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266th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)
The 266th Infantry Division (german: 266. Infanterie-Division) was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. History The 266th Infantry Division was formed on 20 May 1943 at Münsingen military base in Wehrkreis V. It was assembled using recruits from all over southern Germany as a static (i.e. non-motorized) division. The battalions and detachments initially reported to the division headquarters on 15 June and deployment was completed by 1 August. The 266th Infantry Division initially consisted of the Grenadier Regiments 897, 898, and 899, as well as the Artillery Regiment 266. The infantry regiments were equipped with two battalions each, and the artillery regiment's detachments were equipped with ''Beutewaffe'' howitzers of Soviet origin. The only commander throughout the division's history was Karl Sprang, who has appointed upon the unit's formation. Upon deployment to occupied France, Grenadier Regiment 898 as well as the second detachment of Artille ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infantry Division
A division is a large military unit or 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 make up a corps. Historically, the division has been the default combined arms unit capable of independent 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 they belong to being less important. While the focus of this article is on army divisions, in naval usage "division" has a completely different meaning, referring to either an administrative/functional sub-unit of a department (e.g., fire control division of the weapons department) aboard naval and coast guard ships, shore commands, and in nav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Pockets
In World War II, the Atlantic pockets were locations along the coasts of the Netherlands, Belgium and France chosen as strongholds by the occupying German forces, to be defended as long as possible against land attack by the Allies. The locations are known in German as (lit. "Atlantic strongholds") but are known in English as "Atlantic pockets". Six of the Atlantic pockets were captured by the Allies between June and October 1944. Others were placed under siege. Three surrendered in April 1945, and the remainder in May 1945. Designation as fortresses On 19 January 1944 Adolf Hitler declared eleven places along the Atlantic Wall to be fortresses (''Festungen''), to be held until the last man or the last round, calling them (lit. "Atlantic strongholds"). The ports were: IJmuiden, the Hook of Holland, Dunkirk, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Saint-Malo, Brest, Lorient, Saint-Nazaire and the Gironde estuary. In February and March 1944 three more coastal areas were d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infantry Divisions Of Germany During World War II
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine infantry. Although disused in modern times, heavy infantry also commonly made up the bulk of many historic armies. Infantry, cavalry, and artillery have traditionally made up the core of the combat arms professions of various armies, with the infantry almost always comprising the largest portion of these forces. Etymology and terminology In English, use of the term ''infantry'' began about the 1570s, describing soldiers who march and fight on foot. The word derives from Middle French ''infanterie'', from older Italian (also Spanish) ''infanteria'' (foot soldiers too inexperienced for cavalry), from Latin '' īnfāns'' (without speech, newborn, foolish), from which English also gets ''infant''. The individual-soldier term ''in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
XXV Army Corps (Wehrmacht)
The XXV Army Corps (german: XXV. Armeekorps) was an army corps of Germany's Wehrmacht during World War II. History Formation The XXV Army Corps was established as a reserve command staff in the Upper Rhine border region in 1938. This staff was mobilized as ''Generalkommando Oberrhein'' on 26 August 1939 and renamed XXV Army Corps on 17 September 1939. It was initially part of the 7th Army ( Dollmann) under Army Group C ( von Leeb), tasked with guarding the Franco-German border. The division remained in the Upper Rhine area until the Battle of France in June 1940. Occupation duty in France, 1940 – 1944 After the Battle of France, the XXV Army Corps became part of the German occupation force in France. It served briefly under the 12th Army (Wilhelm List) between May and June 1940. Subsequently, the XXV Army Corps served a three-month tenure under the guidance of the 1st Army between September and November 1940. Under both the 12th and 1st Armies, the XXV Army Corps was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
II Parachute Corps (Germany)
The II Fallschirmkorps (2nd Parachute Corps) was created in 1943 from Division Meindl an experienced division on the Eastern Front. In the wake of this new Corps, the 3rd and 5th Fallschirmjägerdivision were raised and attached to the Corps. A year later the Corps was almost completely annihilated while fighting in the Falaise Pocket during the Battle for Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma .... The II Fallschirmkorps was later refitted with replacement troops provided by Fallschirm-Jäger-Ersatz-Battalion 2 and sent to aid the 1st Fallschirm-Armee until their surrender to the Allies in 1945. Under the command of the Werner E. Kranz. Commanding officer * Generalleutnant Eugen Meindl, 5 November 1943 – 5 May 1945 Organisation September 1944 * 3rd Falls ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Army Group B was established when Army Group South was divided for the summer offensive of 1942 on the Eastern Front. Army Group B was given the task of protecting the northern flank of Army Group A, and included the 6th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. In February 1943, Army Group B and Army Group Don were combined to create a new Army Group South. A new Army Group B was formed in northern Italy under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in July 1943. Its task was to secure Northern Italy after the overthrow of Mussolini and to disarm the Italian Army there as part of Operation Achse. After the stabilisation of the front on the Winter Line south of Rome by Kesselring's Army Group C, and the creation of the Salo Republic in Northern I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period of Roman occupation. It became an independent kingdom and then a duchy before being united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as a separate nation under the crown. Brittany has also been referred to as Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain, with which it shares an etymology). It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, Normandy to the northeast, eastern Pays de la Loire to the southeast, the Bay of Biscay to the south, and the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its land area is 34,023 km2 . Brittany is the site of some of the world's oldest standing architecture, home to the Barnenez, the Tumulus Saint-Michel and others, which date to the early 5th millennium BC. Today, the h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Army Group D
Army Group D (''Heeresgruppe D'') was a German Army Group which saw action during World War II. Army Group D was formed on 26 October 1940 in France, its initial cadre coming from the disbanded Army Group C. On 15 April 1941, the status of Army Group D was upgraded. From that date on, the commander of Army Group D was also to be considered Oberbefehlshaber West (or OB WEST – the Commander in Chief for the Western Theatre). As a result of this, Army Group D is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Army Group West. Commanders Orders of battle May 1941 * Seventh Army * First Army * Fifteenth Army * Commander of all German troops of Occupation in the Netherlands May 1944 * Army Group G * Army Group B * Panzer Group West * First Fallschirm Army December 1944 * Army Group G * 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
7th Army (Wehrmacht)
The 7th Army () was a World War II field army of the German land forces. History Origins The 7th Army was activated in Stuttgart on August 25, 1939 with General Friedrich Dollmann in command. At the outbreak of the war, the 7th Army defended the French border and manned the Westwall in the Upper Rhine region. At the start of the Campaign in the West in 1940, the 7th Army was part of General Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb's Army Group C. On 14 June 1940, Army Group C attacked the Maginot Line after it had been cut off by armored units of the XXXXI Panzer Corps. Lead elements of the 7th Army reached the area in front of Colmar and later pursued parts of the French 2nd Army Group into Lorraine. At the conclusion of the campaign, the 7th Army was in eastern France. From July 1940 until April 1941, the 7th Army guarded a region of the coast in southwestern France. From 18 April 1941, the 7th Army was responsible for coastal defense in Brittany and Normandy. By mid-1944, the 7th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LXXIV Army Corps (Wehrmacht)
The LXXIV Army Corps (german: LXXIV. Armeekorps) was an army corps of the German Wehrmacht during World War II. History The LXXIV Army Corps was formed on 26 July 1943 as a static army corps under the authority of ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' ( Army Group D) in Hanover in Wehrkreis XI. It was subordinate to the 7th Army from July 1943 to June 1944 and subsequently joined, at times, the 5th Panzer Army 5th Panzer Army (german: 5. Panzerarmee) was the name of two different German armoured formations during World War II. The first of these was formed in 1942, during the North African campaign and surrendered to the Allies at Tunis in 1943. The a ... and the 15th Army. The initial commander of the LXXIV Army Corps was Erich Straube. On 16 December 1944, Straube was succeeded as corps commander by Carl Püchler. The LXXIV Army Corps was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket at the end of the war. Structure Noteworthy individuals * Erich Straube, corps commander of LXXIV Army ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brest, France
Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon. The city is located on the western edge of continental France. With 142,722 inhabitants in a 2007 census, Brest forms Western Brittany's largest metropolitan area (with a population of 300,300 in total), ranking third behind only Nantes and Rennes in the whole of historic Brittany, and the 19th most populous city in France; moreover, Brest provides services to the one million inhabitants of Western Brittany. Although Brest is by far the largest city in Finistère, the ''préfecture'' (regional capital) of the department is the much smaller Quimper. During the Middle Ages, the history of Brest was the history of its castle. Then Richelieu made it a military harbour in 1631. Brest grew around its arsenal un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Allies heavily bombarded Saint-Malo, which was garrisoned by German troops. The city changed into a popular tourist centre, with a ferry terminal serving the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, as well as the Southern English settlements of Portsmouth, Hampshire and Poole, Dorset. The famous transatlantic single-handed yacht race Route du Rhum, which takes place every four years in November, is between Saint Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe. Population The population in 2017 was 46,097 – though this can increase to up to 300,000 in the summer tourist season. With the suburbs included, the metropolitan area's population is approximately 133,000 (2017). The population of the commune more than doubled in 1967 with the me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
