The Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill (german: Infanterie-Division Ferdinand von Schill) was an

infantry division A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), 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 mak ...

of the German

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 formed in April 1945, within a month of the end of the war, and was the last division fielded by the German army during the war. The division was named after the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

commander at the Battle of Stralsund of 1809,

Ferdinand von Schill Ferdinand Baptista von Schill (6 January 1776 – 31 May 1809) was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian major who revolted unsuccessfully against First French Empire, French domination of Prussia in May 1809. Schill's rebellion ended at the Battle of ...

(1776–1809).

History

The Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill was formed on 24 April 1945 by ''Sturmgeschützschule Burg'' personnel, the former Kampfgruppe Burg, and assigned to the 12th Army ( Wenck). Its commander was Alfred Müller. Müller held the rank of

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

(lieutenant colonel) and thus deviated from the typical Wehrmacht divisional commander in that he was not a general. The division was the last infantry division fielded by the German Army in World War II. Its deployment was so late in the war that it does not even appear in the listings of the German military postal service. At the end of the war, Infantry Division Ferdinand von Schill initially surrendered to American forces, but was handed over to the

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in th ...

References

{{Subject bar, portal1=Military of Germany, portal2=World War II Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II Military units and formations established in 1945 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945