90th Light Afrika Division
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The 90th Light Infantry Division was a
light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
division of the
German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
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 ...
that served in North Africa as well as Sardinia and Italy. The division played a major role in most of the actions against the
British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces, ...
in the Western Desert Campaign and eventually surrendered to the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
in the final stages of the Tunisia Campaign in May 1943. It was re-constituted later in 1943 and deployed to Sardinia and when the expected Allied invasion of Sardinia failed to materialise, the division was moved to Italy. It was engaged in actions against the Allies in Italy from 1943 to April 1945 when the division was listed as "destroyed" in the Po River valley.


Formation

On 26 June 1941, the
OKH The (; abbreviated OKH) was the high command of the Army of Nazi Germany. It was founded in 1935 as part of Adolf Hitler's rearmament of Germany. OKH was ''de facto'' the most important unit within the German war planning until the defeat at ...
ordered the creation of a Division HQ staff for ''Kommando zbV Afrika'' in Germany. The planned division was intended for deployment to Africa to re-balance, and add infantry troops to the DAK deployed in the Western Desert. The formation headquarters was sent to Africa between late August and mid-September 1941 and deployed to command the Sollum area with the first units (347th Infantry Regiment and 300th Special Services "Oasis" Battalion) being attached on 15 October 1941. On 20 October more units were attached (155th Inf Regt, 900th Engineer Battalion and 605th Anti Tank battalion) and the division troops were expanded to full strength with the division becoming known as Division z.b.V. AfrikaThe abbreviation z.b.V. stands for ''zur besonderen Verwendung'', which translates as "for a special use" in English. The subordinated 288th Special Service Unit, originally known as ''Sonderverband 288'' was a regimental sized, special operations unit consisting of sub-units with various combat specialties including mountain and desert warfare, night operations and infiltration. This unit was formed in Potsdam in 1941 from specialist soldiers with previous experience in the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa. Two battalions from ''Sonderverbande 288'' and one locally recruited Arab battalion were later amalgamated to form the 155th Rifle (later 155th Infantry and then Panzergrenadier) Regiment within the division. The 361st Regiment contained 300 Germans who had previously served in the French Foreign Legion; who were usually considered unworthy of service but brought about by the Wehrmacht's incessant need for additional troops. Training was completed in the Bardia area and the division was earmarked by Rommel to lead the attack on Tobruk. On 28 November 1941, the formation was renamed 90. leichte Afrika Division (90th Light Africa Division). Through its five-year existence, it was re-designated several times, although always known colloquially as the ''Africa Division,'' being the only German combat division to have been largely raised in Africa itself. The Germans combed the French Foreign Legion in French North Africa and
press-ganged Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. The large size of ...
some 2,000 German ''légionnaires'' into the Wehrmacht. Germans had been urged by the Nazi regime not to join the Legion and these recalcitrants were given a rough reception as unpatriotic elements, being classified ''Wehrunwürdig''/999. The 999 units were made up of men seen as not ''"worthy to serve"'' (''Wehrunwürdig''), so they were not condemned in a court; these men were assigned mainly for political reasons. The bulk of these légionnaires would be formed into the
361st Infantry Regiment 361st may refer to: * 361st Bombardment Squadron or 1st Antisubmarine Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 361st Fighter Group, World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization * 361st Fighter Squadron or 461st Flight Tes ...
as part of the 90th Afrika Division.


North African campaign

The 90th was involved in the battles related to
Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) ...
in 1942 and later in the battles of
Bir Hakeim Bir Hakeim ( ar, بئر حكيم, translit=biʾr ḥakīm, lit=Wise Well ; sometimes written ''Bir Hacheim'') is in the Libyan desert at and is the site of a former Ottoman Empire fort built around the site of an ancient Roman well, dating to ...
as well as the First and Second battles of
El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...
.


Final battles in Tunisia

In Tunisia, the 90th were initially involved in the Battle of El Guettar. The 90th Light was regarded by the
2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...
, commanded by
Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Sir Bernard C. Freyberg VC, as their special foe and as the two formations had faced each other on several occasions. In the final confrontation with the 90th Light in May 1943, Freyberg had sent a message to the German Division stating ''"..your position is hopeless. We have fought you for two years and have no wish to annihilate you."'' The reply was ''"..We appreciate your message and we realise our position is hopeless; but we have our duty to perform."'' A direct assault by the New Zealand Division was checked and a later attack by the 167th Bde of
56th (London) Infantry Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...
was also halted by the 90th Light with British casualties being 63 dead, 221 wounded and 104 missing. The 90th Light continued to resist attacks by the 56th Division but finally succumbed to attack by the
6th Armoured Division The 6th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, created in September 1940 during the Second World War and re-formed in May 1951 in the UK. History The division was formed in the United Kingdom under Northern Command on ...
as well as immense air attacks from the South African and Royal Air Forces. The Division was finally overrun at 18:45 on 12 May 1943 and was granted an honourable surrender at 12:30 on 13 May 1943 together with all remaining Axis forces at Cap Bon, marking the end of the Tunisia Campaign.


Italian Campaign


Reconstitution

As with the other units of the Panzer Army Africa, replacement units were quickly raised from available troops stationed in Western Europe. As such, the ''Africa Division'' was reconstituted as the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Sardinia during July 1943 drawing an experienced nucleus of troops from the Division ''Sardinia''. The division was then transferred to
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
where it absorbed the ground organisation of the ''Luftwaffe'' command on Corsica and added regulars coming from Volksdeutsche recruits. The reconstituted division was deployed along the Bonifacio - Bastia coastal road on 9 September 1943 where it was involved battles against Italians, the maquis and French troops for the liberation of Corsica. The division was transferred to the Italian mainland from the Bastia bridgehead on 3 October 1943 and assigned to LXXXVII Corps of Army Group C.


Southern Italy

On arrival in Italy, the 90th was deployed in Tuscany close to
Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
and then moved to Gatteo a Mare on the Adriatic coast and in mid November to the Abruzzo region, as part of the Gustav Line defences. It was here that the division faced its first damaging battle in Italy during the bitter fighting with the
1st Canadian Infantry Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...
during the Moro River Campaign in late November 1943 and the
Battle of Ortona The Battle of Ortona (20–28 December 1943) was a battle fought between two battalions of elite German ''Fallschirmjäger'' (paratroops) from the German 1st Parachute Division under ''Generalleutnant'' Richard Heidrich, and assaulting Canadian ...
in December. In late December the division was moved to the south of Rome in order to replenish and recover from these battles under
LXXVI Panzer Corps The LXXVI Panzer Corps (''LXXVI Panzerkorps'', 76th Armoured Corps) was a panzer corps of Nazi Germany during World War II. The headquarters were formed in France under Army Group D on 29 June 1943 as LXXVI Army Corps but renamed a month later. I ...
.


Monte Cassino

The 29th and 90th Divisions had been moved from the Rome defences to Monte Cassino to bolster the southern defensive Gustav Line in January 1944 as a division assigned to I Parachute Corps. This move was encouraged by Adm Wilhelm Canaris assuring Field Marshal Kesselring that there was no possibility of any Allied landings close to Rome (The virtually unopposed
Anzio landings The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The ope ...
took place two weeks later on 22 January 1944). The 90th thus remained in the Casino defence lines and didn't participate in the Anzio battles. On 3 February, Kesselring instructed the whole 1st Parachute Division to be moved from the Adriatic to Cassino to relieve the 90th Division. The 90th would then move to the Adriatic to fill the gap in the 51st Mountain Corps left by the relocation of the parachute division. This proposed move was strongly opposed by the Corps generals who insisted that the 90th was just beginning to make itself felt at Cassino. The Corps staff prevailed and the 90th went into battle to following day. The 90th was involved in the defence of Monte Cassino during the first Battle of Monte Casino and lead the recapture of Monte Calvari from the American 2nd Brigade of 168th Infantry Division on 7 February 1944.The division strength was 8,017 on 6 February 1944 During the second Battle of Monte Casino on 17 February 1944, the 90th was attacked by New Zealand Corps and defended their positions against the
Indian 4th Division The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, ...
. Close hand-to-hand combat ensued and the Indian Division launched three attacks against the 90th defences. Battles raged around the abbey for an additional three days after which Gen Freyberg called off the corps attack. The 90th was relieved in the Cassino line after the second battle for Cassino by the 1st Parachute Division and were moved to join the
51st Mountain Corps __NOTOC__The LI Mountain Corps was a German military formation in World War II. History The LI. Gebirgs-Armeekorps was formed on 15 August 1943 at Vienna in Wehrkreis XVII. Its staff came from the LI Army Corps, which had been destroyed in th ...
after refitting at Frosinone. On 18 May, when the 90th reached the
Hitler Line The Hitler Line was a German defensive line in central Italy during the Second World War. The strong points of the line were at Piedmonte, Pontecorvo and Aquino. In May 1944, the line was renamed the Senger Line, after General von Senger und E ...
, it was transferred from 51st Mountain Corps to fall under the command of 14th Panzer Corps and deployed in the Pignataro - Pontecorvo area. This was done to allow one Corps commander to command forces on both sides of the Liri River and prevailed until 21 May, when the 90th reverted to the command of
51st Mountain Corps __NOTOC__The LI Mountain Corps was a German military formation in World War II. History The LI. Gebirgs-Armeekorps was formed on 15 August 1943 at Vienna in Wehrkreis XVII. Its staff came from the LI Army Corps, which had been destroyed in th ...
. The 90th was then involved in the fourth battle for Monte Cassino.


Defense of Rome

By 1 June, Kesselring tried to concentrate the 90th, the 1st Parachute, 305th Infantry and 94th Infantry divisions into a defensive line between Piglio and Paliano. But by then, these units were very weak and were constantly in contact with Allied forces, making relocation extremely difficult. By 4 June, the 90th were again fighting rear-guard actions on the line Ponte Orsino - Trevi and had retreated further north. At the end of July 1944, the division was again relocated into the
Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...
between Modena and Parma and then to Liguria north of Genoa to re-group. After the Allied landings in southern France, the division was relocated to Piedmont to secure the border of the Alpine crossings from France into Italy.


Bologna and the Po Valley

By 15 October the division had been withdrawn from Piedmont in orchestrated disengagement manoeuvres and was deployed as part of a defensive line in the Abruzzi Mountains as part of ''10. Armee.'' By November 1944 the division had withdrawn north and formed part of the defensive lines covering the advances to Bologna. By this time, the division infantry battalions were considered fortunate if they had more than 200 men! After a series of retreating battles into March 1945, the 90th was assigned as Field Army Group reserve under command of ''Heeresgruppe C''. and put into reserve for rebuilding. The reserve was committed to battle in April 1945 to attempt to halt a breakthrough by the US
10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...
on the Po defence line but were unable to hold the advancing Allied forces.


Surrender

By 25 April the US 5th Army had five divisions over the Po River and IV (US) Corps crossed Lake Garda using Fantails and
Duplex Drive DD or Duplex Drive tanks, nicknamed "Donald Duck tanks", were a type of amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman medium tank, that was ...
tanks to push west to close the
Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass (german: link=no, Brennerpass , shortly ; it, Passo del Brennero ) is a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has ...
escape road and to secure Milan. By 28 April all passes providing a possibility of escape into Austria had been closed and the 90th made a last great effort to keep these escape routes open for the divisions in the west. The 90th was forced to surrender on 28 April 1945 after the divisional commander and his staff had been captured earlier in the day, with the remnants of the division surrendering to the
Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) The Brazilian Expeditionary Force ( pt, Força Expedicionária Brasileira, FEB), nicknamed Cobras Fumantes (literally "the Smoking Snakes"), was a Expeditionary warfare, military division of the Brazilian Army and Brazilian Air Force, Air Forc ...
on the Via Emilia south of Lake Garda. General Sir W Jackson, the government historian responsible for documenting the British official history of the War in Italy, considered the 90th Panzergrenadier Division a "worthy opponent."


War crimes

The division has been implicated in a number of war crimes in Italy between August 1944 and April 1945, with up to five civilians executed in each incident.


Lineage and organisation

The division formed part of the Panzer Army Africa during its deployment to North Africa.


Notable Members

Prince Claus of the Netherlands


See also

* Western Desert Campaign * List of German divisions in World War II


Notes and references


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Subject bar , portal1=Military of Germany , portal2=World War II 090 Military units and formations established in 1941 0*090 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945