Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland

The , also commonly referred to simply as or , was an elite combat unit of the German Army () that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.

Originally formed in 1921, it was known as the and served as a ceremonial guard unit and by 1939 had grown into a regiment of the combined German armed forces. The regiment would later be expanded and renamed in 1942, and after significant reorganization was renamed in May 1943. In November 1944, while the division retained its status as a division, some of its subordinate units were expanded to divisional status, and the whole group of divisions were reorganized as .

1939–1942

The Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland was activated on 14 June 1939. The regiment saw action in France in 1940, and took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. It was attached to Panzer Group 2 in the opening phases of Barbarossa, and was nearly destroyed in the Battle of Moscow in late 1941. On the last day of February 1942, the remnants of the regiment absorbed two battalions of reinforcements that arrived from Neuruppin and the regiment was reconstituted. It later moved to Orel, and on 1 April 1942 the former Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland was reinforced and expanded into the ''Infanterie-Division ''Großdeutschland'' (mot.)'' (motorized Infantry Division Grossdeutschland) using newly arrived troops from Germany.

The division was assigned to XXXXVIII Panzer Corps during the opening phases of Fall Blau, the Wehrmacht's 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia. During the combined Soviet winter offensives Operation Uranus and Operation Mars in late November through mid-December, the division fought near Rzhev, where it was rendered combat ineffective. By November 18, 1942, the division only had 7 Panzer II, 1 Panzer III, 19 Panzer IV, and 3 Sd.Kfz. 265 Panzerbefehlswagen operational.

In January–February 1943, ''Großdeutschland'' and XXXXVIII Panzer Corps, along with the II SS Panzer Corps took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov. The division had 5 Panzer II, 20 Panzer III, 85 Panzer IV, 9 Tiger I, 2 Panzerbefehlswagen, and 26 Flammpanzer III available at that time. The division fought alongside the 1.SS Division ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'', 2. SS Division ''Das Reich'' and 3.SS Division ''Totenkopf'' during these battles. The division's losses as total write-offs at that time amounted to 1 Panzer III, 12 Panzer IV, and 1 Tiger I. After the conquest of Kharkov, the ''Großdeutschland'' was again pulled back and refitted.

On 19 May 1943, with the addition of armoured personnel carriers and Tigers the division was redesignated ''Panzergrenadier Division Großdeutschland'' (Armored Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland), though, in reality, it now had more armored vehicles than most full-strength panzer divisions.

1943–1945

The newly re-equipped division was subordinated to the XXXXVIII Panzer Corps, part of Fourth Panzer Army, and took part in the Battle of Kursk. During the buildup period, a regiment of two battalions were equipped with the new Panther tanks, which were plagued by technical problems, suffering from engine fires and mechanical breakdowns before reaching the battlefield. The division has 4 Panzer II, 23 Panzer III, 68 Panzer IV, 15 Tiger I, 8 command tanks, and 14 Flammpanzer III available. By 7 July, the division had only 80 of its 300 tanks still fit for combat. After the Kursk offensive was canceled, the division was transferred back to Army Group Center and resumed its role as a mobile reserve. The Tiger I tank company was expanded to a battalion, becoming the III. Battalion of the Panzer Regiment. Großdeutschland saw heavy fighting around Karachev before being transferred back to XLVIII Panzer Corps in late August. For the rest of 1943, ''Großdeutschland'' retreated across Ukraine, and in 1944 into Romania, where it took part in the First Battle of Târgu Frumos. By May 31, 1944, the division had 14 Panzer IV, 90 Panthers, and 40 Tiger I tanks.

In early August, the division was transferred to East Prussia from Army Group South Ukraine. Over the next months, ''Großdeutschland'' was involved in heavy fighting in both East Prussia, including a counter-attack on Wilkowischken and the Baltic States, suffering high casualties in both men and materiel. The division was nearly destroyed during the battles in the Memel bridgehead.

In November 1944, while the division and several attached units were redesignated as ''Panzerkorps Großdeutschland''. By March 1945, the Panzer Grenadier Division ''Großdeutschland'' had been reduced to around 4,000 men after the Battle of Memel. It had only 1 StuG III, 1 Panzer IV, 5 Panthers, and 6 Tiger I tanks by March 15, 1945. By 25 April 1945, the division was engaged in heavy fighting in the battles around Pillau. Eight hundred men of the division were evacuated on ferries via the Baltic Sea and surrendered to British forces in Schleswig-Holstein on May 9. The rest were either killed or captured during the fighting in Pillau or surrendered to Soviet forces on May 9 on the Vistula spit.

War crimes

During the battle of France, soldiers of the division perpetrated the summary executions of hundreds of Black prisoners of war in French service. These executions were racially motivated, as German troops had been conditioned by Nazi propaganda to see Black people as subhuman. In several instances, Black prisoners of war were separated from White ones and murdered by soldiers of the division, including on 10 June 1940, where 150 Black prisoners were massacred in Erquinvillers. Another mass killing committed by the division was the Chasselay massacre, where on 19 and 20 June hundreds of Black prisoners of war were murdered in Chasselay, Rhône.

Reprisals

The book ''German Army and Genocide'' mentions the following incident, from the invasion of Yugoslavia:

Part of the photographic presentation for the book includes a photo where the ''Großdeutschland'' cuff title on the officer is clearly visible. The subject of Grossdeutschland's complicity in many subsequent war crimes in Russia and Ukraine, was the subject of the book by Omer Bartov ''The Eastern Front, 1941–45, German Troops, and the Barbarization of Warfare'' (1986, ).

Under existing international law at the time, reprisals were permitted though the Allied nations and Nazi Germany had differing interpretations of the law. In postwar war crimes trials, reprisal killings were deemed to be illegal, a conclusion enshrined in international law by the United Nations.

Organization

Structure of the division:

* Headquarters
* Grossdeutschland Reconnaissance Battalion
* Grossdeutschland Panzer Regiment
* Grossdeutschland Panzergrenadier Regiment
* Grossdeutschland Fusilier Regiment
* Grossdeutschland Engineer Battalion
* Grossdeutschland Artillery Regiment
* Grossdeutschland Tank Destroyer Battalion
* Grossdeutschland Army Anti-Aircraft Battalion
* Grossdeutschland Assault Gun Battalion
* Grossdeutschland Signal Battalion
* Grossdeutschland Divisional Supply Group

Commanders

Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland
* ''Oberstleutnant'' , July 1939 – February 1940
* ''Oberstleutnant'' Gerhard Graf von Schwerin, February 1940 – March 1940
* ''Oberst'' Wilhelm-Hunold von Stockhausen, March 1940 – August 1941
* ''Oberst'' Walter Hörnlein, August 1941 – April 1942

Infantry/Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland
* ''Generalmajor'' Walter Hörnlein - 1 April 1942 – 3 April 1943
* ''Generalleutnant'' Hermann Balck - 3 April - 30 June 1943
* ''Generalleutnant'' Walter Hörnlein - 30 June 1943 - 1 February 1944
* ''Generalleutnant'' Hasso von Manteuffel - 1 February 1944 – August 1944
* ''Generalmajor'' Karl Lorenz - 1 September 1944 - 7 May 1945

See also

* Guy Sajer

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grossdeutschland Division
German panzergrenadier divisions
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945