The German 8th Infantry Division (''8. Infanterie-Division'') was formed in Oppeln on 1 October 1934 under the cover name Artillerieführer III which was used until 15 October 1935. It was mobilized in August 1939 and took part in the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

and

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, the invasion of the Soviet Union. On 1 December 1941, it was reorganized and redesignated 8th Light Infantry Division. It was again redesignated on 30 June 1942 as the 8th Jäger Division. It surrendered to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

in May 1945.

Background

The main purpose of the German Jäger Divisions was to fight in adverse terrain where smaller, coordinated units were more facilely combat capable than the brute force offered by the standard infantry divisions. The Jäger divisions were more heavily equipped than mountain divisions, but not as well armed as a larger infantry division. In the early stages of the war, they were the interface divisions fighting in rough terrain and foothills as well as urban areas, between the mountains and the plains. The Jägers (means ''hunters'' in German) relied on a high degree of training, and slightly superior communications, as well as their not inconsiderable artillery support. In the middle stages of the war, as the standard infantry divisions were downsized, the Jäger structure of divisions with two infantry regiments, became the standard table of organization. In 1943,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

declared that all infantry divisions were now Grenadier Divisions except for his elite Jäger and Mountain Jaeger divisions.

Area of operations

* Poland (September 1939 – May 1940) * France (May 1940 – June 1941) * Eastern front (June 1941 – December 1941) ;As 8th Light Infantry Division * France (December 1941 – March 1942) * Eastern front, northern sector (March 1942 – June 1942) ;As 8th Jäger Division * Eastern front, northern sector (June 1942 – March 1944) * Eastern front, southern sector (March 1944 – May 1945)

Commanders

* General der Kavallerie Rudolf Koch-Erpach (15 October 1935 – 25 October 1940) * General der Infanterie Gustav Höhne (25 October 1940 – 23 July 1942) * General der Panzertruppe Gerhard Graf von Schwerin (23 July 1942 – 13 November 1942) * General der Gebirgstruppe Friedrich-Jobst Volckamer von Kirchensittenbach (13 November 1942 – 1 September 1944) *

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

Christian Philipp (1 September 1944 – April 1945)

Order of battle

* Jäger Regiment 28 * Jäger Regiment 38 * Radfahr Battalion 8 * Artillery Regiment 8 * Pionier Battalion 8 * Panzerjäger Battalion 8 * Signals Battalion 8 * Feldersatz Battalion 8 * Versorgungseinheiten 8

Notes

References

*Burkhard Müller-Hillebrand: ''Das Heer 1933–1945. Entwicklung des organisatorischen Aufbaues.'' Vol. III: ''Der Zweifrontenkrieg. Das Heer vom Beginn des Feldzuges gegen die Sowjetunion bis zum Kriegsende''. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1969, p. 285. * Georg Tessin: ''Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg, 1939–1945''. Vol. III: ''Die Landstreitkräfte 6–14''. Mittler: Frankfurt am Main 1967. {{DEFAULTSORT:8th Jager Division (Wehrmacht) Jäger Divisions Military units and formations established in 1942 1942 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1945