis du Vercors The Battle of Vercors in July and August 1944 was between a rural group of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) maquis''] and the armed forces of Nazi Germany which had occupied France since 1940 in the Second World War. The maquis used the pro ...

''. Part of these anti-Maquis operations also included , in which units of the ''Freiwilligen-Stamm-Division'' participated. During the operation, the 5th Cossack Regiment of the division conducted the Dortan Massacre at the French town of

Dortan Dortan () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Besides the village of Dortan itself, the commune includes the hamlets of Uffel, Vouais, Bonaz, Emondeau, Sénissiat and Maissiat. The population was 1,845 in 2014. History This are ...

on 13/14 July 1944. Twenty-four civilians were killed in what the German command described as "reprisal measures". Days later on 21 July more civilians were executed, bringing the death toll to about 35 people. The village was then burned down and left to ruins.

Commanding officers

*''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

Ralph von Heygendorff Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, 1 February 1944 – 11 March 1944 *''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

'' Wilhelm von Henning, 11 March 1944 – 12 September 1944 *''Generalmajor'' Bodo von Wartenberg, 12 September 1944 – May 1945

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:110th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) Military units and formations established in 1944 Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Foreign volunteer units of the Wehrmacht German occupation of France during World War II