The 6th Parachute Division () was a ''

Fallschirmjäger The () were the airborne forces branch of the Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They were commanded by Kurt Student, the Luftwaffe's second-in-comman ...

'' ( airborne) division of the German military during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, active from 1944 to 1945. The division was formed officially in France in June 1944, commanded by

Rüdiger von Heyking Rüdiger von Heyking (10 January 1894 – 18 February 1956) was a German officer and Lieutenant General of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Life Heyking was born to a noble family in Rastenburg, East Prussia, at the home of Heyking family. ...

. It contained several regiments: * 16th (later transferred to Poland, May 1944), * 17th, * 18th Fallschirmjäger Regiments, * and the 6th Fallschirmjäger Artillery Regiment. Many members of the division would be the final cadre to receive parachute training.Axis History Factbook The 16th Regiment was temporarily added later in the war, but was then transferred to the Eastern Front before the division saw combat, and would later be re-designated as 3rd Fallschirm-Grenadier-Regiment and assigned to

Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier Division 2 Hermann Göring Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier-Division 2 "Hermann Göring" was a German military unit formed on 24 September 1944 in the area of Radom. It subsequently was joined with the Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring to form the Fallschirm Panz ...

. The remainder of the division was sent into combat in Normandy in Kampfgruppe strength only. By July the 17th and 18th regiments had taken heavy losses in both men and materials. The surviving members were withdrawn to the Netherlands to rebuild, and saw combat there later in the year, particularly during

Operation Pheasant Operation Pheasant, also known as the Liberation of North Brabant, was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands during the fighting on the Western Front in the Second World War. This offensiv ...

. In early 1945, it fought in the

Battle of the Reichswald A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

, and surrendered to Allied forces in May.

Commanding officers

*Generalleutnant

, 1 May 1944 – 3 September 1944 *Oberst

Harry Herrmann Harry may refer to: Television * ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (New Zealand TV series), 2013 crime drama starring Oscar K ...

, 3 September 1944 – 1 October 1944 *Generalleutnant

Hermann Plocher __NOTOC__ Hermann Lukas Plocher (5 January 1901 – 8 December 1980) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Awards * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class ( ...

, 1 October 1944 – 8 May 1945

Notes

References

* {{Air force infantry Fallschirmjäger divisions Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945