Infantry Division Potsdam () was a German infantry division of the ''Heer'' during World War II. It was active for only a few weeks near the very end of the war, starting in late March 1945.
History
Infantry Division Potsdam was part of the 35th and final ''
Aufstellungswelle
In the German Wehrmacht before and during World War II, infantry divisions were raised as part of a designated ''Aufstellungswelle'' (deployment wave) or ''Welle'' (wave), sometimes translated as "draft". The ''Aufstellungswelle'' system was adopte ...
'', along with the infantry divisions
Schlageter,
Jahn,
Körner Körner, also rendered Koerner, or Korner is a German surname which may refer to
People
* Alexis Korner (1928–1984), born Koerner, musician
* Alfred Körner (1926–2020), Austrian footballer
* August T. Koerner (1843–1912), American politic ...
,
Güstrow,
Scharnhorst
Gerhard Johann David von Scharnhorst (12 November 1755 – 28 June 1813) was a Hanoverian-born general in Prussian service from 1801. As the first Chief of the Prussian General Staff, he was noted for his military theories, his reforms of the Pru ...
,
von Hutten, and
von Schill.
The division was activated on 29 March 1945 on ''
Truppenübungsplatz Döberitz'' training area in
Wehrkreis III using personnel and students from military schools of various types of warfare. Following the order of battle of an
Infantry Division 45, Infantry Division Potsdam was built on the basis of the
85th Infantry Division (with 1053rd and 1054th regiments), which had been destroyed in the
Eifel
The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...
mountain range in the aftermath of the
Battle of the Bulge. Initially known as the "85th Infantry Division" from 29 March, it was renamed on 4 April to become "Infantry Division Potsdam", thus following other divisions of the 35th ''Aufstellungswelle'' in receiving given names rather than ordinal numbers. The division was additionally fed with personnel and materiel from the third and later the fourth detachment of the ''People's Artillery Corps 412'' to supply the artillery, as well as the Jagdpanzer Company 1135 to supply the ''Panzerjäger'' detachment.
The division's sole commander was a colonel-ranked reserve officer with the surname Lorenz.
In all, the division consisted of three infantry regiments that were built on the basis of the Grenadier Regiments 1053, 1054 and 1064 but were named Grenadier Regiment Potsdam 1 through 3. Additionally, the Division Fusilier Battalion 85 of the former 85th Infantry Division became the "Division Fusilier Battalion Potsdam". Additionally, there were the Panzerjäger Detachment Potsdam (formed from Jagdpanzer Company 1135), Artillery Regiment Potsdam (formed from People's Artillery Corps 412), Pioneer Battalion Potsdam (formed from Pioneer Battalion 185) and Signals Detachment Potsdam.
On 12 April 1944, Infantry Division Potsdam joined
11th Army at
Blankenburg in the
Harz mountain range, already under attack by Allied forces. By 18 April, Infantry Division Potsdam was already broken in combat; a weak leftover regiment joined the
Infantry Division Scharnhorst as a fusilier battalion.
References
{{Named infantry divisions of the Wehrmacht
Infantry divisions of Germany during World War II
Military units and formations established in 1945
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945