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23rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The German 23rd Infantry Division (''23. Infanterie-Division''), later the 26th Panzer Division, was a military unit operational during World War II. It was organized along standard lines for a German infantry division. It was non-motorised and relied on horse-drawn wagons for its mobility. The unit carried the nickname ''Grenadierkopf''. The 23rd Infantry participated in the invasion of Poland in 1939 as part of the reserve component of the 4th Army. The division was commanded by Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt and consisted of the 9th, 67th, and 68th infantry regiments. Commanding officers *Generalleutnant Ernst Busch, creation – 4 February 1938 *General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt, 4 February 1938 – 1 June 1940 *Generalleutnant Heinz Hellmich, 1 June 1940 – 17 January 1942 *Generalleutnant Curt Badinski, 17 January 1942 – 9 July 1942 26th Panzer Division In July 1942, the division was reorganized as the 26th Panzer Division (' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or Formation (military), formation, usually consisting of between 10,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps. Historically, the division has been the default combined arms unit capable of independent Military tactics, operations. Smaller combined arms units, such as the American regimental combat team (RCT) during World War II, were used when conditions favored them. In recent times, modern Western militaries have begun adopting the smaller brigade combat team (similar to the RCT) as the default combined arms unit, with the division to which they belong being less important. A similar word, ''Divizion, //'', is also used in Slavic languages (such as Russian, Serbo-Croatian, and Polish) for a battalion-size artillery or cavalry unit. In naval usage "division (naval), division" has a completely different range of meanings. Aboard ship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernst Busch (field Marshal)
Ernst Bernhard Wilhelm Busch (6 July 1885 – 17 July 1945) was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II who commanded the 16th Army (as a ''Generaloberst'') and Army Group Centre. During World War I, Busch served as an infantry officer and was retained in the postwar army of the Weimar Republic. He steadily rose in seniority and by 1936 was a general and commander of the 23rd Infantry Division. During the invasion of Poland, he commanded VIII Army Corps. In 1940, he was appointed commander of the 16th Army; he led it during the 1940 Battle of France and Operation Barbarossa, the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. By October 1943, Busch was the commander of Army Group Centre but he was dismissed in June 1944 after the collapse of his command during the Red Army's Operation Bagration. He was later the commander of Army Group Northwest in the final months of the war and died as a prisoner of war in England. Early life and World War I Busch was bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panzergrenadier
(), abbreviated as ''PzG'' (WWII) or ''PzGren'' (modern), meaning ''Armoured fighting vehicle, "Armour"-ed fighting vehicle "Grenadier"'', is the German language, German term for the military doctrine of mechanized infantry units in armoured forces who specialize in fighting from and in conjunction with infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) – that is, armoured troop carriers designed to carry a mechanized squad of six to eight soldiers into, during and out of combat while providing Direct fire, direct fire support for those troops. The doctrine originated primarily in Nazi Germany during World War II and is today used by name in the countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden. Doctrine combat is conducted in close cooperation with IFVs. Each squad has its own designated IFV during battle. Combat can be conducted either from within the vehicle via portholes in the walls or hatches on the roof etc., so-called ''mounted combat'', or from outside the vehicle in its vic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viktor Linnarz
Generalleutnant Viktor Leopold Linnarz (19 August 1894 – 14 October 1979) was a German army officer who served in the Prussian Army in World War I and the German Army during World War II. He joined the Prussian Army in March 1914 and was awarded the Iron Cross during his service in World War I. At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 he was an Oberstleutnant. He was promoted to Oberst (colonel) in 1940 and served as a brigade commander in the 3rd Panzer Division from 27 June 1941 to August 1941. In 1942 he was appointed the Deputy Chief of the Army Personnel Office (HPA) at the Army High Command (OKH). On 1 January 1943 he was promoted to Generalmajor (Major General) and on 1 April 1944 to Generalleutnant (lieutenant general). On 21 July 1944 he arrived at the country home of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin von Witzleben, having been ordered to arrest him following his involvement in the 20 July plot coup attempt. Linnarz was the commander of the 26th Panzer-Division in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Kuhnert
__NOTOC__ Alfred Kuhnert (19 March 1898 – 28 November 1977) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 April 1944 as ''Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...'' and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 51 (motorized)Fellgiebel 2000, p. 228. References Citations Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhnert, Alfred 1898 births 1977 deaths People from Kluczbork German Army personnel of World War I Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union German ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hans Boelsen
Hans Boelsen (6 March 1894 – 24 October 1960) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. During his time in command of the 114th Jäger Division, the unit was complicit in two massacres in Italy, in the towns of Filetto di Camarda and Gubbio. Boelsen was never prosecuted for these crimes. Awards and decorations * German Cross in Gold on 17 November 1941 as ''Oberstleutnant'' in Kradschützen-Bataillon 160 (motorized) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 September 1943 as ''Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...'' and commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 111 References Citations Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boelsen, Hans 1894 births 1960 deaths 20th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hans Hecker
__NOTOC__ Hans Hecker (26 February 1895 – 1 May 1979) was a German general during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards and decorations * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 August 1940 as ''Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) 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, ...'' and commander of Pionier-Battalion 29 (mot.)Fellgiebel 2000, p. 180. References Citations Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hecker, Hans 1895 births 1979 deaths Military personnel from Duisburg Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smilo Freiherr Von Lüttwitz
Smilo Walther Hinko Oskar Constantin Wilhelm Freiherr von Lüttwitz (23 December 1895 – 19 May 1975) was a German general during World War II and son of Walther von Lüttwitz. After World War II he joined the Bundeswehr in 1957 and served as the first commander of the III Corps until his retirement in 1960. Biography Lüttwitz was born on 23 December 1895 in Straßburg (now Strasbourg) into a family with a long history of military service. He joined the military service during the mobilisation on 3 August 1914 as an officer cadet in the 25th Division in Darmstadt. Lüttwitz was posted to the Eastern Front and saw combat at Tannenberg, Courland and Düna. He was severely wounded twice in 1915 and received the Iron Cross 1st class. He was commissioned as an officer in 1915.Williamson 2005, p 31. In 1916 Lüttwitz was transferred to a staff position with the X Corps in the Heeresgruppe Kronprinz for two years. The corps was under the command of his father General Walther von ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Padule Di Fucecchio Massacre
The Padule di Fucecchio massacre () was the murder of at least 174 Italian civilians, carried out by the 26th Panzer Division at , a large wetland north of Fucecchio, Tuscany, on 23 August 1944. After the war, the commander of the 26th Panzer Division was sentenced for war crimes, but the men who carried out the massacre were not convicted until 2011 and none served any jail time. The massacre has been described as "one of the worst Nazi atrocities in Italy". Massacre The massacre was carried out as a reprisal for the wounding of two German soldiers by Italian partisans. An Italian military court was later told that the Germans had rounded up 94 men, 63 women and 27 children and murdered them with machine gun fire. According to the prosecutor, the murders were committed "in cold blood, looking the innocent in the eyes". An Italian historian described the massacre as "not a reprisal but an operation of total desertification". Prosecution Initial investigation British military p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eduard Crasemann
Eduard Crasemann (5 March 1891 – 29 April 1950) was a German ''General der Artillerie'' in the Wehrmacht and convicted war criminal who commanded several Panzer divisions during World War II. Crasemann fought as an artillery officer during World War I on both the Western and Eastern Fronts but left the military in 1919, returning to civilian life. In 1936, he joined the ''Heer'' (Army) branch of the Wehrmacht. He served in the Battle of France and the Western Desert Campaign as a battalion- and regimental-level commander. He was briefly acting commander of the 15th Panzer Division in mid-1942. In 1944 he was given command of the 26th Panzer Division, which was operating in Italy. He then commanded the XII SS Army Corps from January to April 1945 until it surrendered to United States troops. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Under Crasemann's command, the 26th Panzer Division massacred over 160 Italian civilians in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its Metropolitan City of Bologna, metropolitan province is home to more than 1 million people. Bologna is most famous for being the home to the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest university in continuous operation,Top Universities ''World University Rankings'' Retrieved 6 January 2010Hunt Janin: "The university in medieval life, 1179–1499", McFarland, 2008, , p. 55f.de Ridder-Symoens, Hilde [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Avalanche
Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but the Allies landed in an area defended by German troops. Planned under the name ''Top Hat'', it was supported by the deception plan Operation ''Boardman''. The landings were carried out by the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark. It comprised the U.S. VI Corps, the British X Corps, and the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, a total of about nine divisions. Its primary objectives were to seize the port of Naples to ensure resupply, and to cut across to the east coast, trapping the Axis troops further south. In order to draw troops away from the landing ground, Operation Baytown was mounted. This was a landing by the British Eighth Army, under General Sir Bernard Montgomery, in Calabria in the 'toe' of Italy, on 3 Septemb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
