The 4th Infantry Division, designated ''4.Infanterie-Division'' in German was one of the first divisions raised and served during part of
World War II. In 1940 it was reorganized as
14th Panzer Division
The 14th Panzer Division (german: 14. Panzer-Division) was an armoured division in the German Army during World War II. It was created in 1940 by the conversion of the 4th Infantry Division.
The division took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia ...
.
History
The 4th Infantry Division was raised in October 1934 in
Dresden. It took part in the
Invasion of Poland in 1939 and later the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
in 1940. Later that year it was converted into the 14th Panzer Division.
Organization
In 1937, the division's units were:
* Infantry Regiment 10
* Infantry Regiment 52
* Infantry Regiment 103
* Artillery Regiment 4
* I./Artillerie-Regiment 40
* Anti-tank (Panzer-Abwehr) Detachment 4
* Pioneer Battalion 4
* Signals (Nachricten) Detachment 4
* Machine gun Battalion 7
By 1939, the division's units were:
* Infanterie-Regiment 10
* Infanterie-Regiment 52
* Infanterie-Regiment 103
* Artillerie-Regiment 4
* I./Artillerie-Regiment 40
* Aufklärungs-Abteilung 4 (reconnaissance battalion)
* Panzerjäger-Abteilung 4 (anti-tank battalion)
* Pionier-Battalion 13 (engineer battalion)
* Nachrichten-Abteilung 4 (signals battalion)
Commanders
The following officers commanded 4th Infantry Division:
* April 1, 1934, to November 10, 1938, Oberst (colonel) Erich Raschick
* November 10, 1938, to August 15, 1940, Gen. Lt.
Erick-Oskar Hansen
Knight's Cross
No members of 4th Infantry Division were awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
.
War service
Polish Campaign:
*September 1939: part of IV Corps,
10.Armee,
German Army Group South
Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II.
It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group Sou ...
Low Countries and France:
*May 1940: reserve division of
German Army Group A
Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during World War II. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsible ...
*June 1940: part of IV Corps of
6.Armee of
German 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 ...
See also
List of German divisions in World War II
References
* Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand: ''Das Heer 1933–1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues.'' Vol.III: ''Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende''. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1969, p. 285.
* Georg Tessin: ''Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 1939 – 1945''. Vol. II: ''Die Landstreitkräfte 1 -5''. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1966.
{{DEFAULTSORT:4th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
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Military units and formations established in 1934
1934 establishments in Germany
Military units and formations disestablished in 1940